Re: Patent Agent -- career?

Posted by good luck on November 13, 2002 at 01:04:00:

In Reply to: Patent Agent -- career? posted by Rob on November 11, 2002 at 05:36:22:

Good Luck.
If your background was biotech, you would be the hottest thing going. BUT, your are biomed, and engineer who can design EE hardware to interface with the body. Quite a difference. That is not the best degree to have for patent work. BUT, look at Kollsman in NH and some of the biomed comapnies. That is where you may be successfull. Try to get into kollsman, and start your PA then. Organic growth is often the way to go.
Note that patent attorneys HATE patent agents.
Law firms are pyramid structures. All associates work for a partner. the associates billable is split 3 ways: 1/3 for the firm, 1/3 for the partner you are indentured to, and 1/3 to the associate IF YOU ARE LUCKY. some forms pay only 28% to the accociate. NOw, considering that a patent agent does not have a JD/LLB, they are billed out at $160-190/hour. attorneys have JD/LLB often bill out at $350 or more. If you were the partner getting 1/3 of the associate's billables, which would you rather have, 1/3 of $160/hr OR 1/3 of $350/hr?. A law firm WILL WANT you to got to law school simply to improve the economics. And they will pay.

Note that attorneys are unqualified to sit for the patent bar. One MUST be an engineer! Check the PTO site. This makes sense, since a patent is 95% technical and 5% legal. Its more knowing what not to say, than what to say.

Patent agents tend to be VERY heavily experienced engineers who worked in industry, in lieu of attorneys that zero to token experience. Who would you rather fix your car, someone with 20 years exp fixing cards, or someone who read about it for a couple of years. Also note that since attorneys tend to be so light in experience and technology is getting so complicated, firms often hire technical specialists to help the attorneys. A patent agent is very often someone who can do the techniacl AND the legal. Note PAs are limited to prosecution, and no tranactional work and can only assist in litigation by technical analysis.

Paqtent agent jobs are very hards to come by. Espically in the Boston area where I am from.

You may be able to get $70k, but you will work long hours. You will need to get 1800 billables AFETR CUTS. Cuts (efficiency, etc) can easily be 30% or more for new guys. You may have to have 2300 billables before cuts. At 7 billable hours perday (cropping bathroom time, coffee, lunch, non-billable work you wil need to do)it is a lot of time.

Also note passing the bar ONLY means you know some of the procedures and some of the Law. Prosecution is an apprenticeship occupation. You MUST work under someone expeienced for a few years before you can be competant.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: Patent Agent -- career? Rob 03:35:57 11/15/02 (4)
  • Re: Re: Re: Patent Agent -- career? M Arthur Auslander 23:58:36 11/15/02 (3)
    • Re: Re: Re: Re: Patent Agent -- career? good luck 08:38:48 11/17/02 (2)
      • Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Patent Agent -- career? Flajann 00:22:06 12/31/02 (0)
      • Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Patent Agent -- career? M Arthur Auslander 23:52:37 11/17/02 (0)

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