SALARY FACTORS

Here are the factors that will determine your salary and whether you find yourself on the high or low end of the earnings scale:

Location

Where you work always impacts how much you’ll get paid. And that’s true no matter what career field you decide to pursue. Often, individuals working in larger metropolitan areas earn more than their counterparts living in rural areas.

Experience

Your past experiences always play a role in how much you earn. If you’re starting in patent law (whether as a patent agent or attorney), you’ll typically be on the low end of the salary scale. If you have several years of experience, you’d naturally expect to be paid more.

In addition to your years of experience in patent work, your employer will likely consider how many years of employment you had in your field of study before becoming a registered patent practitioner. Many engineers and scientists worked in their field for years before taking the patent bar exam. Those years will usually help them earn more than those who do not have experience in their field of study.

Degree

The degree you have will help boost your earnings. And it’s not just whether you have a JD degree and if you’re a patent attorney, but the degree you had and the level you earned in your technical background. For example, a patent agent or attorney with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology will likely earn less than one with a Doctorate in Biochemistry.

It’s not just the level but the specific degree, how valuable your employer finds that particular degree, and your background. Patents are very technical, and it will be difficult, if not impossible, to write a solid patent application on a subject you don’t understand. So, if you don’t have that background, your potential employer knows you’ll need some training (which they may be willing to give you, but you’re not going to get top dollar if that’s your situation).

Job Fit

How well do you fit what the employer is looking for? If they want someone who understands environmental inventions and your degree and background in mechanical engineering, even if you’ve somehow won them over, you may expect lower pay than someone who fits the job description better.

Differences Across Firms and Employers

Some firms pay more. They are more prestigious and hire who they feel will help them maintain their image.

In addition, it’s not just law firms that hire patent agents and attorneys.

Many government agencies hire patent practitioners (like NASA) and private corporations (including many in the engineering and biotechnology sectors). They all have different pay rates, so that’s something to consider once you start looking for a job.