Paralegals do telephoning, record keeping, interviewing, legal research, legal writing, or any other work attorneys need them to do. Patent paralegals work specifically with patent attorneys and assist them with all parts of the process of filing legal documentation for the purpose of securing a patent. If you aspire to become a patent paralegal, you will generally need a college degree and paralegal training.
There are two paths you can take if you hope to become a patent paralegal. You could choose to get a bachelor's degree in any subject of your choosing and then get paralegal training and a paralegal job after that. The other path involves getting a bachelor's degree majoring in paralegal studies and then finding a job in the paralegal field after that.
If you choose to get a bachelor's degree in any subject and then get paralegal training after college, it is helpful to find a paralegal training program approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). The reason for this is that getting your paralegal credential from an ABA-approved paralegal program demonstrates to prospective employers that you are serious about pursuing a career as a paralegal. Also, it also indicates that you have certain basic competencies necessary to provide quality paralegal services.
It is helpful to have good research and writing skills if you want to become a patent paralegal. As a patent paralegal, you will be doing research pertaining to patents. Also, you will be assisting in the process of drafting patent applications.
Other useful skills to have are good organizational skills and good computer skills. Paralegals are often given a lot of responsibilities and it helps if they are organized to get all of their work done. Also, paralegals spend a lot of time working on the computer doing legal research or legal writing. Thus, good computer skills will facilitate your ability to do legal research and legal writing effectively.
Getting a college degree in a science area such as biology, chemistry, or engineering could provide a useful background if you hope to become a patent paralegal. Having a college degree in a science area is not an absolute prerequisite for being a patent paralegal. However, this education will allow you to more readily understand the content of the patents you will be working on.
After you become a patent paralegal and have worked in the field for several years, you could choose to continue working as a patent paralegal or you could pursue a related career. For example, you could choose to go to graduate school and become a lawyer. By contrast, you could choose to become a paralegal recruiter or attorney recruiter.