Patent Law Practice Center

How Law Students Can Find a Job

Whenever I speak at law schools, I inevitably get asked questions about what students should be doing to (1) set themselves up in a position to be hired; and (2) ultimately land a job.  With that in mind, I thought it might make sense to cover some steps that can be taken to help find a legal job in this field.

1. Take and pass the patent bar exam

For virtually everyone, the best advice one can give now is to take and pass the patent bar exam while you are in law school.  First, the job market is tough and anything you can do to set yourself apart will be helpful.  Second, if you pass, you will be a patent agent, which opens up the possibility that you might be able to get some relevant work experience during your law school career, helping you bridge the gap toward obtaining that 2+ years experience that firms all say they want.

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IP Creates Jobs in America

The impact of Intellectual Property on the American job market was established only a few months ago with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s report, “Intellectual Property and the U.S. Economy: Industries in Focus”.  The ultimate conclusion of the report reiterated the underlying public policy of USPTO Director David Kappos, that innovation is the key to economic growth within the United States.

Now the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center released a report titled, “IP Creates Jobs in America,” breaking down the state by state impact Intellectual Property industries have on state economies. Released on May 23, 2012, the report provides statistics demonstrating how IP contributes to each state’s economy, including data on jobs, output, wages, and exports. (more…)