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[Jim_W]

This is a continuation of an earlier thread in which someone asked how much engineering experience would be helpful to have going into patent law and me and some other posters agreed that prosecution experience was more valuable. The problem is that no one starts with prosecution experience. I hoped to get around this problem by working at the PTO for a few years before lateraling into a prosecution job, but that got torpedoed in march.

People who are already patent attorneys, how did you get your foot in the door?

Also, any ideas for overcoming this shitty market?

[Spor]

I'm sure I could dig around your post history and find all this out, but what are your credentials?  UG degree, law school, grades, have you taken the patent bar, etc?

Regardless, I'm guessing the answer is going to be marry a partner's daughter/son. Also, network, having a personal connection to an open position is really your best shot.

[Jim_W]

Passed the patbar and my state bar.
Mid-T1 law, middle of my class.
8 years engineering experience. Comp Sci.
Undergrad was a top 10 school but it was so long ago I don't think anyone cares. Grades were pretty good though.
I took courses in patent prosecution and I did an internship at the PTO.

[Spor]

Eeek, that sounds like a pretty decent background. This economy is a joke. 

How long ago did you finish law school? Did you just strike out at OCI?

[petethebody]

Jim,

I know how you feel.  Let's just say screw it and start our own firm.  What do you say?

Pete

[Jim_W]

Finished law school in May.
OCI employers were not interested in patent law. I think this is normal unless you're at Stanford or something.
I did the IP job fairs but only got interviewed by firms that were looking for litigation people.

I'd love to hang my own shingle but it wouldn't change my situation- the lack of hiring is caused by lack of work and lack of work would still be a problem if I ran my own firm, especially if it was run by a newbie attorney. I would go solo if I already knew a bunch of inventors that wanted to send work to me, but that isn't my situation.

[Forrest Gump]

Basically at this point in time you either need to know someone, or just get lucky.  Getting hired does have a lot to do with the luck of a firm receiving your resume in close proximity to a position opening up.

At this point in time you might want to consider doing anything to fill your resume while you are treading water.  Get an LLM, get a masters in Electrical Engineering, pass the bar exam in a second state, etc.

Things will probably be looking up by this time next year.

[klaviernista]

Not going to help you, but here is how I got into the field in a nutshell:

1.  Worked for several years at a government national lab/
2.  Transitioned from the lab to the USPTO, where I worked for ~3.5 years.
3.  Went to 1st year of law school while at the PTO.  Busted my butt and ended up 13th in my class after first year. 
4.  Left the PTO for a student associate position.
5.  Transitioned from student associate to full associate after graduating from law school and passing the bar.

If you can't work at the PTO, getting a summer associate ship is probably your best "in" to a first year position. 

[horsechute]

"At this point in time you might want to consider doing anything to fill your resume while you are treading water.  Get an LLM, get a masters in Electrical Engineering, pass the bar exam in a second state, etc."

I agree. I have known people who have passed up what might have been an otherwise lucrative career by taking a job, during a recession, in a field that was unrelated to what they studied. At worst, if you took student loans for 2 years and got an MS in EE or an LLM, you might (probably would) get the patent law job as the hiring freezes ebb, and make enough money to easily pay back the loans and have something to show for your time. If someone throws in the towel, then their loses are probably very large in many respects.

"Things will probably be looking up by this time next year."
Let's hope. This is not your typical recession.

[Scotto]

Unfortunately I don't think things will look up next hear. I've read that the the unemployment rate will continue to hover around 10% for many years to come. We can only hope that our particular industry recovers in particular.