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.

(more…)