what traits make you a good fit for being a patent lawyer?

by Sylvia Flatley 9 min read

But a good patent attorney is patient, never loses his cool, and is skilled in the art of negotiation. In other words, he will work with the examiner to find a way to amend your claims so that they can be patented. 6. Time management skills. When it comes to the legal field, time is money.

A good patent attorney should understand a particular client's business objectives and provide their advice in a way that is clear and concise to the client. A good patent attorney must have excellent technical, analytical and communication skills.

Full Answer

Is being a patent attorney a good job?

This is a hard question to answer, because it depends on your personality. If you really enjoy being creative and inventing new things, then you will probably be bored and frustrated reading about what other people have created, so maybe being a patent attorney is not for you.

What are the traits of a successful lawyer?

Below are ten traits that are common to the best lawyers in the United States. As a starting point, successful lawyers almost always have a true passion for their job. You have probably heard popular cliches like “choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life”.

What is patent law like?

Patent law (or IP law) encompasses many different things: patent prosecution (writing patents and responding to office actions), patent licensing, patent litigation, patent sales, trademarks, copyrights, etc. So, it can be as interesting as you want it to be.

What is the value of a patent attorney?

That $100,000 worth of “value” is created by a week’s worth of work by a patent attorney, and the patent attorney’s “value” created on a yearly basis is somewhere near $5M.

What attracts you to the patent profession?

One of the things that attracted me to the patent profession was the opportunity to work in a wide variety of technological fields, and it has certainly not disappointed. The nature of the profession means that you are learning about new technology on a daily basis.

Why do you want to be a patent agent?

Companies and law firms often prefer patent agents to patent lawyers, because of the patent agent's greater technical expertise, lower salary requirements, and equivalent ability to practice at the USPTO.

Is patent law a good career?

Careers in patent law offer good -- that is, usually interesting and well remunerated -- job opportunities. Although becoming an attorney requires additional training, long-term career prospects are often much better than, say, those of becoming a faculty member at a research-intensive institution.

Is being a patent attorney hard?

It is quite hard to become a patent attorney, but it's not impossible. You have to be someone who can sit down for long hours to study and prepare for your examinations.

What is the highest paid lawyer?

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...•

Is patent law competitive?

Jobs as a patent professional can be very competitive and there are only a limited number of places at which one can work as a patent agent.

Is patent attorney a stressful job?

Stress may come in the form of long working hours, demanding clients, and tight deadlines, but that is true for any law firm. You may enjoy the job aspect where you interact with clients and their creative ideas, discussing their invention, and researching the likelihood of successfully attaining a patent.

What does a patent lawyer do day to day?

Responsibilities include consulting inventors to discuss their ideas, examining scientific documents, drafting and applying for patents, conducting litigations and defending or enforcing existing patents.

What undergraduate degree is best for patent law?

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.

Is patent agent stressful?

They often work long hours, including some evenings and weekends. Patent agents collaborate with patent attorneys, the USPTO office and inventors, and might travel to meet with clients. The job can be fast-paced and stressful at times.

How difficult is the patent bar exam?

Despite being an open book exam, the patent bar exam is one of the toughest in the country, with less than 50% passing since 2013. Many students put in additional hours post-course of study but still feel like they're ill-prepared and nervous on exam day.

Do patent lawyers go to court?

Admission as an attorney after completing articles is largely a formality – most patent attorneys gain no court or litigation experience during their articles.

What is the skill of a good lawyer?

Persuasion is another skill a good lawyer must possess. Being able to develop this skill can make a difference not only when presenting the case, but also to “convince” the court about your client’s position So, if you are considering to be a good lawyer, you’d better start training your persuasiveness. 3.

Why is it important to be a lawyer?

For you to be a successful lawyer enjoying a well-argued discussion with people is a good one, because this shows you are on the right track. This is one of the major characteristics a good lawyer must possess to success in the profession ; as a professional, you are expected to devote part your day to exposing certain fact related to your arguments for the benefit of your client.

What is the virtue of a lawyer?

Persistence is synonymous to this profession and is another great virtue of a good lawyer; as a lawyer is never allowed to surrender. A successful lawyer must be willing to fight to the end to achieve your goals. As we know, all know failure is inevitable, but you will have to be prepared to stand up as many times you fall.

