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[Billy Mura]

Hello,

I have recently graduated law school, and I've applied for a position as an examiner at the USPTO. I also have an engineering degree. I sent my application in months ago, and still have not heard anything. I was told that the reason I have not been asked for an interview is b/c I have a law degree, and the USPTO is not hiring law grads.

Does anyone have any knowledge on the subject???

Thanks

[guest11]

I started about a year ago in biotech.  About 30% of the people in my incoming "class" of 20 new hires have law degrees.  Not sure if they've changed the hiring policy or if it is different in engineering though...

[Isaac]

Does anyone have any knowledge on the subject???

Thanks

I've talked to a couple of recent law school grads who received job offers from the PTO.

What type of engineering degree to you have?  Perhaps there is less hiring in your particular technical area.

[guestexam]

Some SPEs will not hire law grads/attorneys.  Others will.
There is a perception that you will work at the PTO for a few years, get experience, and jump ship to a firm and make more money.

Try to talk to the hiring coordinator (not the HR person, but the SPE who is the hiring coordinator) for the tech center you want to work in.  Maybe the SPE who was interested in your resume was unhappy that you were an attorney or had a JD (which ever the case may be).
Ask the hiring coordinator if there are any other SPEs you could interview with.

[bobloblaw]

Some SPEs will not hire law grads/attorneys.  Others will.
There is a perception that you will work at the PTO for a few years, get experience, and jump ship to a firm and make more money.

Try to talk to the hiring coordinator (not the HR person, but the SPE who is the hiring coordinator) for the tech center you want to work in.  Maybe the SPE who was interested in your resume was unhappy that you were an attorney or had a JD (which ever the case may be).
Ask the hiring coordinator if there are any other SPEs you could interview with.

Anyone know who I could contact if I was applying for a position this position:

Discover an exciting career with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office! The career you would have is filled with endless possibilities and you can be a part of something that makes a difference for you, the country, and the world. It's an effort that continues to contribute to a strong global economy and to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit for the 21st century. Begin your career today by applying online...It's easy, fast and convenient.

These positions are located in the Chemical Engineering/Material Science Technology Center, Mechanical Engineering/Transportation and Electronic Commerce Technology Center, and Mechanical Engineering/Manufacturing Products and Designs Technology Center of the Patent and Trademark Office, Alexandria, Virginia. Incumbent is responsible for reviewing patent applications, determining the scope of the protection claimed by the inventor, researching relevant technologies and communicating findings for patent practitioners/inventors.

Sorry I couldn't post the link to the job itself.  It seems like I don't have a sufficient amount of posts to do so.
I was a Chem E undergrad.

[guestexam]

Anyone know who I could contact if I was applying for a position this position:


Sorry I couldn't post the link to the job itself.  It seems like I don't have a sufficient amount of posts to do so.
I was a Chem E undergrad.

You aren't really clear, but it sounds like you applied for a job in TC 3600 or TC3700.  Go to PTO website at uspto-dot-gov, click on the site index, scroll down to "information contacts telephone directory".  Click on 3600 or 3700.  Scroll down and look at the art they work in. If something looks like your background, note it.  If not keep searching.
Click on the "management roster" for phone numbers.  Call one of the TC secretaries and politely ask who the hiring coordinator is for the TC you works in your art.  Call and ask them.

[willi173]

I too have a JD and interviewed with the USPTO at a job fair in NYC in April.  At the time, the interviewer seem impressed and said that he would recommend for hire.  I even progressed enough in the hiring process that I filled out the USPTO's job candidate questionnaire and forwarded official copies of my transcript to the office.  Since then I've heard nothing from USPTO.  haha

[bobloblaw]

You aren't really clear, but it sounds like you applied for a job in TC 3600 or TC3700.  Go to PTO website at uspto-dot-gov, click on the site index, scroll down to "information contacts telephone directory".  Click on 3600 or 3700.  Scroll down and look at the art they work in. If something looks like your background, note it.  If not keep searching.
Click on the "management roster" for phone numbers.  Call one of the TC secretaries and politely ask who the hiring coordinator is for the TC you works in your art.  Call and ask them.

