Patent Lawyer

Salary & Job Openings

Median Salary (Yearly Pay)

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Future Jobs

Blast-Off:

How Will Patent Lawyer Jobs Grow by 2034?

Projected % Growth

Rapid growth
(10% or higher)

Much faster than average
(7% - 10%)

Faster than average
(5% - 7%)

About as fast as average
(3% - 5%)

Slower than average
(0% - 3%)

Decreasing

Average of all U.S. jobs (5.3%)

Patent Lawyer jobs (4.10%)

Source: https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Steps to Get There: Becoming a Patent Lawyer

High School Subjects to Study

Education- Typical Degree Needed After High School Listen to this section

Typical degree for an entry-level position: Doctoral or professional degree ?

Becoming a patent lawyer usually takes seven years of full-time study after high school—four years of undergraduate study, followed by three years of law school. Law school applicants specializing in patents usually have a bachelor's degree in science or engineering to qualify for admission, or have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering examination.

Prospective lawyers should develop proficiency in writing and speaking, reading, researching, analyzing, and thinking logically—skills needed to succeed both in law school and in the law. Courses in English, foreign languages, public speaking, government, philosophy, history, economics, mathematics, and computer science, among others, are useful.

Acceptance by most law schools depends on the applicant's ability to demonstrate an aptitude for the study of law, usually through undergraduate grades, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the quality of the applicant's undergraduate school, any prior work experience, and sometimes, a personal interview. However, law schools vary in the weight they place on each of these and other factors.

Upon completion of law school, graduates receive the degree of juris doctor (J.D.), a first professional degree. Advanced law degrees may be desirable for those planning to specialize, perform research, or teach.

To become a patent lawyer, individuals must pass both their state bar exam and the patent bar exam, also known as the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases Before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Requirements to pass the state bar exam depend upon the state in which the individual wishes to practice. The patent bar exam is a 100-question, multiple-choice exam. You must answer 70% of the questions to pass the patent bar exam. Candidates must also show that they have either received a bachelor's degree in science or engineering (category A), have earned college course credits in science or engineering (category B), or have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering examination. Law school graduates may also be asked to take one or all of the following: an ethics exam, an essay exam, or a performance exam.

Try it Out with an Activity or Project

STEM Activities

STEM activities are fun hands-on explorations that usually take from 10 minutes to one hour and use readily available household or classroom materials while introducing you to STEM concepts common in this career.

We don't have any activities for this career. Check out the Project Ideas below.

Science Project Ideas

Project Ideas are in-depth STEM explorations that have a strong focus on controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and analyzing data suitable for investigating the scientific method or the engineering design process.

 

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2 Science Project Idea Results

On the Job

Role Models

This website has interviews with several patent lawyers. Click on a link and learn more about why these people chose this branch of the legal profession involving scientific advances.

Patent law seemed to give me the best opportunity to keep in touch with real science because every day patent lawyers deal with the latest scientific innovations. 

Deborah Katz, Administrative Patent Judge

Nature of the Work

The role of patent lawyers is to represent a client before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. They prepare, file, and prosecute patent applications and help their clients protect their original work and intellectual property. Patent lawyers can advise their clients on how to license their inventions and whether to appeal decisions from the Patent Office, help them sue for possible patent infringements, determine whether someone is infringing upon their patent, and ascertain whether their client is infringing upon another party's patent.

Patent lawyers can perform patent prosecution, where they specialize in obtaining patents for their clients. Patent lawyers can also work in patent litigation, where they go to court to protect their clients' patents. They can also work in a combination of these two roles. Patent lawyers must have adequate scientific and technical expertise in order to understand their clients' inventions. A career in patent law can be a rewarding way to combine technical, scientific, and legal interests.

Work Environment

Patent lawyers do most of their work in offices, law libraries, and courtrooms. They sometimes will meet clients at their place of business. They may travel to attend meetings, gather infringement evidence, and appear before courts, legislative bodies, and other authorities. They also may face particularly heavy pressure when a case is being tried.

Patent lawyers usually have structured work schedules. Patent lawyers who are in private practice or those who work for large firms may work irregular hours, including weekends, while conducting research, conferring with clients, or preparing briefs during non-office hours. All lawyers often work long hours; of those who work full time, about 33 percent work 50 or more hours per week.

More Information

Ask Questions

Do you have a specific question about a career as a Patent Lawyer that isn't answered on this page? Post your question on the Science Buddies Ask an Expert Forum.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS (2024). Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), 2024 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
• National Center for O*NET Development O*Net Online (2024). National Center for O*Net Development. Retrieved August 25, 2025
• Cottingham, K. (2001, October 5). The job market: careers in patent law. Science. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
• Royal Society of Chemistry. (2020, January 21). Patent Attorney. YouTube.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
• Study.com. (2010). Becoming a patent attorney: education and career info. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
• Wikipedia Contributors. (2010, November 1). Patent attorney. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
• Intellectual Properties Enterprises, Inc. (2010). What is a career as a patent agent/attorney like? Retrieved December 1, 2010.