What is the best way to be a lawyer?

Every lawyer must be ready to work with agility to face and overcome any obstacles necessary to achieve his/her objectives. Possessing all these great qualities will make you stand out unique amongst your colleagues. So, take the time to develop yourself and make a different in your society. Advertising.

What makes a good lawyer?

But the truth is, the traits that transform a good lawyer into a great lawyer may not be the ones you think. Here are five traits that make a lawyer — or any person — stand above the rest. Cultivating these traits provides the opportunity to really understand the issues and offer effective solutions. 1. Compassion: One of the Many Qualities of ...

What are the skills required to become a lawyer?

2. Ability to Listen. Effective communication skills are essential to good lawyering. One of the most important aspects of communication is listening. Of course, what we say, how we say it and when we say it are important. But we can only do it right if we listen first.

What is the best way to be a lawyer?

Without it, you cannot provide the best solutions. 2. Ability to Listen. Effective communication skills are essential to good lawyering.

What is compassionate lawyer?

The compassionate lawyer focuses on how others feel and is accepting of their perspective, whether or not he ultimately agrees with it. Compassion is the foundation for good people skills. Without compassion, you cannot put yourself in your client’s shoes or fully understand the issues your client faces.

Why hire a patent attorney?

So, you want to hire a patent attorney to protect your new innovation. It could be for AI, Blockchain, Machine learning, IoT, or some other cutting edge technology that you are developing.

How much does an attorney charge to draft a patent?

Most attorneys charge within 20% plus or minus to draft a patent application of each other regardless of hourly rates. The better draft from the more experienced attorney will typically have less difficulty gaining allowance at the patent office.

How long does a patent last?

Patent rights last for up to 20 years from the date the idea was first filed. And it could be 3 or more years before a patent is granted. Given such long time frames, it is in your best interests to ask your patent attorney to give a ballpark estimate of the costs that you would incur during this entire period.

How many patents were filed in 2015?

According to US Patents and Trademark office 629,647 total patent applications filed in the year 2015. On average, about two thirds of those applications will issue eventually, but the likelihood of receiving a patent varies wildly with certain technologies having only a 10% chance of success.

Is simple innovation more expensive to patent?

Technology area with some requiring twice the writing budget over others. The patent office favors complexity over simplicity, so easy to understand innovation often requires a deeper explanation of the underlying technology which leads to the counter intuitive notion that simple innovation is more expensive to patent.

Can an attorney file a patent?

For example, attorney may file patents in areas that the patent office rarely rewards with a patent. Also, they may not invest the time and effort to draft a patent application that will fly through the process. Impossible patent odds with very determined effort will quickly zap your legal budget.

Compassion: One of The Many Qualities of A Lawyer

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Compassion is an emotional response whereby one perceives another’s problem and authentically, genuinely wants to help resolve the problem. This is part of what lawyers do: People come to us with their problems, or to avoid future problems, and we help resolve or avoid the issues, whichever the case may be. If you practice bu…
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Ability to Listen

  • Effective communication skills are essential to good lawyering. One of the most important aspects of communication is listening. Of course, what we say, how we say it and when we say it are important. But we can only do it right if we listen first. Listen to your clients. Listen to your adversaries, your colleagues, and the judges. As lawyers, we must take in much information, ana…
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Assertiveness, Not Aggressiveness

  • I often hear people say, “She’s not aggressive enough to be an effective lawyer.” That’s not right. You don’t need to be aggressive — though you must be assertive. Assertive lawyers state their opinions and make themselves heard while remaining respectful of others. Aggressive lawyers attack or ignore others’ opinions in favor of their own. Much li...
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Creativity

  • We need to be creative to find real solutions to the issues our clients face. Each matter is unique; each client must be handled differently, and each solution carefully crafted. While on the whole we lawyers are a rather risk-averse group, we must learn to think outside the box. The best way to create unique solutions is to approach each situation with compassionate listening, which enabl…
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Perseverance

  • Success is achieved with perseverance. We must keep working, keep trying and keep going. We must be able to walk away when things are not working, take a break and come back fresh and ready to “fight,” negotiate, or whatever the matter requires. Now go out there and be one of those great lawyers! Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com. Updated from a post that originally appeared in A…
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