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general commercial litigator wants to transition into patent
Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 1:30 am
by Anonymous User
Me: 3L with no tech background, taken a survey IP course, plenty of interest in patent litigation.
You: give me advice on how to get an "in" without a tech background.
My firm has an active patent litigation practice, but the non-engineers tend to stay away from the group - maybe they aren't staffed on patent cases, maybe they don't ask - I don't know.
Re: general commercial litigator wants to transition into patent
Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 1:43 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Me: 3L with no tech background, taken a survey IP course, plenty of interest in patent litigation.
You: give me advice on how to get an "in" without a tech background.
My firm has an active patent litigation practice, but the non-engineers tend to stay away from the group - maybe they aren't staffed on patent cases, maybe they don't ask - I don't know.
I have very little expertise on this subject but I wanted to contribute that opportunities to make this transition depend on the firm. The firm I am going to has a good number (about 35%) of their IP team (50+ lawyers total in that practice group) that have no technical background. From what I can tell, it is the more seasoned litigators that have made that move at my firm.
Anecdotally, I have heard that peer firms have almost no lawyers from non-technical backgrounds in that practice group. It seems to be something that either firms do or do not do.
I think it has a lot to do with the types of cases and clients that the firms take on. I would look for a firm that has lawyers who make that transition and eventually try to lateral there (either directly to IP or otherwise).
Good luck.
Re: general commercial litigator wants to transition into patent
Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:19 am
by Anonymous User
I know Quinn DC has hired some non-patent background folks to do patent. Maybe look to find an opening office that needs you.