🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3htu4g$r00@ixnews2.ix.netcom.com>, kuester@ix.netcom.com (jeff
kuester) writes:

>In <1995Feb15.165754.14788@draper.com> bwc2809@support7 (Barry Chapin
>(chapin@draper.com)) writes:
>
>>I have read some of the threads about law firm working conditions and
>>life in the big firms.  Does anyone out there know if this pertains to
>>various types of law, or is it every type.  I live and work in Boston
>>and will be entering the field of patent law soon.  Do any of you out
>>there know what conditions are like in patent firms in major cities?
>
There are definately firms, including patent firms, that work that way.
The bigger the firm it seems, the more likely it is that you are treated
that way.
>> (snip)
>
>I work in a small intellectual property law firm in Atlanta, Georgia,
>and the conditions here at my firm are very good.  I, like many patent
>attorneys, think about the stuff you describe all the time.  All in all,
>I really enjoy my job and consider patent law very exciting.  Small
>firms are a bit more flexible regarding the hours expected, but there
>are certainly trade-offs which aren't distinctive to patent law.  Good
>luck.

I spent 3-4 years with a small patent firm (8 attys). I got a range
of experience, including patent prosecution, trademarks, copyrights,
trade secrets, litigation, and licensing. I believe that you are going
to get a broader range of experience with that size of firm
(or that size of IP department). My impression is that if you get with
a firm with a big IP department, you are more likely to be specialized.

More recently, I went in-house. Corporate patent work is very different.
There are pressures, but they are also different. One advantage is that
I deal almost exclusively with extremely bright inventors. I am also
able to specialize where I want to be, which is in software. While in
the smaller firm, we never had enough software work to allow me to do that.
You can also spend more time on applications, getting them right.
If you have compulsive perfectionist tendencies, this can be very helpful.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
The preceeding was not a legal opinion. It was my personal opinion,
and mine alone. It was not necessarily the opinion of my employer.
The answers to legal questions are invariably highly dependant upon the
precise facts involved. Thus, before making any reliance upon anything
said here, you should consult with an appropriately skilled attorney.

Copyright 1995 by Bruce E. Hayden, All Rights Reserved.
This work may be copied in whole or part, with proper attribution,
as long as the copying is not for commercial gain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce E. Hayden                               7604 Vail Valley Drive
bhayden@bga.com                                  Austin, Texas 78749
bhayden@acm.org                                       (512) 892-7915