Patent attorney prospects Forum
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Dvlbrn1
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2017 11:45 am
Patent attorney prospects
Hey all, not sure if this is the right thread to post this but i was wondering what you all thought were the chances i get picked up into patent law. Heres my situation. I work for a big oil company (BP,exxon etc) as a research technician and they offer tuition reimbursement. I got a 158 on the lsat which got me into a 60 rank local law school local which works out since I have to take parttime classes throughout the week/commuting to make this happen and its the only school close enough to work. So by the end of my degree ill have 5 years experience as a research chemist (BS chem) and of course any promotions, awards etc. Is this enough to either snag a spot at an exxon like patent dept or firm or no. What do yall think?
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trmckenz
- Posts: 197
- Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 7:22 pm
Re: Patent attorney prospects
Generally speaking, you will not be very employable as a patent prosecution attorney with only a BS in Chemistry. To be competitive, you often need to have a PhD (a MS from a top school may be acceptable too) for getting hired as a patent prosecution attorney. If your degree was in Chemical Engineering, you probably wouldn't need a graduate degree.
That being said, you could potentially work as a patent litigation attorney. Your Chemistry background (i.e., lack of a PhD) won't hurt you there. However, law school choice is more important for litigation, as hiring is more competitive than patent prosecution. There could be a lengthy debate as to whether the 60s-ranked law school you mentioned is sufficient for obtaining your goals or not.
Lastly, a good place to start is to talk to attorneys within your company. I am sure your company has in-house litigators. Maybe you can search on your company's websites to find some attorneys - research their educational backgrounds, and then set up a quick introduction. That's the best advice I can give.
That being said, you could potentially work as a patent litigation attorney. Your Chemistry background (i.e., lack of a PhD) won't hurt you there. However, law school choice is more important for litigation, as hiring is more competitive than patent prosecution. There could be a lengthy debate as to whether the 60s-ranked law school you mentioned is sufficient for obtaining your goals or not.
Lastly, a good place to start is to talk to attorneys within your company. I am sure your company has in-house litigators. Maybe you can search on your company's websites to find some attorneys - research their educational backgrounds, and then set up a quick introduction. That's the best advice I can give.
