Biotechnology Patent Lawyers Job Description, Duties & Salary

Employment Prospects

Employers

Many biotechnology patent attorneys work for law firms that focus on biotechnology patent law or intellectual property law, although some practice at firms that offer a wider range of legal specialties. Other lawyers practice at larger biotechnology corporations that hire their own in-house counsels, or at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office itself. For all biotechnology patent lawyers, however, the work environment tends to be formal and often intense, since the amount of money at issue in biotechnology patent suits is usually substantial. Biotechnology patent law tends to be most active in areas where the industry itself is strong; currently, these areas include Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, and Washington, D.C.

Starting Out

Internships and clerkships are often good ways to gain experience and enter the law field. Like other patent lawyers, you may want to apply for a clerkship in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. To gain a clerkship, you should write to the judge while you are still in law school. Another option is to get a job at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Finally, many law firms recruit people right out of law school. Your law school should have a career services office as well as offer you professional contacts through alumni that can help you find a position.

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