It seems like the biotech field is in a slump right now for entry-level life sciences patent prosecution. Even with my JD and M.S. in biochemistry (both received in 2025), every firm seems to want at least 2+ years of life sciences prosecution experience. My best shot these days seems to be becoming an examiner at the patent office, but I've heard horror stories from there as well.
Any advise for a job-seeking freshly-minted patent attorney in this market?

Okay everyone always talks about reaching out to your network. But how do you actually do that?

Is there a North American new comer hangout/get together in Riyadh?

Any ideas on planning a quarterly retreat for a startup? Specifically for strategy day and culture. Never planned a quarterly retreat before and is not to sure what it entails. I’ve been told agendas for retreats are very subjective to company but would like some general ideas if anyone has any!

Has Bain London started rolling out interviews for Associate Consultant (Experienced hire)?

I have not heard for a long time so wanted to check.

Anyone hiring for fully remote accountant role? I have over 2 years of external audit experience with CPA. I am in NYC.

Is Barclay's a good bank to work for? I'm looking for all feedback - the good, the bad, and the ugly

Disappointed and ashamed that this wasn’t a full rebuke of Trumpism but all the signs point towards a narrow win.

Why don't firms invest in R&D for Artificial General Intelligence? Seems like this would be a powerful tool to have as a consultancy

Fellow fishes,
I need a referral for Persistent Systems.
Please DM me .
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Thanks in Advance.

Anyone had success with CISSP audiobooks to study? I got a long commute!

Anyone working at Abbie willing to provide reference? Desperately need one

It’s pretty boring. What’s the fun thing we can do in Bangalore for this weekend

Currently making 180 TC at a large bank and have an offer from a FAANG for 260 TC. Salary is not much different (165) but bonus/equity structure is decent. fully remote, dope company etc. I’ll be moving laterally in terms of title but I get the impression the scope/impact is larger and leveling is different in tech… no brainer?

What are roles and responsibilities of staff engineer at visa inc

Please suggest in terms of learning, job security and work life balance which organisation to go for in the current time from the below offers...
Thanks in advance for your valuable suggestions.

TabSquare (22 fixed+ 1.5 variable)
Zensar (20 fixed+ 1 joining bonus)
Rightpoint (22 fixed+ 1 joining bonus)
Accolite digital (PKG not confirmed, estimated 24 fix + 1 joining bonus)

Tech stack Frontend Developer (react js, JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS3)

Uber or Lyft for long term? Leaning towards Uber since its more global, has ubereats and its close to profitability.

I am thinking to switch my career from being an auditor to software. How hard it is to switch? Has anyone done this? What are your experiences? Thank you.

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?

Subject matter eligibility "doctrines" .... lol amirite?

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

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’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?

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?

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

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)?

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

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?

How many billable hours do people in prosecution tend to average each month? I’ve gone through waves of feeling like my billable hours requirement is reasonable to feeling like I’m drowning and can’t possibly do it for that long.

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.

Would patent folks out there use software that digitizes an office action? That is, the UI will link to all the cited art in the office action and will highlight cited paragraphs of the art.

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

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?

Is it reasonably possible to jump from patent prosecution to trademark prosecution?

Has anyone regretted going in-house as patent counsel? If so, were you able to successfully transition back to a firm?

Any recommendations for free or reasonably priced CLE courses for patent prosecution?

First year associate thinking about making the just from medium sized reputable IP firm to In House. Started at said firm summer of 1L year as a law clerk/patent agent in May 2019, have worked through school and full time as associate since Sept 2021. Feeling very “stuck” in day to day work. Love the patent/IP space but drafting and pros w/minimal human interaction is getting very difficult. Thinking In House would be better, but not sure how much experience needed. Thoughts?