Patent analyst vs document review attorney

The differences between patent analysts and document review attorneys 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 analyst and a document review attorney. Additionally, a document review attorney has an average salary of $81,181, which is higher than the $77,926 average annual salary of a patent analyst.

The top three skills for a patent analyst include search reports, technical aspects and medical devices. The most important skills for a document review attorney are litigation, complex litigation, and e-discovery software.

Patent analyst vs document review attorney overview

	Patent Analyst	Document Review Attorney
Yearly salary	$77,926	$81,181
Hourly rate	$37.46	$39.03
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	328	9,393
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Doctoral Degree, 60%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patent analyst do?

Being a patent analyst involves comparing products that are already in the market to new inventions and innovations. You will be responsible for ensuring and upholding government assurance of the originality and ownership of an invention. Patent analysis involves the examination of every aspect of an invention, including the blueprints, the pieces, the assembly, the raw material used, and etc. The role requires the evaluation of uses and specifications of an invention, classification, and then a written report based on the analysis.

What does a document review attorney do?

A Document Review Attorney reviews various types of legal documents, such as contract and employment law, intellectual property, and commercial litigation, to identify any areas of risk or information that may need correction.

Patent analyst vs document review attorney salary

Patent analysts and document review attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patent Analyst	Document Review Attorney
Average salary	$77,926	$81,181
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $129,000	Between $48,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Morrison & Foerster	Cooley
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between patent analyst and document review attorney education

There are a few differences between a patent analyst and a document review attorney in terms of educational background:

	Patent Analyst	Document Review Attorney
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Doctoral Degree, 60%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Law
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Patent analyst vs document review attorney demographics

Here are the differences between patent analysts' and document review attorneys' demographics:

	Patent Analyst	Document Review Attorney
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4%	Male, 56.7% Female, 43.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.8% 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%

Differences between patent analyst and document review attorney duties and responsibilities

Patent analyst example responsibilities.

Manage and provide responses to incoming subpoenas and discovery requests relating to underwriting files and policy and accounting information.
Conduct invalidation search, freedom-to-operate search and landscape studies in USPTO, EPO, WIPO and Chinese patent database SIPO
Perform patentability, invalidity, freedom to operate (FTO), and evidence of use searches.
Evaluate complex patent portfolios for licensing value and litigation suitability.
Review completed applications for compliance with USPTO contract and quality requirements.
Manage and provide responses to incoming subpoenas and discovery requests relating to underwriting files and policy and accounting information.

Document review attorney example responsibilities.

Advise client in requirements to achieve and maintain critical FCPA compliance.
Manage privilege log development (including extensive line drafting) and final production processes consistent with technical litigation requirements.
Complete electronic discovery review and analyze whether the documents are responsive, privilege or non responsive for pending products liability litigation
Draft claims of invalidity, injunctions, and appeals.
Support litigation teams on various matters, including antitrust and DOJ investigations.
Examine discovery production to determine compliance with HIPAA and make redactions when appropriate.

Patent analyst vs document review attorney skills

Common patent analyst skills

Search Reports, 19%
Technical Aspects, 11%
Medical Devices, 7%
USPTO, 7%
Mechanical Engineering, 6%
Freedom-To-Operate, 6%

Common document review attorney skills

Litigation, 32%
Complex Litigation, 7%
E-Discovery Software, 6%
Law Firm, 6%
QC, 5%
Attorney-Client Privilege, 5%

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Patent Analyst
Patent Analyst vs Document Review Attorney

Updated January 8, 2025

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