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The differences between patent agents and legal externs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a patent agent and a legal extern. Additionally, a patent agent has an average salary of $65,466, which is higher than the $47,238 average annual salary of a legal extern.
The top three skills for a patent agent include intellectual property, patent prosecution and law firm. The most important skills for a legal extern are litigation, legal intern, and legal issues.
| Patent Agent | Legal Extern | |
| Yearly salary | $65,466 | $47,238 |
| Hourly rate | $31.47 | $22.71 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 25,562 | 10,986 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A patent agent is responsible for monitoring the intellectual property rights of an existing patent invention and ensuring that new applications would not coincide with any registered patent. Patent agents handle the application processes and document verification for individuals or the government. They conduct in-depth research and discuss the process with the investors and inform them of any restrictions on issuance. A patent agent must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in performing duties and resolving issues timely and efficiently.
Legal externs are law students who took the opportunity to do on-the-job training at a law firm. Instead of monetary compensation, they receive academic credits. Legal externs primarily engage in job shadowing. They are usually assigned mentors in the law firm, and they would shadow their mentors in their daily routines. Legal externs are exposed to the actual work done by lawyers. Legal externs are involved in cases, providing insights while building a solid case for their client, giving advice to clients, and representing clients under the supervision of the actual lawyers in the firm. They are usually not given administrative or clerical tasks since they are expected to do more tasks directly related to being a lawyer.
Patent agents and legal externs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Patent Agent | Legal Extern | |
| Average salary | $65,466 | $47,238 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $124,000 | Between $23,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner | Jones Day |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a patent agent and a legal extern in terms of educational background:
| Patent Agent | Legal Extern | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Law |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between patent agents' and legal externs' demographics:
| Patent Agent | Legal Extern | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% | Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |