big firm patent associate contemplating life, taking Qs Forum

[run26.2]

I will be working in biglaw patent litigation - between clerking on NDCA v. CDCA, is one viewed as being better than the other? Do clients/firms care between these two districts? Thanks.

I work in ND Cal, so it may be that the attorneys that I'm around are biased. But I get the sense that people tend to be more impressed with the Northern District than other, more popular, venues. I don't think the difference matters much to the clients, unless you have clerked where they are being sued.

[Anonymous User]

I will be working in biglaw patent litigation - between clerking on NDCA v. CDCA, is one viewed as being better than the other? Do clients/firms care between these two districts? Thanks.

NDCA>>CDCA for patent lit. NDCA is one of the big 4 patent lit district.

[run26.2]

You realize that CD Cal is a more popular jurisdiction than ND Cal, right?

[Anonymous User]

Say if a B.S Bio/Chem somehow magically lands a patent pros. attorney gig right out of law school and gains experience to be mid-level, would a lack of PhD hurt this candidate when looking at lateral opportunity (including in-house) or does experience cure the lack of credentials?

[Anonymous User]

I will be working in biglaw patent litigation - between clerking on NDCA v. CDCA, is one viewed as being better than the other? Do clients/firms care between these two districts? Thanks.

NDCA>>CDCA for patent lit. NDCA is one of the big 4 patent lit district.

This is what confuses me, NDCA seems like it might be a bigger deal (is it because of Apple/Samsung?) but CDCA hears significantly more patent cases, second only to EDTX.

[Anonymous User]

Laid off from my IP boutique, just as I was finishing up my second year. I don't have the credentials for biglaw (I tried), and I'm not sure I want to be at a firm anymore anyways. Also don't have the experience to go in-house. Any creative routes I can go other than the stereotypical firm/in-house avenues? I've always wanted to get into music/media, but don't even know where to look (and don't know how helpful my IP background is).

Help?

We need more context and info re your backgrounds and credentials. Were you doing soft IP work, patent lit, or patent prosecution at your ex-firm? Any technical background? what kind of IP work have you done?

laid off anon here. i'm a patent attorney; was handling mostly patent prosecution. i could tolerate doing it for the rest of my life, but i wouldn't love it. plus, i'm having trouble finding another prosecution position because i don't have an EE background.

[Anonymous User]

Laid off from my IP boutique, just as I was finishing up my second year. I don't have the credentials for biglaw (I tried), and I'm not sure I want to be at a firm anymore anyways. Also don't have the experience to go in-house. Any creative routes I can go other than the stereotypical firm/in-house avenues? I've always wanted to get into music/media, but don't even know where to look (and don't know how helpful my IP background is).

Help?

We need more context and info re your backgrounds and credentials. Were you doing soft IP work, patent lit, or patent prosecution at your ex-firm? Any technical background? what kind of IP work have you done?

laid off anon here. i'm a patent attorney; was handling mostly patent prosecution. i could tolerate doing it for the rest of my life, but i wouldn't love it. plus, i'm having trouble finding another prosecution position because i don't have an EE background.

What's your technical background? You don't need an EE background for everything.

Was there any reason for the lay off? There's a large amount of work going around right now, so I'm surprised that someone got laid off! What metro area are you in?

[Anonymous User]

Laid off from my IP boutique, just as I was finishing up my second year. I don't have the credentials for biglaw (I tried), and I'm not sure I want to be at a firm anymore anyways. Also don't have the experience to go in-house. Any creative routes I can go other than the stereotypical firm/in-house avenues? I've always wanted to get into music/media, but don't even know where to look (and don't know how helpful my IP background is).

Help?

We need more context and info re your backgrounds and credentials. Were you doing soft IP work, patent lit, or patent prosecution at your ex-firm? Any technical background? what kind of IP work have you done?

laid off anon here. i'm a patent attorney; was handling mostly patent prosecution. i could tolerate doing it for the rest of my life, but i wouldn't love it. plus, i'm having trouble finding another prosecution position because i don't have an EE background.

What's your technical background? You don't need an EE background for everything.

Was there any reason for the lay off? There's a large amount of work going around right now, so I'm surprised that someone got laid off! What metro area are you in?

mechanical; nyc. it was a combo of low hours and a client pulling work from the firm. in any case, i dont really want to be in prosecution anymore. is there any easy way for me to move into ip lit or soft ip work? every single bite i've gotten on the job search front has been prosecution; it's really hard for me to pretend like i give a shit about it, but i don't feel like i have a choice

[Anonymous User]

Assuming options are available, is it better to start off one's career in patent pros. if one cannot decide pros or lit yet? From what I've read, getting 2 years experience of pros. under one's belt is desirable for both pros. or lit. or in-house career, is this true?

[mbison]

Assuming options are available, is it better to start off one's career in patent pros. if one cannot decide pros or lit yet? From what I've read, getting 2 years experience of pros. under one's belt is desirable for both pros. or lit. or in-house career, is this true?

I wouldn't say 2 years experience doing patent prosecution is desirable for lit. If possible, I would try to find somewhere that lets you do both to start. They are very different, and this will help you figure out which you like better.

[Anonymous User]

Assuming options are available, is it better to start off one's career in patent pros. if one cannot decide pros or lit yet? From what I've read, getting 2 years experience of pros. under one's belt is desirable for both pros. or lit. or in-house career, is this true?

For in-house, 3 years of prosecution is when more doors open. The best for in-house would be a mix of prosecution and other patent activities outside of prosecution/litigation like licensing, procurement, portfolio review, etc. Also, contracts drafting for companies with smaller in-house departments where the in-house counsel take on multiple roles.

[mbison]

For in-house, 3 years of prosecution is when more doors open. The best for in-house would be a mix of prosecution and other patent activities outside of prosecution/litigation like licensing, procurement, portfolio review, etc. Also, contracts drafting for companies with smaller in-house departments where the in-house counsel take on multiple roles.

True, but it's hard to do all those things at a firm, and you can learn some of those on the job. Perhaps more important is having some experience in whatever field you want to go in-house in. For a semiconductor company, a EE degree + some experience as an engineer would be ideal. For a software company, a CS degree + some experience as a programmer. And so on. That plus some solid patent prosecution experience should get you in the door.

[Anonymous User]

How's the salary for patent lit as a 1st and 2nd yr associate? Did you start off higher than new non-patent associates and/or do you think you received a higher bonus? The general assumption is patent lit (and patent attorneys in general) make more, but is that true right off the bat or is it just true later in the career?

your assumption is wrong. generally, all big law firms pay the same scale:
160
170
185
...

regardless of what field you're in. some variation here and there depending on bonus structure. but you will receive NOTHING more than a same year non-patent associate at your firm. also, im talking about big law here. maybe some small firms differentiate, but ive never heard of it.

This isn't true.

If you're in a secondary market that pays something other than NY market, its quite common for patent (lit or pros) to get a higher range, often close to ro matching Ny market, even though the rest of your class doesn't.