Job Hunting Is Easy--If You Are an Experienced Patent Lawyer with a High-Tech Degree
There’s a lucky subset of lawyers who don’t have to worry about unemployment, according to one recruiting expert.
Patent lawyers are in big demand because of the recent patent overhaul, and those with technical expertise are in even bigger demand, Bloomberg News reports.
T.J. Duane, a principal at legal recruitment firm Lateral Link, describes the ideal legal job candidate in an interview with Bloomberg. This lawyer is a top 10 law grad, with a doctorate in electrical engineering, and four years of experience at a top law firm. “That person could get a job anywhere,” Duane said.
Generally, Duane said, intellectual property lawyers with degrees in electrical engineering, computer science and computer engineering are all in demand.
According to the story, patent lawyers make up about 3 percent of the nation’s lawyers, but the specialty may account for about 15 percent of lawyer job openings.
Barton Showalter, chairman of the IP department at Baker Botts in Dallas, told Bloomberg that the new patent law creating a “first to file” system has created a big demand for skilled patent lawyers.
“It’s an exceedingly complex law now with a number of new procedures,” he said. “That puts a premium on highly technical-skilled patent lawyers.”
Prior coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Google’s Acquisition of Motorola Is All About the Patents; IP Lawyers in Big Demand”
