How to Become a Patent Paralegal
If you are interested in legal work, but not in devoting years to law school, a paralegal career may be right for you. As a paralegal you will work under the direct supervision of an attorney. In other words, you will assist the attorney in all legal matters. However, as a paralegal you cannot offer clients legal advice or represent them in court.
A paralegal may work in many different areas of law including, but not limited to, family law, corporate law, business law, and patent law. Patent law is a lucrative field, and patent paralegals are some of the highest paid in the industry, with salaries ranging from $50,000 to $90,000 annually, as of time of publication.
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Instructions
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Enroll in an ABA (American Bar Association) accredited paralegal program. To find an accredited paralegal program, visit the American Bar Association website. Many community colleges offer paralegal programs at cheaper rates. It typically takes students two years to complete the program, and upon graduation students are given a paralegal certificate.
Paralegal certification, although not required, demonstrates to potential employers a mastery of certain skills and knowledge necessary to work in the field, and provides the job applicant with a competitive edge in the job market. Paralegal skills include advanced knowledge of legal procedure, ethics, substantive law, legal research, interviewing, communication and writing skills.
Although there is no specific, additional certification for patent paralegals, taking a general course in intellectual property law in addition to required paralegal classes is recommended.
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The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office defines intellectual property as creations of the mind -- creative works or ideas embodied in a form that can be shared or that can enable others to recreate, emulate or manufacture them. There are four ways to protect intellectual property -- patents, trademarks, copyrights or trade secrets.
A patent paralegal should be familiar with all areas of intellectual property, however, her or his specialty is in patents. According the patent and trademark office, a patent is a property right granted by the government of the United States of America to an inventor "to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States" for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted.
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A patent paralegal assists patent attorneys, agents and/or legal analysts in preparing and filing documents with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) and around the world.
A patent paralegal maintains contact with inventors, clients and other vendors.
She or he also assists with calendaring and docketing correspondence and action due dates to and from the PTO and/or foreign associates.
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A common way to gain patent law experience is to intern at law firms or corporations while attending school. Most law firms or agencies specializing in patent law are more than happy to hire unpaid or, in some cases, paid interns (at a lower scale) full or part time. This is a great way to gain experience in patent law, as well as network for jobs upon graduation. Your school should be able to provide you with internship opportunities and, in some cases, job placement after graduation.
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References
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