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Hi all,

My undergrad major wasn't in engineering or a science. My major was health sciences, but I took a ton of chemistry/bio/physics. I'm about 2-3 classes away from being eligible for the patent bar. Would it be worth pursing this route? Would it make a student more marketable as far as biglaw is concerned? Does anyone know how this process even works? Would I tell firms I will be eligible for the patent bar by the time I graduate? Or just say that I'd be interested in patent law, etc?

I spoke with associates at a few law firms who were pretty vague about it so if anyone has been through the process, please share your experiences!! Thanks!

dragnfli wrote:Hi all,

My undergrad major wasn't in engineering or a science. My major was health sciences, but I took a ton of chemistry/bio/physics. I'm about 2-3 classes away from being eligible for the patent bar. Would it be worth pursing this route? Would it make a student more marketable as far as biglaw is concerned? Does anyone know how this process even works? Would I tell firms I will be eligible for the patent bar by the time I graduate? Or just say that I'd be interested in patent law, etc?

I spoke with associates at a few law firms who were pretty vague about it so if anyone has been through the process, please share your experiences!! Thanks!

I am a patent agent who is attending law school PT. Without a PhD or even an MS in chemistry/bio/physics or an Engineering degree you will have a very difficult time finding a Patent Prosecution position (writing patents/dealing with the USPTO). That said, the lack of a strong science degree would not prevent you from being an IP litigator, if you're interested in that sort of thing. It's kind of a mixed bag as to whether your should try to take the patent bar. I have heard that some law firms prefer their Patent Litigators to have passed the agents exam simply because it adds to their credibility and allows them to file documents with the USPTO. On the other hand, the patent bar is not required for patent litigation.

If the 2-3 classes are easy to pick up, and you can afford them, I would think about taking the patent bar ONLY if you have your heart set on IP law and after you've talked to several patent attorneys. IP is more steady than other fields of law but the market is currently saturated with PhDs from the hard sciences.

Short answer: It would not be worth pursuing

Long answer

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=160252

Potentially dumb question here: when is one required to take the patent bar? I am interested in IT/cybersecurity/etc and think it would be interesting to work for a firm in this space; however, I do not have a sciences background and would never pass the patent bar, but I do work in consulting and have some real world experience with the more non-tecnical aspects of it.

Anonymous User wrote:Potentially dumb question here: when is one required to take the patent bar? I am interested in IT/cybersecurity/etc and think it would be interesting to work for a firm in this space; however, I do not have a sciences background and would never pass the patent bar, but I do work in consulting and have some real world experience with the more non-tecnical aspects of it.

You're required to take the patent bar before you represent an inventor before the USPTO. You're right, that was a dumb question.

androstan wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Potentially dumb question here: when is one required to take the patent bar? I am interested in IT/cybersecurity/etc and think it would be interesting to work for a firm in this space; however, I do not have a sciences background and would never pass the patent bar, but I do work in consulting and have some real world experience with the more non-tecnical aspects of it.

You're required to take the patent bar before you represent an inventor before the USPTO. You're right, that was a dumb question.

I am not trying to represent an inventor at USPTO. Just generally interested in cyber, which has an overlap with patent work.