How to hire a patent agent

How to hire a patent agent, step by step

Here's a step-by-step patent agent hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a patent agent job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new patent agent
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a patent agent do?

Post a patent agent job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your patent agent job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a patent agent for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a patent agent to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a patent agent that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of patent agents and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Patent Agent	Description	Hourly rate
   Patent Agent	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$16-59
   Housing Counselor	A Housing Counselor works directly with clients and organizations to support moderate and low-income clients in overcoming barriers to housing and financial stability. They represent the homeowner in interventions and/or mediation proceedings with the mortgage servicer, lender, and/or other stakeholders.	$20-69
   Legal Administrator	The job of legal administrative assistants is to provide support to lawyers and paralegals. They typically perform legal research, manage schedules, and draft legal-related documents... Show more	$15-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Intellectual Property
   • Patent Prosecution
   • Law Firm
   • Electrical Engineering
   • Litigation
   • Patent Portfolio
   • Mechanical Engineering
   • Due Diligence
   • Biotechnology
   • Patent Attorneys
   • Patent Counsel
   • Invention Disclosures
   • PTO
   • Art Searches

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Advise client in requirements to achieve and maintain critical FCPA compliance.
   • Represent local and multi-national clients before the USPTO and US/RO of WIPO.
   • Conduct detailed interactions with the USPTO regarding patent prosecution.
   • Formulate objections under 35 USC regulations.
   • Assist with patent appeals, interferences, and opposition proceedings.
   • Prepare non- final rejection under 35 USC 102/103 base on reference from the prior art.

   More patent agent duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your patent agent job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A patent agent salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, patent agents' average salary in missouri is 58% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level patent agents earn 73% less than senior-level patent agents.
   • Certifications. A patent agent with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a patent agent's salary.

   Average patent agent salary

   $65,466yearly

   $31.47 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level patent agent salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average patent agent salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$103,499	$50
   2	Massachusetts	$96,237	$46
   3	District of Columbia	$95,044	$46
   4	New Jersey	$90,305	$43
   5	California	$88,863	$43
   6	Virginia	$78,850	$38
   7	Texas	$73,049	$35
   8	Illinois	$71,147	$34
   9	Colorado	$68,809	$33
   10	Pennsylvania	$67,986	$33
   11	Oregon	$63,143	$30
   12	North Carolina	$62,090	$30
   13	Ohio	$61,901	$30
   14	Georgia	$61,185	$29
   15	Minnesota	$57,774	$28
   16	Utah	$56,490	$27
   17	Washington	$56,036	$27
   18	Nevada	$52,698	$25

   Average patent agent salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner	$200,334	$96.31
   2	Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman	$178,682	$85.90	1
   3	DLA Piper	$177,688	$85.43	45
   4	Pepper Hamilton	$172,002	$82.69
   5	Baker Botts	$170,982	$82.20
   6	Morgan Lewis	$169,929	$81.70
   7	Apple	$149,906	$72.07	4
   8	Lando & Anastasi	$144,204	$69.33	1
   9	Baker McKenzie	$143,573	$69.03	1
   10	Lee & Hayes	$141,515	$68.04
   11	Oblon	$141,282	$67.92	1
   12	BakerHostetler	$133,470	$64.17
   13	Merchant & Gould P.C.	$132,055	$63.49	1
   14	Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati	$127,552	$61.32
   15	Incyte	$127,451	$61.27
   16	Splunk	$126,778	$60.95
   17	Mintz	$125,697	$60.43
   18	Lenovo	$116,364	$55.94	2
   19	Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton	$116,244	$55.89
   20	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$114,001	$54.81

4. Writing a patent agent job description

   A job description for a patent agent role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a patent agent job description:

   Patent agent job description example

   US-NY-Melville
   Canon U.S.A., Inc.
   
   Category: Legal
   Position Type: Full-Time
   
   Overview
   
   Canon U.S.A., Inc. in Melville, NY is seeking a Patent Agent - Software (Agent, Patent) supporting Canon Americas. This individual possesses specialized knowledge or skill in a particular functional area. A fully qualified, seasoned professional with a full understanding of the job role who works on more complicated issues facing the department. Receives general instruction from manager on new assignments with some direction in day-to-day work. Typically reports to a Manager or Senior Manager.
   
   This position is full time and offers a hybrid work schedule requiring you to be in the office Monday and Wednesday and an option to work from home the remainder of the week (unless a specific business need arises requiring in office attendance on other days). Note that work schedules and office reporting requirements may change from time to time based on business needs.
   
   Responsibilities
   
   - Review, prepare, and file patent applications
   - Respond to Actions from the US Patent Office
   - Review invention disclosures and conduct patentability searches
   - Review 3rd party patents for freedom to operate analysis
   
   Qualifications
   
   Please note: We comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, orders and mandates, including those we may be required to follow as a federal government contractor/subcontractor.
   
   - Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience required, plus 5 years of related experience
   - Must be registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
   
   The company will not pursue or support visa sponsorship for this position.
   
   Company Overview
   
   About our Company - Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $30.4 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2020 and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2020. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting and follow us on
   
   Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
   All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.
   
   Canon U.S.A., Inc. offers a competitive compensation package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) Savings Plan, discretionary profit sharing, discretionary success sharing, educational assistance, recognition programs, vacation, and much more. A more comprehensive list of what we have to offer is available at
   
   We comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, orders and mandates, including those we may be required to follow as a federal government contractor/subcontractor.
   
   We are an EEO/AA employer. Minority/Female/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans.
   
   If you are not reviewing this job posting on our Careers' site , we cannot guarantee the validity of this posting. For a list of our current postings, please visit us at .
   
   Posting Tags
   
   

   PI

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find patent agents for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any patent agents they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level patent agents with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your patent agent job on Zippia to find and recruit patent agent candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit patent agents, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new patent agent

   Once you've found the patent agent candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new patent agent first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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