How are the job prospects for patent attorneys relative to other attorneys upon graduating from law school? I have a strong interest in going to law school, and I am currently an undergrad student in engineering at Ohio State with a strong interest in patent law but I just want to make sure the market is there before I take on debt for law school. Basically I do not want to waste 3 years and 100k only to end up working in a coffee shop when I could have just taken an engineering job after undergrad. What could one expect to make upon graduating from law school and going into patent law? Also, would it be better to try securing a job as a patent agent then working toward law degree on the side somehow? Thanks for any responses!
The job prospects for IP attorneys are pretty good, especially with a CS or EE background. If you haven’t, you should definitely intern at an IP firm though, since it’s one thing to have an abstract interest and another to have a concrete interest.
Salaries range for IP attorneys the same as every other attorney. The big firms pay entry level associates 145-160k. The smaller firms pay around 40-60k.
I don’t know of any hiring preference for those who were patent agents. IP students tend to have better hiring cycles but I don’t have any data regarding prior patent agents.
IP attorneys are known to have some of the highest salaries and job prospects because of the low supply and high demand. With so many humanities majors in law school, students with a science background usually have an advantage in finding employment and a high salary because there simply aren’t that many to choose from.
I am an engineer who has worked a lot with patent attorneys. I suggest to get an engineering job when you graduate, and get a little bit of engineering work experience before you apply to law school. You don’t necessarily need to work as a patent agent before law school, but going ahead and taking the patent bar so that you can be a patent agent will make it easier to find summer employment while in law school, which can help you career prospects after law school graduation. You should be able to study for the patent bar while working full-time as an engineer (assuming that you are a traditional student without family responsibilities.)
You may want to consider trying to find work as a patent agent, before law school, in hopes of finding a company that will pay for you to go to law school part-time while working. I’ve known a number of people who have gone that path, and it is way cheaper than paying for law school out-of-pocket. However, you would have to have engineering work experience first before you could find such a patent agent job.
So, my advice in chronological order is:
- Graduate with an engineering degree
- Work as an engineer
- While working as an engineer, study for the patent bar and take the patent bar exam to get patent agent certification
Consider both of these options once you have 2-3 years of engineering work experience:
4a. Go to law school
4b. Work as a patent agent, and then eventually go to law school
They are slightly better, but just because you have an engineering background doesn’t mean it will compensate for going to a lower ranked law school or having bad grades. Firms still only recruit at certain schools for on-campus interviews and then look at the top 10% at other ones through mass mail. Also you’re likely looking at 300k debt if you pay full sticker these days for law school. I would not recommend paying full sticker to go anywhere - salaries haven’t adjusted for the high cost of education.
Career as a patent attorney is not bad at all! You can start as an patent agent initially and then you can start with the law school simulataneously. Just make sure that the patent agency you work is a reputed one like the IP Korea Inc, http://www.ipkcenter.com for ex, as then only your experience will be considered.