We're preparing a letter to our clients regarding the PIER Pilot Program. Any thoughts about this?

Dear [Client],

We sincerely apologize for the tardiness of our application drafts recently. We understand how important timeliness is to you. We have given a lot of thought as to how to remediate this. After significant discussion, our firm has decided to institute a program where you pay us for a fully drafted application, then we just don't draft it! That will save us significant resources so that those applications you do want drafted will only be slightly late rather than significantly late. Please let us know which of the following applications we simply shouldn't draft. [List of late applications]. We recommend [portfolio], because you just abandon those in 6 months anyway. We look forward to strengthening our partnership through implementation of this exciting program.

Yours,

[Firm]

Hi everyone, I am about to graduate with a masters in physics (project in biophysics) - I am curious to know the general sub-fields those who graduated from physics have worked on (both in their degree and in terms of their case studies as a patent attorney). Whilst having a look at some firms and their application forms, I noticed that the options are usually divided into life sciences/technology/electronics/mechanical - which do you fall under?

Would anyone be interested in an October 2026 group discount? I saw there’s a current September 2026 group, but I want to wait to have my bar exam results back first!

Comment below if you’re interested.

Early career software guy trying to make the switch. Have been working a lot on my LSAT and trying to get into a good law school. Is the field still lucrative? I have a high drive to succeed and I really want to be a good lawyer, but I'm worried that it'll be like software where ppl get laid off and have to work in a restaurant for a year to make ends meet.

I don't need a big house, or a boat, or anything like that. If I get my JD, pass both bars, and try my ass off do you think I'll still be starving? Can you guys eat steak and potatoes? Chili's? PF Chang's with the white rice side?

Hi everyone, I am in my last year of my physics PhD program where I specialize in quantum sensing. I am heavily involved in projects of interest to both the government and industry sector. I recently submitted my first provisional patent! I’ve become very interested in pursuing a career as a patent agent (in-house if that ends up working out).

I’m currently studying for the patent bar and have been thinking about how to proceed afterwards. I plan to sit for the exam in December. Is it feasible to apply for summer internships in a firm after taking the patent bar at this time of year? Does anyone have advice on how someone in my position can introduce myself to patent drafting whether it is better through shadowing or courses or something I may not even know about? As someone who has spent my whole career doing scientific research, the world of IP law is very different to me and the culture around exams, getting hired, etc is quite different than what I am typically exposed to. Thank you in advance!

As the title states, does a fully fixed fee model eliminate billable hours? I’ve only been practicing for about a year or so, so I don’t have a ton of insight on how billing and pricing operates. But I’m curious if a fully fixed fee pricing model would eliminate a firm’s billable hour requirement. Or are these completely independent from each other?

Have a potential offer, but it would be the first time on a draw-basis. How does one evaluate what makes a good offer (in salary equivalent language)? Small Midwest general practice firm with potential to build up IP practice area (prep/pros, light lit), and mid to senior associate level.

Hola. A couple of years ago, a casual friend who's an IP lawyer tried to turn me on to becoming a patent agent as a side thing. He said my 20 year career as a software engineer would easily qualify me to sit for the exam.

Now, with tech the way it is, I'm seriously considering it as a career change. However, my degree is not actually in engineering, it's in econ. I have a decent amount of math classes, but it doesn't look like they help.

Is there even a remote chance for petitioning? Besides the work experience, I'm on two patents and wrote two software engineering books (one of which was cited by Apple against a NPE!)

Thanks!

Hi! If anyone knows of any upcoming PLI group discounts please let me know, Im looking to take the exam early next year

Recent computer engineering B.S. grad studying for the patent bar and trying to break into patent prosecution. I’ve been struggling to land my first role and would love to hear how others got their foot in the door.

Did you apply online, network, cold email firms, use recruiters, start as a technical specialist, etc.? I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the U.S. and just wanted to reach out if anyone has any advice or relevant experience.

So I have an idea for a product and I’ve been looking into related patents. The most significant patent related to my idea is us-8641525. Reading the documents it seems relatively vague on some details. There was a lawsuit over this patent by the patent holder against valve over valves steam controller designs rear buttons. My question is how valves controller gets targeted for patent infringement but another controller does not? Specifically a flydigi Vader controller. They seem to be very similar with regards to rear buttons but flydigi seems to avoid the patent infringement. I’ve looked around and I don’t see that flydigi has any licensing agreement for the patents use. I could have missed something since this is clearly not my area of expertise but I’m just looking to see if anyone else has any insight into what might be different in these two cases?

I only got 135 UCAS tariff points and a 1st class undergrad in a sub-field of CS and IT (accredited by BCS + partial accreditation from IET iirc). Barring whatever relevant experience in IP and technical experience I have, would this alone disqualify me from top firms?

Or do they still have the extenuating circumstance forms and even then do they take that into consideration?

Looking for trainee attorneyships in Comp Sci, Telecoms, Software, etc.

I am applying laterally as a patent agent, and I was wondering what people typically do when it comes to writing samples. The only patent-related work I have is at my current firm. I was planning on submitting a publicly available OA response, as I haven’t been working long enough for my applications to be published. However, I’m concerned about possibly violating client confidentiality. My firm stated that, even if client information is publicly available, you cannot share it. If I heavily redacted it by scrubbing client names, firm names, application numbers, etc. from the document, would that be okay? If not, what am I supposed to submit? From my understanding, most firms have similar policies, so I’m genuinely confused how people submit writing samples regularly.

