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I am interested in going to law school, with the specific goal of
becoming a patent attorney. I studied physics as an undergraduate,
and have studied computer programming in more recent years; and I've
worked for many years as a technical writer.
My understanding is that just completing law school, and the regular
bar exam, is not sufficient for becoming a patent attorney. One has
to pass a special patent bar, and also have the necessary background
in science or engineeringing. So, three questions:
1. To check on all this, and check if I would qualify as a patent
attorney, I need to contact the Patent Bar. Can someone tell me how
to contact this organization? (I did not have much luck with my
Google search.) Is there a specific Web site?
2. When I did my undergraduate degree, I was actually enrolled in a
special program called the College Scholar program, which let me study
anything I wanted to.
I essentially completed all the requirements for a B.A. in
physics, but my approach was a bit idiosyncratic. For example, I took
some classes in the Arts & Sciences college at my university, and
others in the Engineering college at the same university. Also,
officially, my degree is a B.A. as a College Scholar, not a B.A. in
Physics. But as I say, I really did take essentially all the standard
physics classes (between the Arts and Engineering school), and most of
the standard classes in engineering math. Will these technical issues
-- being a "College Scholar" rather than a "B.A. in "Physics" -- stand
in the way of my becoming a patent attorney? (Let's assume, for
purposes of discussion, that I can get into law school, get through
law school, etc.)
3. By the time I'd finish law school, my physics studies will have
been about 30 years in the past. (Yes, I'm going to law school late
in life.) Is there a statute of limitations on those studies, or do
the grades remain valid for my needs? (For what it's worth, in more
recent years I've taken classes to refresh some of the engineering
math, and also earned a Certificate In Programming from a local
community college.)
Thanks in advance for all replies.
Steve O.
Steven AATT Domain DDOOTT com
To send an e-mail, substitute @ for AATT, a . for DDOOTT, and OpComm for Domain
Standard Antiflame Disclaimer: Please don't flame me. I may actually *be* an
idiot, but even idiots have feelings.
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"Steven O." <null@null.com> wrote:
I am interested in going to law school, with the specific goal
of becoming a patent attorney. I studied physics as an
undergraduate, and have studied computer programming in more
recent years; and I've worked for many years as a technical
writer.
My understanding is that just completing law school, and the
regular bar exam, is not sufficient for becoming a patent
attorney.
According to 37 CFR 10.7, to qualilfy before the patent bar you
must:
"(1) Apply to the Commissioner in writing on a form supplied by the
Director and furnish all requested information and material and
(2) Establish to the satisfaction of the Director that he or she is:
(i) Of good moral character and repute;
(ii) Possessed of the legal, scientific, and technical qualifications
necessary to enable him or her to render applicants
for patents valuable service; and
(iii) Is otherwise competent to advise and assist applicants for
patents in the presentation and prosecution of their applications
before the Office."
To see the full text go to http://tinyurl.com/yvk8z
Stu
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1. To check on all this, and check if I would qualify as a patent
attorney, I need to contact the Patent Bar. Can someone tell me how
to contact this organization?
You couldn't find it because it doesn't exist under that name.
Qualifications for practicing as a patent agent (the technically correct
term) are administered by the Patent Office. I haven't looked, but I'm sure
you can find more information on their web site at www.uspto.gov.
Will these technical issues
-- being a "College Scholar" rather than a "B.A. in "Physics" -- stand
in the way of my becoming a patent attorney?
The Patent Office can give you an authoritative answer. Can say will
probably want some documentation if the degree itself does not show that you
majored in a technical field, but I would be astonished if they turned you
down for that reason alone.
3. By the time I'd finish law school, my physics studies will have
been about 30 years in the past. (Yes, I'm going to law school late
in life.) Is there a statute of limitations on those studies, or do
the grades remain valid for my needs?
This should be no problem. I base my answer on the fact that I am in
essentially the same situation, and patent attorneys whom I have spoken to,
as prospective employers, are satisfied by my 1971 degree in physics. Nobody
ever inquired about my grades.
If you live in or near a large city, I encourage you to contact its local
Bar Association and ask if they can put you in touch with a patent attorney
who will talk to you about your plans. He or she can go beyond telling you
the formal requirements to tell you what the profession is like, how best to
prepare yourself, and what your prospects are.
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I neglected to mention that to practice before the Patent Office you do not
need to be an attorney. Passing the Patent Agent exam is both necessary and
sufficient.
Many people practice as patent agents without becoming attorneys, although
my impression is that they are a minority. They are, of course, limited in
what they can do. They are largely limited to helping inventors get patents.
They cannot represent clients in patent litigation (in court), or work on
related matters such as drafting licensing agreements.
Whether it makes sense for you to become a patent agent without becoming an
attorney, or to become a patent agent first, is largely a matter of your
career goals and your other qualifications. This is another thing that a
practicing patent attorney could help you think about.
