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If you want to be an IP lawyer, being very good with the trademark registry, especially for the purpose of handling objections and opposition means a sure shot ticket to a well-paying job as on 2019, and it is unlikely to change in the next half a decade as the speed of registration increases further. This is a specialised branch of due diligence.
Having an Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering degree can also be considered a good path but it is usually a bit low level for your average coder but you do learn the computer inside out and have good practical fundamentals with interfacing the computer to other devices. A Mathematics degree can also form a basis for a coding profession.
You can definitely have a career in IP without hard sciences, including in patent law. Are You An Experienced Intellectual Property Attorney? Join Full-Service Boutique Team In Chicago. Before we get into what jobs are open, let’s quickly recap what you can’t do if you don’t have a science/engineering background.
When we researched the most common majors for an Intellectual Property Lawyer, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Doctoral Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Intellectual Property Lawyer resumes include Master's Degree degrees or Associate Degree degrees.
What Should I Major in to Become a Patent Attorney ? Most Patent Attorneys, 36% to be exact, major in Law. Some other common majors for a Patent Attorney include Legal Research And Advanced Professional Studies and Electrical Engineering majors.
IP attorneys need strong communication skills to talk to clients, judges and other lawyers. Clear communication can help lawyers advise clients and explain legal concepts. If an IP lawyer works in a courtroom, they may also need to develop strong negotiation skills to help them reach legal agreements and settlements.
Basically, you can practice “soft IP” anywhere without a technical background. Just because you don't have a hard-science background, though, does not mean you are limited to copyright and trademarks. You can still litigate patent issues, draft licensing and technology transfer agreements, and work on patent policy.
The intellectual property field is among the most important legal fields in the United States because the involvement of intellectual property attorneys has been integral to the expansion of the economy in this country. The most demanded specialty of intellectual property law is patent law.
How To Become an Intellectual Property Lawyer?Take any stream in 10+2. Candidate with any stream in plus two level is eligible for taking law at undergraduate level. ... Take Integrated BA/BBA/BSc/BCom LLB. ... Take LLM with Intellectual Property Law Specialisation. ... Take MPhil/ PhD.
Highest paid lawyers: salary by practice areaTax attorney (tax law): $122,000.Corporate lawyer: $115,000.Employment lawyer: $87,000.Real Estate attorney: $86,000.Divorce attorney: $84,000.Immigration attorney: $84,000.Estate attorney: $83,000.Public Defender: $63,000.More items...•
For most people planning to practice law, including IP law, the JD is the standard degree. But some law school graduates go on to pursue other degrees or credentials requiring additional study, such as the Master of Laws (LLM) or the Doctor of Science of Law/Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD or SJD).
Intellectual property law (or “IP law”) is one of the fastest growing areas of legal practice. Opportunities in IP law exist at law firms of all sizes, mid-to-large sized corporations, universities, the government, and public interest organizations.
It's not surprising that law firms specializing in IP filings, enforcement and prosecution are busier than ever. More than 3 million patents were filed in 2017, the eighth consecutive yearly increase.
Basic educational qualification.Additional qualification. Colleges that offer IPR in LLM. Top colleges providing certificate course in Intellectual Property. Syllabus of IP law.Expertise.Internships. Few IP firms where one can go for an internship.Publications.Self-marketing.Aptitude.Strengthen your interest.More items...•
However, going to law school and passing the bar exam leads to an even more lucrative career as a patent attorney. Patent attorneys typically earn more than $133K a year, while the median salary for careers in engineering does not pay anything comparable to that amount unless you are an experienced petroleum engineer.
In sum, it's worth attending to IP law today for at least three reasons. First, it is emerging as a key influence on both our economy and our society. It sets the terms of access to (and development of) all kinds of things that matter to our politics, our society, and our individual life chances.
They need to know how to choose words that resonate with the judge and jury and clearly dispute their opponents' claims.
Although acceptance into law school doesn't require a specific discipline, some IP lawyers study engineering, which provides technical knowledge they may use for cases involving patents. Other aspiring IP lawyers study art, which helps them with court cases regarding the misuse of logos and symbols.
Intellectual property lawyers work in law firms, universities or the legal departments of corporations. Their primary responsibilities include:
Formal letters: On behalf of their clients, IP lawyers draft formal letters that declare ownership of intellectual property and disallow use without permission.
Gaining background information: It's important for IP lawyers to know everything they can about the individual or organization that misused their clients' intellectual property. With research, lawyers can discover whether their opponents have a history of violations, which can help them strategize how to approach the case, and they can predict if the opponent may be willing to settle.
Determining the extent of the problem: Appropriation of intellectual property can be more subtle in some cases than others, so IP lawyers use research to determine how to build their case. For instance, if a clothing store misuses the client's trademarked logo for its financial gain, then the IP lawyer investigates the timeline of when and how the store misused the logo and the amount of money it earned.
Preparing for trial: Intellectual property lawyers research the outcomes of previous court cases that are similar to their own, and they reference the cases in court. For example, if they're arguing a case about copyright infringement for two songs with the same lyrics, then they would use legal precedents to support why the judge and jury should support their argument.
