Patent Attorney Salary range... Need help Forum

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone provide ballpark figures how much a patent attorney (electrical or computer science ) with 1-3 years of experience should command in salary? Please if you can specify firm size and location. I am strictly focusing on the patent prosecution side of things. I just cannot find any information on line with any actual real information about such salaries. I get the feeling it's a secret or something.

[Anonymous User]

Biglaw: Cravath scale + Cravath bonus. You are expected to have biglaw (~2000) billable hours.
Small patent pros shop: 100k-140k, plus bonus. You are expected to have between 1600-1900 billable (matching with salary range), with bonus that should put you in line with big firms if you bill at big firm hours.

edit: knowledge as 3L who interviewed at and received offers from both biglaw and small shops.

[Anonymous User]

Have you tried sites like GlassDoor.com? You can sometimes find self-reported salary info on prosecution firms there.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, single office patent boutiques tend to offer first years $120k-$145k. Some firms offer various percentages of your billed hours when you hit your third year.

[Anonymous User]

As a second year I was offered 175k at a biglaw pros shop. At a small pros shop I was offered a third of my billings at 300/hour to begin. Both in DC.

[Anonymous User]

Check out the AIPLA economic report survey. You can get it with a membership (like $25 or something) and it has tons of data. I recall boutiques paid something around $140 ~ $200K for EE 1-3 years experience, and that pay generally does not differ between pros and lit at lower levels in the pay scale.

[ipguy]

This is only slightly more narrow than asking "how much should a 1-3 year attorney make"

Variables include market but are mostly driven by firm. There are small/mid boutiques that will pay market/cravath.

Without knowing about the firm and the market its hard to give a more specific answer. Just like all other flavors of law, there are all flavors of pros firms

[Anonymous User]

This is only slightly more narrow than asking "how much should a 1-3 year attorney make"

Except that patent shitlaw doesn't really exist. Basically all patent attorneys working full time are making 6 figures. Lots of 1-3 year attorneys make far less.

[84651846190]

This is only slightly more narrow than asking "how much should a 1-3 year attorney make"

Except that patent shitlaw doesn't really exist. Basically all patent attorneys working full time are making 6 figures. Lots of 1-3 year attorneys make far less.

False. I definitely know some staff attorneys doing IP work who make around 80k. I think some of them are patent attorneys. Granted, they could probably move on to a six figure job fairly soon after gaining some experience as staff attorneys.

[gk101]

This is only slightly more narrow than asking "how much should a 1-3 year attorney make"

Except that patent shitlaw doesn't really exist. Basically all patent attorneys working full time are making 6 figures. Lots of 1-3 year attorneys make far less.

I am not even sure if this is true for major markets but you are definitely not getting paid 6 figures in secondary markets like St. Louis etc. I know people at Armstrong Teasdale in St. Louis who are started at around 75k for IP. I know of a few small IP boutique firms in Virginia that pay well below six-figures for first year patent pros bros.

I will agree that you are more likely to find a 6 figure starting salary as an IP attorney because of the big IP boutiques like Oblon/Shugrue/Oliff (if you are desperate for job/money) etc that are far less concerned about your law school GPA.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone provide ballpark figures how much a patent attorney (electrical or computer science ) with 1-3 years of experience should command in salary? Please if you can specify firm size and location. I am strictly focusing on the patent prosecution side of things. I just cannot find any information on line with any actual real information about such salaries. I get the feeling it's a secret or something.

Depends entirely on firm size. IP in big law will start at 160k. For example, Fitzpatrick Cella starts at 160k and has a 2100 hour minimum. Their DC office is focused on patent prosecution. NY does a mix of prosecution and litigation. I have a few friends doing patent prosecution at smaller firms in the DC/VA area, and they make less, but have better billing minimums.

[ipguy]

This is only slightly more narrow than asking "how much should a 1-3 year attorney make"

Except that patent shitlaw doesn't really exist. Basically all patent attorneys working full time are making 6 figures..

As has been pointed out by others, this is completely false.

Lots of 1-3 year attorneys make far less

Sure, but I'm pretty sure this was not a binary question of "will I make more than X?" and thus, I hardly see how it is relevant. If OP wants to provide more details or specifics he/she will get a better answer.

[Anonymous User]

First year associate at a DC/VA area boutique here. I have a friend who is a second year associate at a different DC/VA firm doing patent work. We both started in the 135-160 range with 1800-2100 billable reqs. Both firms also have generous bonus structures. This is for mostly prosecution work fwiw.