Patent Lawyers Job Description, Duties & Salary

Employment Prospects

Employers

Many patent attorneys work for law firms that focus specifically on patent law or the wider field of intellectual property law, although some practice at firms that offer a wider range of legal specialties. Other lawyers practice at larger technology corporations that hire their own in-house counsels, or at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office itself. For all patent lawyers, however, the work environment tends to be formal and often intense, since the amount of money at issue in patent suits is usually substantial.

Starting Out

Internships and clerkships are often good ways to gain experience and enter the law field. You may want to apply for a clerkship in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Court 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 people are recruited by law firms right out of law school. Your law school will have a career services office as well as offer you professional contacts through alumni that help you find a position.

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