How to Become A Patent Attorney South Africa

A patent attorney is a lawyer with expertise in intellectual property law pertaining to securing and protecting an inventor’s property rights.

Below is How to Become A Patent Attorney South Africa

Complete a technical or scientific degree or diploma or equivalent alternative qualification.

Obtain a law degree (LLB) from a prescribed South African University.

Pass the statutory examinations set by the South African Patent Examination Board.

How long does it take to become a patent attorney?

Becoming a patent lawyer usually takes seven years of full-time study after high school—four years of undergraduate study, followed by three years of law school.

What subjects do you need to become a patent attorney?

There’s no patent for the perfect patent attorney (yes, it would never be approved), but there are certain qualities that most patent attorneys have:

An undergraduate degree in a hard science or engineering subject.

A postgraduate qualification.

Passion for law.

Commercial awareness.

Aptitude for language.

Are patent attorneys happy?

Re: Job Satisfaction/Overall Happiness of Patent Attorney

People in patent law seem (on average) to be about as happy as people in any other field. Based on my observations of friends and colleagues, agents seem to be somewhat happier than attorneys. Prosecutors seem to be happier than litigators.

Is it hard to be a patent lawyer?

It is quite hard to become a patent attorney, but it’s not impossible. You have to be someone who can sit down for long hours to study and prepare for your examinations.

How do I become a patent without a law degree?

You don’t need a law degree to become a patent practitioner. If you’ve passed the Patent Bar exam without a law degree then you will become a registered Patent Agent. As a registered Patent Agent you can represent clients before the patent office writing and prosecuting patents.

Is patent law a good career?

Careers in patent law offer good — that is, usually interesting and well remunerated — job opportunities. Although becoming an attorney requires additional training, long-term career prospects are often much better than, say, those of becoming a faculty member at a research-intensive institution.

Do patent lawyers make good money?

The average Top Patent Attorney salary in California is $289,731 as of July 28, 2021, but the range typically falls between $243,304 and $333,542.