BigLaw (Patent) Litigator (Mid-Level Associate) Taking Questions Forum

[patentlitigatrix]

I am a biglaw patent litigation associate with experience at two different firms. Shoot.

[Jchance]

do you have any comment on the decrease in IP lit hiring given the changes in patent law lately?

[patentlitigatrix]

I honestly didn't know there was a decrease in IP lit hiring industry wide. One firm I worked at was very slow in IP litigation (one of the reasons I decided to leave), but the other is extremely busy to the point of being understaffed.

[totesTheGoat]

How easy or hard would it be for you to jump in-house from your current position?

[patentlitigatrix]

I have seen a bunch of mid-level and and senior patent litigation associates go in-house, especially for firm clients. That being said, I have absolutely no desire to go in-house so I have not researched this option first-hand.

[Desert Fox]

[patentlitigatrix]

Do you hate it when I use the term "guys" to describe the members of a JDG call?

Ha! You figured out I am a lady litigator from my user name. To answer your question, nah I don't take it personally or care about "you guys" or variants. It is not rare for me to be the sole woman on the call. There are also plenty of other reasons to hate JDG calls.

But it is minorly annoying when I get discovery letters addressed to "Mr. [last name]." I would venture to guess that there isn't a single dude out there with my first name. Even worse if I have talked to opposing counsel on the phone or met them.

[totesTheGoat]

What do you use to keep up with the latest cases? I know that law360 is an option, but I'm curious if you've found a better/more targeted alternative.

[patentlitigatrix]

What do you use to keep up with the latest cases? I know that law360 is an option, but I'm curious if you've found a better/more targeted alternative.

I really love Docket Navigator. I get the daily email, and reading through that is one of the first things I do in the morning. There is more of a lag with Docket Navigator than say Law360, but you end up getting summaries of smaller things that would never be covered by Law360 like interesting discovery rulings, stays, rulings on fees, etc. I also like how you can see new cases filed, particularly IPRs/CBMs. And the alerts you can set up are really customizable. I also browse through Law360 on a daily basis to see what bigger holdings came out the day before/that morning.