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Becoming a Patent Lawyer with a Doctorate Degree

When people, especially young adults, gather together and start talking about future career prospects, they often talk about how to get a doctorate degree. And once they start talking about it, they eventually talk about various fields that require a doctorate, one of which is law. Then, when they start talking about it, they end up discussing careers in the legal field. 

What is noteworthy, though, is that they rarely mention patent law. People usually think of attorneys in the context of criminal law, divorce law, corporate law, or immigration law. However, no one can deny that inventing things has become extremely easy because of technology, and with this ease comes the need to protect the rights of inventors. Such a development makes it essential for people, especially young people like you, to consider the possibility of a patent lawyer career.

As a patent lawyer, you will specialize in intellectual property law, and you have to be an expert in design rights, copyright law, and trademarks. As alluded to in the get-go, you will work closely with investors, especially during the application process for their inventions. You will also serve as a patent litigator to ensure that inventors’ rights and works are protected legally.

The Day-to-Day Tasks of a Patent Lawyer

Applying for a patent is no easy feat, which is why an inventor will need the expertise that a patent lawyer can provide. Part of your job as a patent lawyer is interpreting the patent process’s rules and regulations, negotiating contracts, filing documents, and providing legal representation to inventors.

When you are a patent lawyer, you will be involved in all law facets covering inventors’ intellectual property rights and patents. Your primary responsibility is to conduct searches to ensure that an invention brought to you for representation in the public domain is patentable, and no other patent lawyer has previously represented it.

As a patent lawyer, you will spend most of your time drafting patent applications and interviewing inventors to obtain pertinent facts and disclosure for patent applications. You will likewise spend a lot of time going through rejections by the patenting office and drafting responses on behalf of their clients in patent prosecution.

Incidentally, with regards to patent prosecution, you will be in charge of drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent applications on the inventor’s behalf before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). You will be representing an inventor in a patent prosecutor’s capacity and providing legal representation if there is a challenge to an invention’s license, patent infringement, or appeal to the USPTO.

Apart from patent prosecution, which is an interaction between the patenting office and the applicant, you will be a crucial player in patent and trademark litigation. When you specialize in patent law, an inventor can call on you to negotiate settlements and cease and desist orders.

As a patent lawyer, you can either be part of litigation or prosecution. Patent litigators are more of behind-the-scenes players with their focus on research to help their clients’ cases. If you choose to be a patent litigator, you will defend and conduct depositions, prepare documents for presentation in court, and you must have a high level of technical know-how. It would help if you also were thorough when conducting analyses and doing administrative work.

On the other hand, being a patent prosecutor will require you to present your client’s case in court. Do you remember those courtroom dramas you used to watch with your parents? Can you call to mind the demeanor of typical prosecutors? Essentially, that is how you should be. As a patent prosecutor, you must have exceptional reasoning and persuasion skills. You must have keen attention to detail. Most importantly, you must have an in-depth understanding of patent law so you can counsel your clients appropriately and build compelling arguments for them.

Diverse Backgrounds for Patent Law

Patent law is different from other practices in that it flourishes in diverse backgrounds. Scientific know-how is vital if you are a patent lawyer for firms specializing in inventions involving physics, chemistry, pharmacology, and other fields. Some firms specialize in engineering inventions, while some in the arts.

Many people with Bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and engineering find a very comfortable niche when they conquer patent lawyer career challenges. However, the possibilities are suitable not only for people in science. Patent law also has space for people with backgrounds in the arts.

How to Become a Patent Lawyer

If you wonder how to get a doctorate degree, you will be happy to know that you could earn one when you become a patent lawyer. However, becoming one is not easy as 1-2-3. Planning a career in patent law comprises several steps, which we will gladly share in this article.

As a prospective patent lawyer, you will first need to get a four-year undergraduate degree in a science field such as physics, biology, or chemistry or get a technical degree in biomedical, civil, mechanical, or electrical engineering. Then, you will be required to complete law school, preferably in one sanctioned by the American Bar Association (ABA), with the option to choose either a general law degree or a dedicated patent law degree.

After completing law school, you must earn a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. What is a Juris doctorate degree? A J.D. is a professional degree, which is necessary if you want to qualify for the U.S. bar exams. The J.D. coursework covers everything you need to know to pass the bar, and you can only obtain it if, as mentioned previously, you completed law school in a university approved by the ABA.

You need to note that searching for information on how to get a doctorate degree, or in this case, a J.D., on the Internet is crucial because, without a J.D., you will be ineligible to take the bar exams. If you cannot take the bar exams, you will not get your license, which is fundamentally your ticket to practicing as a patent lawyer.

Even if you already have a license and are already practicing as a patent lawyer, you will still need to take an additional USPTO licensing exam. The USPTO licensing exam is commonly known in the patent law circle as the “patent bar,” and passing it is essential if you want to represent inventors before the USPTO.

Now, the thing to remember about patent law is that it is a complex and ever-evolving field. Hence, the steps covered above are just the bare minimum to become a patent lawyer. If you want to excel as a patent lawyer, you will do well to take continuing education courses to stay up-to-date with existing laws covering patents.

Becoming a patent lawyer is one profession where working with a fake college diploma maker will not cut it. Considering the intricacies of the job, you need an actual degree to make it. What, though, if you already have an undergraduate degree, but you do not have the means to pursue further law studies? Since you cannot take the bar without a J.D., what options do you have?

You could try searching for websites that answer “how to get a doctorate degree.” Chances are, one of the websites that will come up in the search results is verifiabledegree.com. You will do well to visit that website because it has all the information you will need to see about buying a legitimate, authentic, and verifiable J.D. degree. The degree will be in your name, and a reputable law school will issue it through their accredited partner providers. Please visit the previously mentioned website to get started with your journey towards a patent lawyer career.  

Estimated Earnings as a Patent Lawyer

If you are wondering how much you will earn as a patent lawyer, please note that the firm you work for will have a bearing on your salary. Some well-established firms, retained by huge multinationals, give their associates pretty hefty salaries. The location of the practice also influences the fees that you can charge. A third factor that will determine your earnings would be the experience you have had in the field.

On average, associate attorneys have a salary range between $60,000 and $200,000 per year. Patent litigators in California, New York, and other big cities bill at $700 to $1,000 per hour. Although not all of that goes to them personally, they do very well financially.

Perhaps you can already imagine how much money you will be enjoying every month if you buy a doctorate from the website mentioned previously. Although patent law can be intellectually challenging as a practice, it can also be a lot more laidback than working in criminal or divorce law. A definite advantage is being able to keep regular hours without necessarily sacrificing income.

The Future of Patent Law as a Career Path

Since March 16, 2013, U.S. patent law has radically changed in its perspective because it now stands on the premise of first-to-file rather than first-to-invent. Such implies that inventors may become more wary of the ramifications of not protecting their work, thereby necessitating patent lawyers’ services. The prospects look great for those in patent law, so do not get left behind. Buy your J.D. degree now, and start reaping the benefits of having a patent lawyer career.

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