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Does anyone know if it is even possible or worth the effort to try and get a job in IP if you only qualify to take the patent bar in the category B section? I have looked on this site and others and have not been able to find any information regarding this. I have a BS in History and a minor in physics ( 24 credits so I am patent bar eligible), currently a 2L at a tier 2 ranked around the top third of the class. Any help or info would be appreciated.

Kind of depends on what your goals and alternative options look like. If you pass the patent bar, I'd imagine there will be firms willing to hire you to do patent prosecution, assuming you'll work for the right price. History major + T2 law school will make it tough to break into patent law unless your resume/transcript reflect clear interest in IP.

You have a higher chance of getting a patent gig if you passed the patent bar and have your reg. number. Possible but very difficult.

Not worth it unless you're already in IP.

Yes, it's possible. It's not common, but nor is it really rare to see people with an undergrad degree in Political Science or some other non-technical degree working in patent prosecution. It would probably be a little bit more difficult to get a position, but people are so incredibly desperate for patent prosecutors that I would find it shocking if you couldn't get interviews if you already had the patent bar passed. They'd probably put you on software stuff. A lot of that work requires very little technical knowledge.

The work is fairly boring and technical though. You should know what you're getting yourself into.

btown wrote:Does anyone know if it is even possible or worth the effort to try and get a job in IP if you only qualify to take the patent bar in the category B section?

The way you phrased this leads me to think that you don't really understand the relationship between the patent bar specifically and the world of IP generally.

If you want to practice before the PTO (e.g., patent prosecution, patent re-exams), you must be a member of the patent bar. For almost everything else related to IP, including patent litigation in federal court, you don't need the patent bar (though it can help in some circumstances). At the big law firms, many of the patent litigators are not members of the patent bar. And for other forms of IP (copyright, trade secret, trademark litigation), the patent bar isn't relevant.

btown wrote:Does anyone know if it is even possible or worth the effort to try and get a job in IP if you only qualify to take the patent bar in the category B section? I have looked on this site and others and have not been able to find any information regarding this. I have a BS in History and a minor in physics ( 24 credits so I am patent bar eligible), currently a 2L at a tier 2 ranked around the top third of the class. Any help or info would be appreciated.

Are you sure you're Category B eligible? 24 credits in physics isn't necessarily sufficient. Just double check.

As others may have said, it's really not worth any effort if you don't pass the PTO bar / get a reg number. You can convince someone that you're IP if you have a BS in a real science but are in Category B for some random reason. But it's harder to do so with a History degree. Get a reg number. Only then will people take you seriously for IP work.