<p>Hello, I just finished my first year as an Industrial Engineer major. Before that I did 2 years of Electrical Engineering, but decided to switch since I decided it wasn't for me. I also am in the process of getting a Finance minor. I recently found out a little more about Patent Lawyers, and took an interest in this field. My question is, what is the demand for Patent Lawyers currently in the US, specifically in Chicago, since this is where I live and go to college? Also, what would I have to do in order to go this route since I did not originally plan on doing patent law, how many years after my undergrad would it take, and does my 2 years in Electrical, and the finance minor give me any benefits? My last question would be what is an average starting salary for an Industrial Engineer going into patent law, and what is the average salary overall, in a big city like Chicago? </p>
<p>I have done a lot of research lately, but hearing these answers from people who know the field, and work in the field on a daily basis, is in my opinion the most reliable and up to date source of information!</p>
<p>GPA please… and then I can tell you how high you need to score on the LSAT for this endeavor to be successful. I suppose your first two choices are UChicago and NWU…</p>
<p>A girl one year ahead of me in high school did just what you’re planning. She got her master’s degree in engineering, then went to law school to become a patent lawyer. I know she did well! I thought about doing it myself, but then the kids came along and I was a little preoccupied.</p>
<p>The job market and pay for anything related to intellectual property (such as being a patent lawyer) is much better than for other lawyers. I think that it’d be a good career.</p>
<p>GPA is currently at exactly a 3.00; however, this semester just finished and I did pretty well in my classes, so hopefully my GPA will go up. I find out in about a week or so when they submit our grades online. </p>
<p>Also, is getting a masters after your undergrad that necessary? Just seems like a lot of years, and more importantly money, to get all that done. Undergrad, masters, then law school would be at least a good 8-10 years.</p>
<p>And yes, those two would of course be ideal, if I could get into them. Id prefer to stay in or around Chicago, if possible. If I did not get into these, I hopefully would have some other options around here. </p>
<p>Before you look into things such as salary and opportunities, you’d better see whether the engineering courses you have taken in EE and will take in Industrial Engineering will be sufficient to qualify you to take the examination in patent law given by the US Patent and Trademark Office. There are very specific requirements in terms of scientific education that qualifies one to take this examination. These can be found at <a href=“http://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/oed/exam/GRB_January_2014.pdf”>http://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/oed/exam/GRB_January_2014.pdf</a>.</p>
<p>You cannot take the examination and thus cannot become a patent attorney unless you meet these requirements. A degree in industrial engineering might not include enough “hard science” to qualify for the exam. If that is the case, and you still want to go for patent law (and your GPA will be high enough to get into a law school - and that isn’t always the case with engineering majors) - then you will need to take one or more additional courses to qualify.</p>
<p>And in addition, you should note that patent law is very different from engineering, and law school is very different from graduate school. You should talk with your counselors and others to see whether law school and patent law are really for you.</p>
<p>I am simply trying to get all my questions answered, and in my original post I had asked, “what would I have to do in order to go this route since I did not originally plan on doing patent law?” I’m sorry if this wasn’t specific enough, but basically I am asking what I needed to do now in order to be able to go into patent law (should I take specific courses, should I take extra courses on the side, do I need to start studying now…etc…) and I have looked over this document, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I do not see any specific courses listed. There are many requirements, and rules, and they do get VERY specific, but they do not have a specific list of courses I need to have done as an IE in order to be able to take the examination. Taken directly from the document:</p>
<p>III. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE
EXAMINATION, it states:</p>
<p>" An applicant applying for the examination must demonstrate to the Director of the Office
of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) that he or she possesses the scientific and technical
training necessary to provide valuable service to patent applicants. Applicant bears the
burden of showing the requisite scientific and technical training. To be admitted to the
examination, each applicant must demonstrate possession of the required scientific and
technical training. </p>
<p>A. CATEGORY A: Bachelor’s Degree in a Recognized Technical Subject. An applicant will
be considered to have established to the satisfaction of the OED Director that he or she
possesses the necessary scientific and technical training if he or she provides an official
transcript showing that a Bachelor’s degree was awarded in one of the following subjects
by an accredited United States college or university, or that the equivalent to a
Bachelor’s degree was awarded by a foreign university in one of the following subjects: "</p>
<p>" An applicant with a Bachelor’s degree in one of the above-identified subjects must
submit an official transcript from the college or university. A diploma, copy of the
diploma, or copy of the transcript will not be accepted. The official transcript will be
accepted from an applicant. The college or university transcript must be official and
include the university stamp or seal. "</p>
<p>Please someone let me know if there is some other place where I can find actual courses I must have completed to be eligible for the exam. From what I understand, this document states that as long as I have a Bachelor’s Degree in IE, I should be eligible. I would really like to make sure I take all of the proper coursework to be able to go this route, if that is what I decide to do in the end. </p>
<p>According to that website a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering will in fact qualify you to take the examination. But there’s a little more. You also need to find out whether a degree in industrial engineering will give you sufficient technical knowledge to work as a patent attorney. Some law firms or other employers may consider this degree as being too light in technology to be useful to them. So you should contact patent counsel in prospective places of employment and ask this question. </p>