<p>I am a fourth year student in bioengineering (5 year program because it is a mandatory co-op program) looking to get into patent law. A large amount of my recent research has suggested that I need to obtain an advanced degree in biomedical engineering if I want to get a job as a biotech patent attorney after law school. However, I recently spoke to a patent attorney and he told me that in his view biomechanics and bioelectronics fall more into the realm of mechanical and electrical patents and an advanced degree probably wouldn't be necessary. These are the two areas I would like to focus in. What are your thoughts on this? I am already signed up for an LSAT class, and I have already begun studying for the LSAT, which I will take in June 2014.</p>
<p>I’ll say what I always say: look at some job openings for biomedical patent attorneys and see what the requirements are. If a Ph.D. is required or preferred, you have your answer.</p>
<p>Find some big firms or patent boutique firms in your area; look at the qualifications of new associates. (The Ph.D. requirement is fairly new; you will find that many partners only have a bachelor’s, but graduate education is more common among younger attorneys. So don’t look at the partners; look at the associates.)</p>
<p>My real advice is to get USPTO registration now. (You do not need to be an attorney to take the test.) You can then be a patent agent without having attended law school, which enables you to draft and prosecute (i.e. take before the Patent Office) patents.</p>
<p>Try not to speak of biotech in looking for a position as a patent attorney. For that work, a Ph.D. is the minimum requirement nowadays. But your education isn’t in biotech as it is usually understood. In your field a bachelor’s degree might be sufficient nowadays, but it’s not easy to tell whether it would be sufficient in a few years, after you would have graduated from law school.</p>