Who deals with intellectual property rights?
Copyright Office.
SICLDR.
ISA / IPEA.
How much do top intellectual property lawyers make?
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Top Earners
$274,359
$22,863
75th Percentile
$252,600
$21,050
Average
$196,696
$16,391
25th Percentile
$154,400
$12,866
What do you do in intellectual property law?
One common task IP lawyers do is preparing documents needed to file for patents or trademarks, and then working with patent and trademark offices in the U.S. and around the world to attain those patents and trademarks.
Who handles intellectual property?
Predatory and illegal intellectual property (IP) trade practices affect every aspect of our lives. The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) leads the U.S. government’s response to stop global IP theft and enforce trade laws.
Comprised of federal agencies and industry experts, the IPR Center develops initiatives, coordinates enforcement actions and shares information related to intellectual property (IP) theft. It also stops predatory, illegal trade practices that threaten the public’s health and safety, the U.S. economy and national security.
IP theft is not a victimless crime. Victims are American consumers, businesses, trademark holders and people who manufacture and sell legitimate products. Often, the illicit proceeds resulting from the sale of counterfeit or unlicensed products are funneled back to support a broad range of illegal crimes. Every day, the IPR Center works with industries and agencies to stop IP theft that threatens U.S. businesses, robs hardworking Americans of their jobs and negatively impacts the economy. From criminal arrests to the seizure of goods, the numbers tell the story.
Criminals sell pirated merchandise and counterfeit U.S. products around the globe. And, while it seems harmless to buy a knock-off purse, an inexpensive electronic device or cheaper medication, these trade practices threaten the public’s health and safety, the U.S. economy and national security by introducing harmful and banned materials into counterfeit products and supporting illegal labor practices. The U.S. government created the IPR Center to stop predatory and illegal trade practices.
By bringing together domestic and international government agencies and private industry partners, the IPR Center presents a unified force to combat global intellectual property theft and enforce IP rights violations. The IPR Center was established to combat global IP theft and, accordingly, has a significant role policing the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods on websites, social media, and the dark web.
Learn how IP Project can help small businesses protect themselves from intellectual property theft, fraud, and cyber-attacks.
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The appearance of any non-federal entities and/or reference to vendors does not constitute, imply, or infer endorsement or sanction of their products or services by the IPR Center, DHS, or the federal government.
What is the difference between a patent attorney and an IP solicitor?
Patent attorneys are qualified professionals who specialise in acquiring legal protection for their clients’ ideas and inventions. However, there can often be some confusion between the role of a patent attorney and an intellectual property (IP) solicitor, or solicitors in general. In this piece, we aim to set out the differences between these various professions, which should help you in determining who best can help you.
Solicitors
Firstly, to become a solicitor, it is important to obtain either an undergraduate law degree, or upon obtaining a degree in another subject, achieve an appropriate post-graduate degree in law or a law conversion. It is then compulsory, to become a solicitor, to complete the Legal Practice Certificate (LPC), which can be done over 1 year (full time) or two years (part-time).
During or upon completion of the LPC, a trainee solicitor will hopefully have been awarded a training contract with a law firm, which is the final part of training to become a qualified solicitor. During this two-year period, they will usually spend four six-month blocks in different departments, learning about various and more specialist aspects of the law. The training contract is effectively an apprenticeship and at the end of it, they will be a fully qualified solicitor with an eye on specialising in a particular area of law. This can be criminal, commercial, family or any other aspect which has become of interest during their studies and early practical experience.
IP lawyers / IP-specific solicitors
These solicitors will have gone through the process as described above, however, many patent solicitors have a first degree in one of the sciences, and sometimes will also have a PhD. They will generally deal with contentious and non-contentious areas of IP, for example, contentious work includes litigation of patents and trademarks, that is to say, they deal with the process of asserting a proprietor’s rights or defending a client against a claim of infringement. Non-contentious work involves dealing with transfers of ownership, licensing and other issues relating to the management of IP rights. The science degree will generally be helpful when it comes to understanding the technical details of the invention/patent.
Broadly speaking, an IP solicitor/patent lawyer will deal with the enforcement and management of IP portfolios.
Patent Attorneys
Patent attorneys are distinct from IP solicitors and solicitors in general in that they are not required to have a law degree. Instead, they are required to have a technical background which usually means a science, engineering or maths degree. Most often graduates begin their career as a trainee patent attorney with a job in private patent practice or with larger companies who have an in-house patent department and learn intellectual property law from specialist courses and experienced fully qualified attorneys. To become a fully qualified patent attorney and be entitled to call themselves Chartered Pa.
What is the highest paid attorney?
Interested in a high-paying legal career? Learn about the highest-paid types of lawyers, their roles, and how our programs can help you achieve your career goals.
In the wide range of legal professions, certain specializations stand out for their substantial financial rewards. The Colleges of Law is committed to training dedicated, ethical, and hardworking lawyers, skills required for success in these and other careers in law.
The field of law is diverse, offering a multitude of specializations, each with its unique challenges and rewards. While all legal fields hold the potential for financial success and personal fulfillment, there are certain areas where lawyers, on average, tend to see higher earnings per year.
As of 2024, the top five highest paid types of lawyers are:
| 1. Patent Attorneys |
| 2. IP Attorneys |
This variation in earnings is influenced by factors such as specialization, geographic location, the complexity of the legal field, and the demand for specialized expertise. Some areas of law have emerged as particularly lucrative due to their complexity, the high stakes involved, or the specialized knowledge required.
Patent attorneys are involved in protecting the intellectual property rights of inventions. Their work spans drafting and filing patent applications, advising on patent law, and representing clients in patent litigation. This field is ideal for those who are fascinated by law and technology, offering an exciting blend of innovation and legal expertise.
