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ADAPT
The Patent Profession Embraces All
It doesn't matter who you are, what your education background is, there is a meaningful and rewarding career waiting for you in patents.
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Patent Myth #1: You must have a STEM background
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Many impactful and critical roles in patents do not require a degree in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)
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Patent Myth #2: You must have a law degree
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Paralegals, operations associates, technical advisors, patent examiners, and patent agents are some roles that do not require a law degree
Patent Myth #3: All patent lawyers work at law firms
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While many patent lawyers work at law firms, many others play important roles in various types of businesses and organizations, including government agencies, private corporations, start-up businesses, non-profit organizations, and more!
As you’ll learn by exploring this website, this is also true of many non-lawyer positions in the patent field. In the information below, you’ll find references to opportunities at Law firms (Firms), companies (in-house), and government (gov’t).
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ADAPT - a patent industry DEI collective - created this guide to shed light on the numerous pathways into the patent field.
Select your education interest to see the Career Guides
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A general education background enables many rewarding careers in the patent industry.
You may be working side-by-side with patent counsel to file patent applications, or work with international counsel to apply for protection abroad. You might take the lead on large scale programs like developing and implementing new tools and technology for the broader team, or managing external counsel and vendors.
Paralegal
As a patent paralegal in a law firm, you supports patent attorneys in tasks specific to patent prosecution and/or litigation. In an in-house setting, you will work directly with outside counsel teams to handle the filings. In-house teams focus more on strategy.
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Patent Operations
As a Patent Operations Associate, you focus on the bigger pictures to amplify and scale your impact. You work on large-scale rollouts of processes, manage communication across teams, and lead cross-functional projects.
A law degree even without technical background enables many rewarding careers in the patent industry.
You may get to defend patents by explaining technical differences of patents to judges and juries who may have no technological background. You can help ensure that they are able to understand the underlying technology in the patent at issue. You may also work in policy by campaigning around patent rights/laws, or by speaking directly with federal agencies,administrative officials, or members of Congress and their staff. You may also work on drafting licensing and technology transfer agreements.
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Transactions Attorney
Litigation Attorney
As a transactional IP attorney at a law firm, you will draft, negotiate, and advise clients on a variety of different types of agreements. including commercial agreements, IP-specific agreements, like patent, copyright, and/or trademark assignment agreements and license agreements. You also may assist with IP due diligence and negotiation of IP terms in corporate transactions.
As a patent litigator you will represent your client in patent disputes. You may defend your client's patent against an accusation of infringement, or you may assert your client's patent against a person or company that the client believes is infringing the patent.
A STEM background enables many rewarding careers in the patent industry.
You may be studying and analyzing scientific or technical documents, draft or assist with the drafting and prosecution of patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), examine patent applications to determine whether they comply with patent laws, including performing prior art search and analysis, and issuing communications to patent owners regarding the status of the application.
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Technical Advisor
As a Scientific or Technical Advisor, you are responsible for studying and analyzing scientific or technical documents. You will also assist with the drafting and prosecution of patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent Agent
As a patent agent at a law firm, you will prepare, file, and prosecute patent applications or assist attorneys in developing technical arguments and presenting scientific and technical data.
Patent Examiner
A patent examiner is a federal employee who examines submitted patent applications to determine whether to grant a patent including reviewing formality, conduct prior art search, and interact with inventors and applicants.
A law degree and STEM background enables many rewarding careers in the patent industry.
You may work with clients to understand the technical aspects of their invention to draft, file, and prosecute their patent applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). You may get to defend your client’s patent by explaining the technical aspect of the patent in front of judges and juries. Or you may get to analyze your clients’ invention against other known technology to provide a patentability opinion, or dig deep into a patent to determine its validity.
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Patent Prosecution Attorney
Transactions Attorney
Litigation Attorney
As a patent prosecutor, you are primarily responsible for drafting patent applications based on invention disclosures and interacting with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to help inventors obtain a patent for their inventions. You will also educate inventors to help them understand their options for filing a national and/or an international patent application. In an in-house role, you may be responsible for develop and implement patent strategy, review invention disclosures and manage outside counsel.
As a transactional IP attorney at a law firm, you will draft, negotiate, and advise clients on a variety of different types of agreements. including commercial agreements, IP-specific agreements, like patent, copyright, and/or trademark assignment agreements and license agreements. You also may assist with IP due diligence and negotiation of IP terms in corporate transactions.
As a patent litigator you will represent your client in patent disputes. You may defend your client's patent against an accusation of infringement, or you may assert your client's patent against a person or company that the client believes is infringing the patent.
Lisa's Path to the patent profession
Patent Litigator, Partner
As a litigator, I’m a story-teller and historian, learning about how technology developed and teaching it to a judge or jury. In learning, this may be through interviewing engineers, researching patents and articles, working with experts, or deposing a witness. In teaching, this may be through brief writing, arguing at a hearing, negotiating at a mediation, or examining witnesses at trial. I also serve as an advisor to my clients, protecting their innovations by either enforcing their IP against competitors or providing strategies on how to avoid the IP of others. It’s a thrilling practice that allows me to think creatively and to dig into details of how technology works.
And, this is the path I took to get here.
Criminal andJuvenile Justice Clinic
Legal Studies, Computer Science
Participated in first trial as part of the clinic
Joined silicon valley-based firm
Patent Litigation Partner
Law Degree
Join a global law firm
Promoted to partner
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Team ADAPT
ADAPT (Advancing Diversity Across Patent Teams) was founded in December 2021 when a community of friends from different companies came together to brainstorm ways to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within the IP profession.
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