What does an Intellectual Property Attorney do?
Published 3 min read
An intellectual property attorney helps clients protect their ideas, inventions, and brands. They may help clients file for patents, copyrights, or trademarks. They may also help resolve disputes involving intellectual property.
Intellectual Property Attorney job duties include:
- Conducting legal research on intellectual property law
- Drafting and filing patent applications with the USPTO
- Responding to office actions from the USPTO
- Conducting interviews with inventors to obtain information needed for patent applications
- Prosecution of patents before the USPTO
- Post-grant proceedings before the USPTO
- Negotiating and drafting license agreements
- Counseling clients on infringement and validity issues
- Assisting clients in enforcing their intellectual property rights through litigation or other means
Intellectual Property Attorney Job Requirements
An Intellectual Property Attorney must have a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and be licensed to practice law in the state where they work. Many Intellectual Property Attorneys also have a background in science or engineering, as this helps them to better understand the technology involved in their cases. Intellectual Property Attorneys typically have 3-5 years of experience working in intellectual property law before becoming partners in a law firm or starting their own practice.
Intellectual Property Attorney Skills
- Copyright law
- Trademark law
- Patent law
- Licensing
- Intellectual property litigation
- Counseling clients
- Negotiating
- Drafting contracts
- Researching
- Analyzing
- Writing
Related: Top Intellectual Property Attorney Skills: Definition and Examples
How to become an Intellectual Property Attorney
Intellectual property law is a complex and ever-evolving area of the legal profession. To become an intellectual property attorney, one must first complete a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school. After passing the bar exam, intellectual property attorneys must complete additional training in the form of CLE courses or LLM programs specializing in intellectual property law.
Intellectual property law covers a wide range of legal issues, including copyright, trademark, and patent law. Intellectual property attorneys must have a thorough understanding of these areas of law in order to effectively represent their clients. They must also be well-versed in the rules and regulations governing intellectual property rights, as well as the procedures for filing and prosecuting intellectual property claims.
Intellectual property law is a highly technical area of the law, and intellectual property attorneys must be able to effectively communicate with clients and other lawyers who may not be familiar with the complexities of the law. They must also be able to effectively advocate for their clients’ interests in court.
Related: Intellectual Property Attorney Resume Example
Related: Intellectual Property Attorney Interview Questions (With Example Answers)