Thanks.  I don't know if this will give me a leg up or not, but I'm willing to give it a shot...

[superman10]

why are there so many law grads applying to the USPTO? is the job market that tough for JD's?

[bobloblaw]

why are there so many law grads applying to the USPTO? is the job market that tough for JD's?

Unfortunately yes.

Good jobs are hard to come by and very few firms will hire fresh JDs with no experience unless you are in the top 10% of your class or went to a T14 school.

The market is saturated and I have talked to at least a dozen engineer/JDs who are having a difficult getting gainful employment.

The one exception to this seems to be EEs, which is HOT right now.  

[Billy Mura]

It's great to hear I'm not alone on this one. I have solid law school grades from a tier 3 law school. (top 35%). I have  decent undergrad grades from a BIG 12 school, (2.70). And I'm a registered Patent Agent with the USPTO.

The guy I interviewed with was David Wiley. And quite frankly, I was unimpressed with the guy. His hair was not combed, unshaven, and his shirt was untucked, and all combined he seemed really lazy. I'm not sure I would want to work for a guy like that, or anyone "below" him.

I've heard its gotten so bad at the USPTO they've had to outsource their international applications to 2 US companies, Landon IP, and Data Miner IP. It's there attempt to get caught up.

BM

[bobloblaw]

It's great to hear I'm not alone on this one. I have solid law school grades from a tier 3 law school. (top 35%). I have  decent undergrad grades from a BIG 12 school, (2.70). And I'm a registered Patent Agent with the USPTO.

The guy I interviewed with was David Wiley. And quite frankly, I was unimpressed with the guy. His hair was not combed, unshaven, and his shirt was untucked, and all combined he seemed really lazy. I'm not sure I would want to work for a guy like that, or anyone "below" him.

I've heard its gotten so bad at the USPTO they've had to outsource their international applications to 2 US companies, Landon IP, and Data Miner IP. It's there attempt to get caught up.

BM

Well, at least you received an interview.  Congrats on that.  Crossing my fingers over here because it's my last shot at IP law before I try to find something else to do.

If you don't mind me asking, what was your undergrad engineering degree in, and what group did you interview for?

[jjkob]

I had a similar experience coming out of law school.  I busted my hump to complete that tedious application, and received no response.  I've received several explanations from different attorneys, most of which have been mentioned here (e.g., the USPTO thinks that JDs will bail after a couple of years, I was directed to a group that is not hiring (mechanical engineering)).

I am fairly certain that USPTO hiring resembles private-sector hiring--the bulk of US filings are EE-related, thus EE patent attorneys and EE patent examiners are in the highest demand.

[2Btabby]

I was hired for the May 29th PTA and I'm a ME.  To my understanding... this was the first academy that they admitted mech. in since it started a long while back.  Our class is only 15 people too.  Perhaps they will hire more in the future.  How I got the honor, I'm really not sure.  I did email my interviewer almost once every two weeks.

[Billy Mura]

Well, at least you received an interview.  Congrats on that.  Crossing my fingers over here because it's my last shot at IP law before I try to find something else to do.

If you don't mind me asking, what was your undergrad engineering degree in, and what group did you interview for?

Actually, it wasn't an interview, I went into a job fair and spoke with the guy in person. It was a recruitment meeting. My background is in Computer Engineering. I was told that the USPTO could not find enough CoE's and that they were pretty much guaranteed hires. As I begin to look for other jobs, I'm finding interest in a number of firms. You just have to be willing to relocate.

Most of the interest for entry-level patent agents/associates that I'm finding is in the Washington DC area. The best advice I've been given so far, is not to limit yourself to a specific city or state. Since i've expanded my search, I've probably contacted over 100 firms in 10 cities. Recently I've been receiving interviews. But most of the firms I contact tell me that I would be much more hireable if I spent a year or two at the USPTO. I don't want to tell them I've already applied.

BM