Patent Agent/Attorney Salary Details
"Growth in certain practice areas such as intellectual property, healthcare and litigation is generating an increase in the demand for legal services. As a result, average starting salaries nationwide will increase slightly or remain steady for lawyers and other professionals in the legal field." - National Jurist
Businesses in the Science and Technology sectors regard patents as their lifeline. Therefore, gaining status as a registered Patent Practitioner will open many more career doors for you.
The pay scale varies from $45,000 up to $250,000+ for Patent Practitioners and is determined by many factors.
First, if you are a scientist or engineer without a law degree you will be classified as a Patent Agent after you pass the Patent Bar exam. If you have a law degree and are already considered an attorney, you will be classified as a Patent Attorney upon passing the exam. As a Patent Attorney with the same level of experience as a Patent Agent, you will typically earn the higher income because in addition to writing and prosecuting patents, you may also help protect patents in a court of law.
Second, your degree level will help determine your pay. If you have a Bachelor's degree, you will typically make less than someone with a Master's or a PhD.
Third, your experience level will make a difference. Internships and previous positions will count when factoring your salary. The number of years you have worked as an engineer or scientist will also make a difference. The more experience you have, the more valuable you will be perceived by the company.
Lastly, where you seek employment makes a difference in your pay. Law firms typically pay the most, whereas a Technology Transfer department in a University will usually pay less.
Interested in becoming a patent attorney? Then review our patent attorney salary page. Alternately, if you are interested in working as a patent agent first, you may want to review our patent agent salary page.
» For further salary information, you may want to check out the Vault Law Career Channel. They offer law firm profiles and salaries, law jobs, law career message boards and more.
Learn how to pass the computerized Patent Bar Exam using the PES-System Patent Bar Review Course.