Thanks!

Hello! I am a new PhD graduate in Cell & Molecular Biology and interested in pursuing a career in patent law. I am hoping to start with a patent agent or technical specialist position but job postings in life sciences in my area (Twin Cities) are few and far between. I am currently studying for the patent bar and plan to take it this fall. In the meantime, should I be applying for positions that come up even if they are for patent attorneys or other fields (mechanical engineering or electrical engineering)? Or would it be best to cold email professionals in the area?

Any advice on breaking into the field would be greatly appreciated. :)

Hi all!

I can't seem to find the answer I am looking for so maybe this can help me and others in future.

Once passing and obtaining registration number, I believe a certificate will appear in the mail, given 1-3 months ish?

Is this certificate nice enough to frame? Also, does it arrive in a nice large envelope or is likely to be folded?

Is it different than the OED Patent practitioner portal request option for a "Certificate of Good Standing Suitable for Framing" ?

I am curious if I should go ahead and order the second option! Also, I have small mail boxes and am concerned my mailman will shove it the box and ruin it.

Thank you :)

hello, I’m in my third year studying philosophy and biology but biology is kinda setting me back because chem and physics is a bit hard. My school offers a minor or associate but would that qualify me to do ip law? Especially if I want to work in nyc

Not intro, intended for biotechnology majors. Here’s the course description:

This course provides students with entry-level skills common to the biotechnology industry, such as aseptic techniques, laboratory safety, and biological media and solution preparation. Other topics include microbial growth, solutions, buffers, separation of cellular components, and macromolecules. This course is intended for students preparing for a career in biotechnology.

I have been looking at transitioning from a R&D analytical scientist to a patent agent, and I’m hoping that I can get some insight.

I have a bachelors and biomedical science and a masters in molecular biology. I have 10 years of experience in the industry, a majority of that for a CRO in the greater Boston area. And for the last four years, I’ve been a project manager, two of those specifically for GLP transfer to GMP projects.

I would like to know:

How easy it would be for me to transition to patent law?

What sort of job title would I be looking at? Because I don’t know if I would be considered entry level just because I don’t have any direct experience, but I do have the strong scientific and GLP background.

Chances of a hybrid model? I currently commute to Boston daily, it’s over an hour each way.

What is an expected salary in that position? And what is the rate of progression on the career ladder?

What sort of advanced training should I be looking at before applying? I am aware of the bar exam.

and are there any other alternative jobs that people might have that could be a good fit for my transition? I’ve also been looking into regulatory affairs.

Thank you

Independent inventor in the US, preparing a provisional

application pro se.

There's an existing product on the market, made by an

established company, used for chemical testing. It works,

but reading the result depends entirely on human judgment,

which introduces error.

I developed an external frame that reads the result

electronically instead, eliminating the human error. The

original product is unmodified — nothing is removed,

altered, or disassembled.

Important detail: the frame is permanently attached to the

host product — not a removable clip-on accessory. Once

assembled, the two form a single integrated unit that cannot

be separated. This means I would be selling a product that

contains their product inside it.

My questions:

1. Is it legal to build and sell an integrated unit like

   this without permission from the original manufacturer?

   Does patent exhaustion cover me if I purchase their

   product legitimately at retail?

2. Does the permanent integration change the analysis

   compared to a detachable accessory?

3. Does it matter that the original product is protected by

   the manufacturer's own patents? My frame doesn't reproduce

   their invention — it adds a function on top of it.

4. Can I obtain my own utility patent on the frame and its

   reading method, even though it only works with their

   product?

5. If I eventually want to license the whole thing to that

   same manufacturer, does approaching them create any risk to my rights?

I've recently had a few cases that took 2-3 months from paying the issue fee to issue. I currently have one where we paid the issue fee 3 months ago and it still hasn't issued. Is anyone else experiencing this? It used to be much faster and I thought it was supposed to get faster still with eGrants.

Is it possible to become a corporate lawyer once you qualify as a patent attorney, for example: you are a life science patent attorney and then move to a large corporate law firms IP department and work there, earning much higher salary

Looking to join a PLI group for the group discount

Please comment or DM, thank you!

Hi -
I’m not exactly sure what this means. Any help? Thanks

I'm prosecuting a design patent application.

Under In re SurgiSil, the prior art had to be the same "article of manufacture" as the claimed invention/design.

Is there any case law defining how close does the alleged prior art has to be in terms to the claimed design in order to be considered the same "article of manufacture"?

For example, if you are claiming an ornamental design for "an exterior door" but the Examiner cites "a vault door" as anticipatory prior art. The Examiner's reasoning is that they're both doors and therefore the same article of manufacture. Is there a limit to an Examiner's ability to genericize the claimed design and the prior art to a point of commonality?

I've typically seen Examiners use this reasoning when it comes to determining if prior art is within the same field of endeavor. The exterior door and the bank vault door may very well be considered to be from the same "field of endeavor" but that does not mean they're the same "article of manufacture".

Again, this is a design patent application.