Becoming A Patent Lawyer
Can i become a patent Lawyer with a political science degree?
According to the rules of Professional responsibility, in order to call yourself a patent attorney you must be registered to practice in front of the PTO and be admitted to at least one state bar. Clearly, to become an attorney (admitted to at least one state bar) you go to law school and pass a bar somewhere. The rules for sitting for the “patent bar” can be found here:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/oed/grb.pdf
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/gcounsel/oed.htm
Basically, you need a science or engineering degree or enough credits in science and engineering type courses to sit for the patent bar. You can also qualify based on work experience, etc. But read the specifics above.
With a political science degree it may be pretty difficult to qualify. I can’t imagine you have enough engineering/science courses.
Practically speaking, law firms generally want people with decent technical backgrounds too, so it would be difficult to get a job even if you could sit for the patent bar.
You can still do patent litigation with a political science degree, however, it is easier to get into that if you are a patent atttorney or have a technical background.
Intellectual Property Law : Education to Become a Patent Lawyer