Patent attorneys will find the Technology Professional Certificate program from The Colleges of Law highly beneficial. This program offers deep insights into areas like data security and blockchain technology, which are increasingly relevant in the rapidly evolving field of patent law.
Patent attorneys are the highest-paid type of lawyers on average, they earn an annual income of around $185,000, According to Indeed. Although the salary range varies on a number of factors, the average patent attorney’s salary range falls between $110,000 and $310,000 in the US.**Data collected in 2024.
IP attorneys play an important role in protecting rights related to artistic and inventive creations. Their responsibilities include negotiating deals, drafting licensing agreements, and representing clients in IP disputes. As the digital and creative landscapes continue to expand, IP attorneys find themselves in a constantly evolving and high-demand field.
IP attorneys will find our Entrepreneurship Professional Certificate to be invaluable. The program focuses on topics like emerging technology and the law, and building legal applications is crucial for IP attorneys working with startups and innovative companies. This certificate offers IP attorneys additional expertise to advise clients on the legal intricacies of launching and growing technology-driven businesses.
According to Salary.com IP attorneys are among the highest-paid types of lawyers, averaging around $167,000 a year. An IP attorney’s salary normally ranges from around $152,000.
Where do most IP lawyers work?
Intellectual property lawyers are in high demand with many types of employers. You’ll find IP lawyers in major corporations, law firms, universities, and government agencies. IP lawyers may also own their own businesses. The main employer of IP attorneys, however, is the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which is part of the Department of Commerce. The USPTO employs lawyers as trademark examiners, patent examiners, and more. Other departments in the government that employ IP lawyers include the Departments of Defense, Interior, Justice, and Energy. IP lawyers can also find employment in the United States Copyright Office.
Although IP lawyers are in high demand all over the country, most work in large cities where the major corporations are headquartered. Other hot spots for IP lawyers include Washington, D.C., because of the government agencies located there, and Silicon Valley, California, because of its concentration of information technology-related firms.
As in any area of law, internships and clerkships are usually the path to a quality job. For those interested in patent law specifically, applying for a clerkship in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Court in Washington, D.C., is a great way to gain experience. To apply for an unpaid, part-time internship during law school or soon after graduation, you should write directly to the court about six months in advance. Applicants can also search OSCAR, the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (https://oscar.uscourts.gov) for available clerkships and clerkship information. To gain a full-time, paid clerkship position, law students should inquire sometime before the end of their second year. You can also apply for clerkships and internships with law firms. Another way to break into the IP law field is to get a job at the USPTO. Working directly with patents will put you in a better position for an IP job later in your career.
Most IP lawyers start out with internships and clerkships at firms or courts. In law firms, IP lawyers begin as low-rung associates and then advance as their experience and track records allow. Associates with successful reputations and many years of experience can become partners in the law firm. IP lawyers who work for universities may advance from assisting scientific and engineering groups to becoming professors of IP law. Whether in corporations, government agencies, or law firms, most IP lawyers, like other types of lawyers, are given more high-profile cases and more important clients as they become more experienced.
If interested in science- and technology-related intellectual property law, join a school or community organization that focuses on engineering or computing.
Contact intellectual property law firms to request an information interview.
Read and examine patent and trademark applications on the United States Patent and Trademark Office Web site (http://www.uspto.gov).
Why are you interested in intellectual property law?
Intellectual Property (IP) law relates to the establishment and protection of intellectual creations such as inventions, designs, brands, artwork and music.
These rights are established, protected, enforced and promoted through means such as patents (usually for such things as technical inventions), trademarks (for goods and services), copyright (music, art and literature) and designs (products and logos).
Lawyers tend to specialise in either contentious or non-contentious IP. Non-contentious work involves checking and registering client’s rights through, for example, patents and trademarks, as well as drafting commercial agreements to issue licences that allow others to use those rights.
Contentious work is required when a client’s rights have been infringed or abused in any way, for example, when counterfeit products are being sold or music is used illegally.
Having a degree in a STEM subject is preferable but not essential for a career in intellectual property law. Work experience in the area is important so gaining as much IP experience as possible will help. This doesn’t need to be legal based. Many people come from the entertainment industry, engineering and technology industries to become an IP lawyer. You will also need to follow all the steps to becoming a qualified solicitor.
To become a solicitor, you can either take the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), or if you are eligible, you can study the Legal Practice Course (LPC).
If you qualify through the SQE, you will also need to complete two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE). To prepare for the SQE, we recommend studying one of our SQE courses, which have been designed to give you the knowledge and skills for a successful career as a solicitor.
If you’re eligible to study the LPC, you will need to get a two-year training contract with a law firm. To find out what route is right for you, see our Becoming a Solicitor page.
Once you complete your two-year training contract or QWE, you can apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to be admitted as a solicitor.
If you want to become a barrister, you will need to have completed an undergraduate law degree, or if you are a non-law graduate, a conversion course, before completing the Bar Practice Course (BPC). You will then need to secure pupillage.
You can also study a Master of Law (LLM) in Data Protection and Intellectual Property or an LLM in Compliance and Regulation to give you the knowledge and skills to move into this sector.
Clients can range from unknown individuals with a brilliant idea to patent, through to pharmaceutical giants and famous artists. IP lawyers need to build a rapport with a wide range of different people, and be able to think commercially and from a client’s point of view.
Lawyers in this practice area need to understand the complex and technical language – many IP lawyers have previous relevant experience in other fields like science, technology and medicine. Attention to detail is vital as is the ability.