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Intellectual property lawyers work for companies to represent them and protect their trade secrets and brand image.
The best states for people in this position are New York, Washington, Massachusetts, and California. Intellectual property lawyers make the most in New York with an average salary of $126,516. Whereas in Washington and Massachusetts, they would average $125,207 and $120,474, respectively. While intellectual property lawyers would only make an average of $117,946 in California , you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
Lawyers play an important role in extracting maximum royalties for performances as well as reducing royalty payment to a minimum through negotiation and legal strategy.
As a lawyer, it will be your responsibility to navigate your company or brand out of such tight corners through litigations. You may have to obtain appropriate injunctions. Having the skill to handle these situations is very valuable for IP lawyers, especially if you work in-house.
IP infringement prosecution is lucrative work for IP law firms, and there is now a trend where large companies are hiring in-house legal teams to do this work in order to cut legal bills. Preventing trademark inf ringement is very important from the point of view of protecting a brand.
One of the major tasks of in-house lawyers is to vet advertisements and marketing schemes from the point of view of potential legal liability and compliance to laws. There are many laws such as the Drugs and Magical Remedies Act, or Legal Metrology Act etc to which products and their advertisements have to comply with. There may be surrogate advertisements or other tricky advertisements that need extra attention. Sometimes, in-house counsels approach law firms for external advice on these matters too.
For the same reason as above, as pre-registration input from lawyer s is at an all-time minimum for a large number of trademark applications, there are a lot more objections and oppositions. The work is growing much faster than lawyers and law firms can keep pace at the moment.
India has seen a huge surge in IP registration applications in the last 5 years. Even small businesses and first-time entrepreneurs are filing for registration of trademark and copyright left, right and centre.
If you want to be an IP lawyer, being very good with the trademark registry, especially for the purpose of handling objections and opposition means a sure shot ticket to a well-paying job as on 2019, and it is unlikely to change in the next half a decade as the speed of registration increases further.
To become an IP attorney, professionals need to attend law school and earn a Juris Doctor degree. This degree takes three years to complete. During their first year, law students study general law concepts. In their second and third years, they can focus on specialized areas. IP lawyers may choose to study patent law or trade laws depending on their interests and career goals.
IP attorneys need strong communication skills to talk to clients, judges and other lawyers. Clear communication can help lawyers advise clients and explain legal concepts. If an IP lawyer works in a courtroom, they may also need to develop strong negotiation skills to help them reach legal agreements and settlements.
An IP attorney works to protect intellectual properties. Their responsibilities may include:
IP lawyers manage many types of paperwork and written documents. Strong organizational skills can help lawyers file and access all documents. This can keep client information secure. IP attorneys can also use organizational skills to manage their schedules and multiple clients.
Accuracy is very important in IP law because all patents and contrast need to be correct to protect clients' rights. IP attorneys need to review and edit all paperwork to ensure the information is correct. Detail-orientation can help lawyers when producing and revising materials.
After earning their undergraduate degrees, IP attorneys must take the LSAT and receive a high score before applying to law school programs. This test assesses the candidate's analytical reasoning skills and legal knowledge.
Legal professionals can specialize in a variety of law types. Some attorneys decide to go into intellectual property (IP) law, where they work to protect the rights of new inventions and created materials. Learning more about what an IP lawyer does, their average salary and the job requirements could help you decide if this is a good specialty for your legal career. In this article, we define what an IP attorney is and answer some common questions about the career to help you determine if it's the right path for you.
As a result, some law firms will not want to hire you on their intellectual property teams because they want someone who can work across copyright, trademarks, and patents. And that’s about it. Everything else is (at least theoretically) open to you.
Sometimes, a law professor will send a law student my way seeking intellectual property career advice. More often than not, this student will tell me that he does not have a hard-sciences or engineering background, and asks whether he can still have a career in intellectual property.
Let’s talk about “soft” IP — copyright, trademark and trade secrets — for a minute, since that is going to be the easiest path. You absolutely do not need hard sciences for anything related to copyright and trademarks, including in a law firm. This is the direction that I often steer law students in, simply because it’s the path that is most open. Law students who tell me they want to do IP without a science background typically don’t want to do patents, anyway. There’s a whole world of copyright and trademark law, which is very interesting — music licensing, standards of copyright protection, determining fair use applications, and so much more. I have quite a few former interns who are working in trademarks or copyright now, either at firms or in the federal government. Basically, you can practice “soft IP” anywhere without a technical background.
Before we get into what jobs are open, let’s quickly recap what you can’t do if you don’t have a science/engineering background. You will not be able to sit for the patent bar. Period. You (generally) can’t do patent prosecution before the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). As a result, some law firms will not want to hire you on their intellectual property teams because they want someone who can work across copyright, trademarks, and patents. And that’s about it. Everything else is (at least theoretically) open to you.
No doubt that patent law or a hard-science background would have been useful, but you can survive without. While having a hard-sciences background is beneficial, it is certainly not mandatory. If you’re creative with your job search and willing to go down non-Biglaw firm paths, even more doors will be open. I’ll cover more specifics on that in part ...
