I hate waking up on Monday morning and having 10 emails on my plate I need to respond to in 0.1. Yes I get an hour of billable credit (for now) in nearly half the time but I'm exhausted by the end of it 😭 and I'll be back to some of those matters later today so the timers are paused not closed out and rounded up. Just venting.

Cross-posting: What was your narrative in interviews for wanting to leave biglaw? Presumably you didn't just say I hate working 60+ hours per week in a disgustingly inefficient, top-heavy organization.

Outside of M7, what is the best MBA program for consulting exit opps? Looking at employment reports, it’s looking like it may be Ross —> ~70 MBB hires

Do recruiters and Hiring Managers actually review and read resumes? Also tech companies that sell SaaS, what is it with the requirements of having 10 years or more if technical sales experience? Also the ramp up period is not realistic. Average sales cycle for a reputable SaaS provider is 12-24 months. How on earth a start up can state that their ramp up period is 90 days? The company hasn’t had any new sales either. Start up CEO’s… be realistic or seek enough funding to operate.

What should be EXL C1 BAND SALARY.WHAT IS WORK PROFILE FOR C1.

YOE:6 years

Which is the best company to work for in terms of culture, work life balance, opportunities for Salesforce Vlocity developer.
1)Huron
2) NTT data
3) Commonwealth Bank of Australia @nttdata @huron

Just heard EY is about to make more layoffs in audit too

I felt very good following Dana’s Town Hall. Having heard other networks are already facing furloughs and layoffs, did you feel as encouraged?

They like to hire tall consultants because short men have the complex

I have two questions. I have 10 years of experience in multiple sectors and I have been trying to gain a leadership position. I am attempting my PHR this summer but what are some tips in order for me to obtain a leadership position? Also, how long does it take to obtain another position out of state? I am trying to move to Houston but I don’t want to move until I am confident I can obtain a position in the city before packing up and leaving.

Middle market firms that do accounting advisory? Anyone have insight into accordion partners?

Senior Creative in Copenhagen. 8 years experience, good pitch record, several awards. Currently making 65K converted. Does anyone have insight into ranges in comparable European cities? I know the level is lower than e.g. London, but what about Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam etc?

One of my junior associates recently resigned and I've been trying to make an exit myself for several months now. The job market has been really competitive but I am getting closer to getting a new job and moving on. The firm culture isn't great and work-life balance is non existent. My physical and mental health have been suffering, so I really don't think I could stay. How did you avoid the guilt trips from Partners/Senior staff trying to get you to stay?

What does the Tax Reporting & Strategy Deals team at PwC do? Do they have busy seasons or all year round busy? What’s the pay like compared to other tax specialties such as general compliance or M&A? Thanks in advance.

Thoughts and best practices on sharing examples of strategy work to a hiring manager at an agency under the same holding company as my current agency? How much should I blind the work? What are some rules to remain legally compliant? Or should I avoid altogether?

Anyone from RBS, tech stack Java API?

What is the employee grade hierarchy for Finance in NatWest Group

Hello everyone. My joining date is 20/10/22 in natwest.But still i did’nt get any mail regarding my joining formalities.can anyone explain me that how many days it will take to complete my pes verification.

Happy New Year ! Anyone interested in bitcoin investment and NFT ?

Hi Fishes, Need some likes for DM.

Has anyone on here ever requested redaction of a filed application? I'm looking to redact a few paragraphs of a provisional application.

Prosecution associates - what are your hours looking like this year?

Raise your hand if you received the “paul budnek” email today

What would you say the going rates are for (i) non provisional application drafting and (ii) office action responses?

What do hiring partners (or HR in in-house) generally think about a lateral that are in the middle of a part-time MS degree program (STEM MS program)?

For those at small/medium patent pros boutiques, what is your compensation structure, billing requirements, and salary like?

In what order do you draft a patent application? I know the official answer is “it depends.” But what do you find yourself do most often? For me, it’s claims —> drawings —> spec.

Does anyone find an attack on the Examiner’s prima facia showing of obviousness a lot more effective than distinguishing each and every prior art reference.

I recently underwrote a reply to final. Didn’t even bother with the references since I just got the case. Overcame the rejections.

Can anyone comment on how effective this is?

Where the best way to process POA for a large number of patent applications?

Is it to get a form 82 signed and attach it to different transmittals for each application and file separately in each case? Is there an easier way?

In prosecution, if a patent attorney does not try to remove prior art cited by an examiner (eg a 130 affidavit to assert an exception under102(b)(1)(A)), but instead makes arguments to overcome the art, may the attorney made an admission that bars removing the art later in prosecution. Just received such a transfer case, looking for options.

I’m looking for a tool that allows me to search for text in Office Actions and responses. For example, is there a way to search for ‘written description’ or ‘improper Markush’ issued by Examiner John Smith? Does something like this exist?

Taking the patent bar in a week and it’s been so tough studying while working. I’m so behind in my hours this month, and my firm (midlaw, IP only) was pretty clear that they expect my hours to stay on track this month regardless of the exam. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this week and then make it through 6 hours of testing. Please tell me the afternoon session is easier than the morning session, like some others have said 🙏🏽

Any good recommendations for patent industry magazines with regular print editions? too much of my keeping up to date is by blogs.

How do firms handle export control rules compliance for inbound disclosures for new filings?
Do you make the determination of export control classification number (ECCN) yourself based on each inbound disclosure? Do you ask the client to provide the ECCN, if they know it? Do you play ostrich? Or something else?

A frustrated colleague asked for help with a difficult prosecution. I agreed to help. I just reviewed up the case and the examiner is combining NINE references. I think that’s a record for me. What’s your record for most number of references combined?

I am working on a NFOA for a design case. The Examiner identified a primary references and four secondary references. The Examiner also pointed out five differences between the primary reference and the claimed design. For the reply, I found nine additional differences between the claimed design and the primary reference, two of which are not present in any of the cited references. Should I clarify the level of a designer having ordinary skill in the art first? Complex/Expensive article. TY!

I do prosecution and am looking to lateral. Does anyone have recommendations on firms to consider, or ones to avoid? I’m flexible on location.

How long does it take you to draft a patent application on average?

I’m a patent pros. paralegal working in bio/chem at my firm, 26 yo with an MS in Chem at 100k and a 115 hr billable req.
After the mental beat down that was grad school, I’m happy to have straightforward tasks and mentally coast, but my attys want me to start studying for the patent bar asap.
I like where I’m at and I know that once I start down the tech spec/agent/attorney path, it’s going to be full speed. How long do you think I can/should stay in this position before starting to study?