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I am interested in going to law school, with the specific goal of
becoming a patent attorney. I studied physics as an undergraduate,
and have studied computer programming in more recent years; and I've
worked for many years as a technical writer.
My understanding is that just completing law school, and the regular
bar exam, is not sufficient for becoming a patent attorney. One has
to pass a special patent bar, and also have the necessary background
in science or engineeringing. So, three questions:
1. To check on all this, and check if I would qualify as a patent
attorney, I need to contact the Patent Bar. Can someone tell me how
to contact this organization? (I did not have much luck with my
Google search.) Is there a specific Web site?
go to http://www.uspto.gov and look around; it's there
this document quite specifically addresses your question:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/oed/grb15oct03.pdf
your understanding is generally correct; don't be shy about making whatever
inquiry is necessary to those who can answer authoritatively
2. When I did my undergraduate degree, I was actually enrolled in a
special program called the College Scholar program, which let me study
anything I wanted to.
I essentially completed all the requirements for a B.A. in
physics, but my approach was a bit idiosyncratic. For example, I took
some classes in the Arts & Sciences college at my university, and
others in the Engineering college at the same university. Also,
officially, my degree is a B.A. as a College Scholar, not a B.A. in
Physics. But as I say, I really did take essentially all the standard
physics classes (between the Arts and Engineering school), and most of
the standard classes in engineering math. Will these technical issues
-- being a "College Scholar" rather than a "B.A. in "Physics" -- stand
in the way of my becoming a patent attorney? (Let's assume, for
purposes of discussion, that I can get into law school, get through
law school, etc.)
3. By the time I'd finish law school, my physics studies will have
been about 30 years in the past. (Yes, I'm going to law school late
in life.) Is there a statute of limitations on those studies, or do
the grades remain valid for my needs? (For what it's worth, in more
recent years I've taken classes to refresh some of the engineering
math, and also earned a Certificate In Programming from a local
community college.)
Thanks in advance for all replies.
Steve O.
Steven AATT Domain DDOOTT com
To send an e-mail, substitute @ for AATT, a . for DDOOTT, and OpComm for
Domain
Standard Antiflame Disclaimer: Please don't flame me. I may actually
*be* an
idiot, but even idiots have feelings.
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Steven O. wrote:
[wants to be a patent attorney]
1. To check on all this, and check if I would qualify as a patent
attorney, I need to contact the Patent Bar. Can someone tell me how
to contact this organization? (I did not have much luck with my
Google search.) Is there a specific Web site?
By all means don't become a computer professional. Here is all you need to
know to start uncovered by me in .3 secs using a standard Google search. I
used Google because you said that search failed:
http://www.wmitchell.edu/academics/areas/ip/whattodo.html
-paul
ianal
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On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 10:19:30 -0500, Steven O. <null@null.com> wrote:
1. To check on all this, and check if I would qualify as a patent
attorney, I need to contact the Patent Bar. Can someone tell me how
to contact this organization? (I did not have much luck with my
Google search.) Is there a specific Web site?
Yes. http://www.uspto.gov. Follow the links for "How to...become
a registered patent agent/attorney."
2. When I did my undergraduate degree, I was actually enrolled in a
special program called the College Scholar program, which let me study
anything I wanted to.
I essentially completed all the requirements for a B.A. in
physics, but my approach was a bit idiosyncratic. For example, I took
some classes in the Arts & Sciences college at my university, and
others in the Engineering college at the same university. Also,
officially, my degree is a B.A. as a College Scholar, not a B.A. in
Physics. But as I say, I really did take essentially all the standard
physics classes (between the Arts and Engineering school), and most of
the standard classes in engineering math. Will these technical issues
-- being a "College Scholar" rather than a "B.A. in "Physics" -- stand
in the way of my becoming a patent attorney? (Let's assume, for
purposes of discussion, that I can get into law school, get through
law school, etc.)
If your degree doesn't indicate Physics, you will have to have submit
your course work for review by the Patent Office. You must provide
a transcript and the corresponding course descriptions documenting
the completion of 40 hours of hard science/engineering course work
including an 8 hour sequence of physics or chemistry.
Math courses will not count. Astronomy courses will not count. If
you really have taken all of the standard physics courses you ought
to meet the educational requirements. But you say only "essentially
all."
3. By the time I'd finish law school, my physics studies will have
been about 30 years in the past. (Yes, I'm going to law school late
in life.) Is there a statute of limitations on those studies, or do
the grades remain valid for my needs? (For what it's worth, in more
recent years I've taken classes to refresh some of the engineering
math, and also earned a Certificate In Programming from a local
community college.)
No issue with the age of your class work as far as qualifying to take
the patent bar exam. Your course work will not expire. I cannot tell
you whether you have the knowledge and skills to actually work as a
patent agent or patent attorney.
Isaac
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