Knowing what a patent attorney salary would be needs to be preceded with a few questions: Where in the U.S. will the aspiring patent lawyer work, is there a lot of competition in that area, how about high demand for patent attorneys? Will they work as a private attorney for a large corporation? Will they work for a law firm… large or small? What type of degree and how much experience do they have?
Patent attorney salary for a person with a PhD in Chemistry?
I’m looking closely at putting my degree to work in the field of Patent Law. However, I don’t have a clue as to the average patent attorney salary.
Hi Michael. You must be super smart! Are you the guy who sat in front of me in Chemistry? 
Thank you!
The average patent attorney salary relies on so many things. However, the average base salary is $80 – 105,000 while the average salary is $115K to $150K. You could make more or less. It mostly will depend on how well you did in school and where you want to work. For instance, the average patent attorney salary in LA will be more than a patent attorney in Kentucky. — Abby ♥
Average patent attorney salary after law school?
I’m graduating with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. My GPA should be 3.9 by the time I graduate because of an internship. Before I get my hopes up too much, I’d like to know how much money a Patent Attorney earns. I do understand what the job entails however, I can’t seem to find how much they’d earn after graduation.
Great GPA, congratulations! Patent attorney salary is easily in the 6-figures a year range once they’ve got between 1-4 years of job experience. The reason it’s difficult to get a firm grasp on “exactly” is because there are so many options. Will you be working as an in house patent attorney for a large corporation or will you be working for a law firm? Is the law firm in a small city or large city. Do they specialize in patent law? Is the area where you’ll be living heavily competitive with patent lawyers? All of these things go into determining the patent attorney salary you’d be earning.
If I were you, I’d take a look at The Jobs Report and look at positions available with your degree. This should give you a much better clue as to how much you’d earn!— Abby ♥
I have so many questions about becoming a patent attorney?
My degree is in engineering management. I think becoming a Patent attorney looks super interesting. What is the preferred major for law school? I read somewhere that an electrical engineering degree is preferred. I’d much rather be in mechanical engineering. What’s the average patent attorney salary fresh out of school?
Excellent questions! Your degree (let’s say mechanical engineering), helps determine your specialty in patent law. It does not determine if you will or won’t be accepted into a law school. As for patent attorney salary and what the job entails, take a look at the answer I gave to Amanda above and apply it accordingly.— Abby ♥
Patent Attorney Salary Help
1. Visit the Jobs Report to see current salaries for the job you’re hoping to land.
2. Read the requirements at the USPTO
3. Make sure your engineering degree is in a field you love regardless of Patent Law