Universities will hire attorneys for their technology transfer offices, companies will hire licensing attorneys, and many law firms deal with these issues.
Just because you don’t have a hard-science background, though, does not mean you are limited to copyright and trademarks. You can still litigate patent issues, draft licensing and technology transfer agreements, and work on patent policy. Even law firms who won’t take you unless you have the technical background and patent bar may still have ...
A business major is a great option for those who are entrepreneurial-minded. Students interested in corporate law might find that classes in management and economics are well-suited to their postgraduation career needs. Word of warning, business majors should be careful not to focus solely on the fundamentals.
An economics major spends a lot of time summarizing large amounts of quantitative data. This is great training for law school as an econ major will be well-prepared to sort information and evidence in order to build a case backed by evidence.
Lawyers must be well-versed with the English language as they spend a lot of their time researching, writing, and speaking in court. English majors will learn how to analyze and synthesize large bodies of text, developing a command of written and verbal language (sometimes more than one).
Is there a more “prelaw school” major than philosophy? It’s no surprise that students majoring in philosophy dive deep into logic, ethics, and morality, which are all big, existential questions relevant to the study and practice of law.
Political science majors should be prepared to study political systems, public policy, and the relationship between types of government and the law. This major is probably the closest to a law school curriculum in undergrad that a student will find.
Psychology is the study of human behaviors and this major gives students insight into the human psyche. For instance, students might apply their psych studies to criminal cases, questioning how human error could possibly lead to wrongful convictions or how innocent people sometimes make incorrect judgments.
For students considering a career in law, some majors are a reliable source of the skills and knowledge central to the profession. However, no major will guarantee a law school acceptance letter — and no major will disqualify a student, either.
Reality: FALSE. A basic foundation of IP law is much more important than a knowledge of many specialized areas. You should remember that an IP attorney is still an attorney and should know certain basic areas of law to best serve his/her client.
Similarly, IP may be part of corporate practice, including a practice devoted to licensing; so, for a corporate career-path, classes focused on commercial transactions would be appropriate. Finally, no matter how many classes you take, there will always be new law. So, a good foundation - of both IP and non-IP courses - in law school is essential.
In addition, for those without a science background, the patent bar does not get you entry into the IP arena because a pre-requisite to take the exam is an undergraduate science major, or its equivalent. Myth 11: I must pass the patent bar to get a patent job. Reality: FALSE.
There are an increasing number of students with science backgrounds who now attend law school – and pass the patent bar. So, while the patent bar may be a “plus” factor, it is only a factor.
It’s true that IP law is considered “hot” and that many firms are adding this to their practice area (or already have such a practice). However, that does not mean that is “easy” to get an IP job – especially if everyone is under the (false) assumption that this is the ideal job. Myth 3: It’s easier to get an IP job if you were an engineer, ...
Myth 1: IP is only for geeks, or those who are recovering geeks. Reality: FALSE. IP rights include copyrights, which are owned by pop stars and entertainment companies, ranging from Oprah Winfrey, to Britney Spears and MGM Studios. In addition, IP rights also include trademarks, which are created and used by corporations in all sectors of business;
Myth 12: I need to know more science to pass the patent bar. Reality: FALSE. The patent bar requires that you are technically qualified. However, there is no actual science on the exam. Rather, the patent bar tests knowledge related to the rules and practice of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
That will give you the experience you'll need to get jobs. Better yet, get internships or co-op jobs to work at real companies! That's the best way to get a job later when you graduate. Project based leaving really works.
Here's why. A computer science education is not designed to teach you "programming/coding", much like a mechanical engineering degree does not teach you how to repair car engines.
You will become a better programmer at the right school. I said earlier that just earning a CS degree will not make you a great software engineer... but that doesn't mean it can't help. Sure, there are a lot of departments where the CS department is basically an offshoot of the Math department and you will barely write any interesting code. But there are also a lot of departments, where you will write big, hairy pieces of software that will test your ability to design and think about computer systems. That can include operating systems, compilers, etc., but it can also include big web applications or mobile applications, which you may be more interested in.
You don't just learn from classes and textbooks. Having really, really smart peers interested in the same areas as you is an order of magnitude more important than class. You can find this at the right startup, but it's pretty difficult. It's a much more solid bet that you'll find a dozen people who will bang their heads against problems with you, hack with you, push you to explore new spaces, and hopefully start companies with you one day in college.
He is also correct that just earning a CS degree won't make you a top notch programmer. Many people who are not great software engineers have CS degrees and many great software engineers do not.
He is correct that degrees matter far less for software engineers than pretty much any other knowledge field. If you can prove you're legit (ace the algorithm questions and have large/interesting projects to show off), you can get a job pretty easily without a degree.
A Software Engineering degree is also considered a strong background and probably more attuned to industrial programming because traditional Computer Science tends to focus on theory that is usually lost on practitioners who work on ordinary projects but is very useful if you're working on cutting edge stuff.