Barred4Life OP t1_iuj9w9b wrote on October 31, 2022 at 7:19 PM

Reply to comment by crebscycle in Boston Jobs for someone with a law degree? by Barred4Life

Appreciate the suggestion! I'm really into foreign policy and affairs, but there aren't many jobs that exist for that. Patent law doesn't sound terrible, but I've heard you have to pass a special patent law exam among other things to work in that field.

crebscycle t1_iuja5ng wrote on October 31, 2022 at 7:21 PM

I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know. I just work with lawyers everyday on patents. I would still look into biotech. Most have a regulatory affairs division and many work with Japanese teams as they're a major world health authority. I would recommend looking into it more, maybe you can find a niche for yourself!

Barred4Life OP t1_iujf8w0 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 7:55 PM

Again, much appreciated! It's a new option and that's more than I had before. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

scrappychemist t1_iuk5atl wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:06 PM

This was going to be my rec. Lots of legal jobs in Biotech that are not just patient law.

man2010 t1_iujjpf5 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 8:25 PM

FYI, without a science background you won't be able to get into patent law. I'm not an attorney but I'm familiar with the field and you're right that there is a separate licensing exam through the USPTO, in addition to needing a science/engineering degree. There are other areas of IP law where you don't necessarily need that science/engineering background, but you might struggle to break into them in Boston. The common path for patent attorneys is science/engineering first, and then using that knowledge to practice law rather than the other way around. Trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and transactions would be your avenues into IP.

And if you have a bachelor's or higher in a science or engineering field then you can ignore this entire comment and look into patents

Barred4Life OP t1_iujmz71 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 8:48 PM

That sounds about right from what I've heard. I was a criminal justice/legal studies major, so I don't think that science backgrounds exists for me unless through osmosis I can grab it from my wife.

man2010 t1_iujp1uj wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:02 PM

Unfortunately I don't think the USPTO accepts osmosis as the basis for a science background, but if your wife wants an equally grueling but higher paying job than a medical residency she could always look into it. Of course the pay tips back to favor doctors after residency, and she has probably spent close to a decade working towards just her residency, but I guess it's an option nonetheless