Post job

Patent examiner vs litigation associate

The differences between patent examiners and litigation associates 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 examiner and a litigation associate. Additionally, a litigation associate has an average salary of $112,116, which is higher than the $64,891 average annual salary of a patent examiner.

The top three skills for a patent examiner include patent applications, mechanical engineering and intellectual property. The most important skills for a litigation associate are litigation, law firm, and legal research.

Patent examiner vs litigation associate overview

Patent ExaminerLitigation Associate
Yearly salary$64,891$112,116
Hourly rate$31.20$53.90
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs2,3639,779
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Doctoral Degree, 56%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

Patent examiner vs litigation associate salary

Patent examiners and litigation associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Patent ExaminerLitigation Associate
Average salary$64,891$112,116
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $119,000Between $68,000 And $182,000
Highest paying City-White Plains, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between patent examiner and litigation associate education

There are a few differences between a patent examiner and a litigation associate in terms of educational background:

Patent ExaminerLitigation Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Doctoral Degree, 56%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringLaw
Most common collegeCornell UniversityStanford University

Patent examiner vs litigation associate demographics

Here are the differences between patent examiners' and litigation associates' demographics:

Patent ExaminerLitigation Associate
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 80.6% Female, 19.4%Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between patent examiner and litigation associate duties and responsibilities

Patent examiner example responsibilities.

  • Leverage USPTO proprietary information and technical research to evaluate claim inventions.
  • Learned and implement use of new software tools and applications at the USPTO on a regular basis.
  • Provide management assistance to veterans in financial matters and solving issues.
  • Analyze final determination of the competency of veterans and other VA beneficiaries and provide notification of the determination.
  • Review and execute infringement and invalidity analyses for patents relating to telecommunications and call routing in support of major infringement litigation.
  • Draft several patent applications relating to DNA diagnostic technologies.

Litigation associate example responsibilities.

  • Lead and assist in out-of-court resolution of actions including settlement negotiations, mediation, and arbitration.
  • Manage all aspects of motion practice and discovery in class and institutional actions involving residential mortgage-backed securities investments.
  • Represent immigrants in deportation proceedings, federal litigation and appeals.
  • Participate in complex commercial litigation group, with matters involving insurance, entertainment, products liability, utilities and investment banking.
  • Research various aspects of family law, civil procedure, and tort law.
  • Ensure business compliance with FDCPA, HIPAA, ADA, and various other regulations.
  • Show more

Patent examiner vs litigation associate skills

Common patent examiner skills
  • Patent Applications, 19%
  • Mechanical Engineering, 16%
  • Intellectual Property, 15%
  • USPTO, 15%
  • Interference, 12%
  • Patent Law, 4%
Common litigation associate skills
  • Litigation, 28%
  • Law Firm, 11%
  • Legal Research, 6%
  • Commercial Litigation, 5%
  • Discovery Motions, 3%
  • Insurance Coverage, 3%