Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[guest1040]

These posts are one of the best ones on this board.

That is all.

[NewlyMintedLawyer]

These posts have answered a number of my questions already regarding opportunities at the USPTO, so thank you.

Few questions though regarding the Patent Bar and working at the UPSTO - as a recent law school graduate and holder of a Master of Science mechanical engineering degree:

(1) will passing the Patent Bar increase my chances of securing a position as an Examiner at the USPTO?

(2) if so to (1), to what extent (modestly v. significantly)?

(3) if so to (1), would you advise waiting to apply for a position until after succesfully passing the Patent Bar?

Many thanks to those who have taken the time, and will in the future take the time to post comments - they are invaluable.

--Newly Minted Lawyer--

[clarklawyer]

(1) will passing the Patent Bar increase my chances of securing a position as an Examiner at the USPTO?

In my opinion passing the patent bar won't help you get hired at the PTO.   The PTO is primarily interested in your technical ability, and believes (correctly IMO) they can teach any engineering graduate enough law to do satisfactory work fairly quickly.

I'd recommend studying for and taking the patent bar while you job hunt.

[FaeLynne]

As a PTO examiner with a JD and prior USPTO registration, I can honestly say through experience that having your registration prior to working for the PTO has no bearing on whether or not you will be offered a position.  I was offered a position at the PTO in May because of my first job out of undergrad, not because of my JD or registration.  Furthermore, while I am employed at the PTO my registration is automatically inactive.  

I agree with Isaac.  Study for and take the Patent Bar while you are searching for employment.  You will also have an excellent topic to discuss with potential employers when they inevitably ask you what you have been doing with your down time.  

I suggest studying the questions and answers on as many previous tests you can get your hands on.  Two weeks of at least 5 to 6 hours a day worth of self evaluation should be enough to familiarize yourself with the MPEP.  I also suggest you should know what each chapter contains.  You can search an electronic version of the MPEP during the test, but you can only search it chapter by chapter.


Good Luck!

[D G]

Hello all,

Do any of you know how a JD impacts your starting salary as an examiner?  I am interested in applying to the USPTO, but I simply cannot afford to pay off my law school loans if I am stuck at $40K/year.  I have a B.S. in chemistry and a couple years of work experience in labs.

Thanks,

[jd examiner]

A JD may get you bumped up to the next GS level however more than likely your couple years experience will do this as well.  Either way you will be making much more than 40k /yr.

[rodney]

hi, i started working at the PTO a few months ago, I also have graduatated from law school.  I don't think your law school degree is what is keeping you from working at the pto.  There were at least a handful of people who were hired with me that were lawyers.  if you are in the bio tech field, chemical i heard the pto is not hiring many people and if they do they have advanced degrees in those arts. It may be the engineering degree that you have that might be hindering not the law school degree

[NewlyMintedLawyer]

Thank you all for your posts.  They are very useful indeed, in that I now know not to postpone my USPTO employment application until after acquiring a USPTO registration.  Thank you all very much.