Patent law associates - how much do you make? I’m starting to feel like I’m getting grossly under-compensated and considering a move. What’s your compensation structure, class year, and market? I’m a fifth year associate making $185,000 with no bonuses available. Mid-size market, national general practice mid-size firm.

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I’m a 4th year making 200k with a 1700 billing target at a small boutique. Fully remote. I could make more elsewhere, but the WLB is so good, I’m not feeling any need to leave.

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Happy to chat! Very small firm, so trying not to dox myself lol.

I make 22 million base, but I’m a galaxy patent specialist .

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Likely underpaid, but how many hours do you bill and how much do you collect?

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My billable target is 1750 most years, 1700 this year because I have an 8 month old. Efficiency typically 85% (last year was lower, like 70%, because of pregnancy/baby).

First year, 170k, bonus structure based on a revenue target, 1800 billing target, mid size boutique

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I’m on a Cravath scale. But before I say you’re getting underpaid, what metroplex are you in? What are your billable requirements? Are you in prosecution or litigation?

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I don’t know OP. If you told me you’re in Iowa routinely working only 40 hour work weeks and you earn $150k, I’d say it’s a good gig…

I am a European Patent Attorney in the UK and have 35 years experience doing mainly patent drafting, filing, prosecution and infringement opinions. I do litigation whenever I can get it, which is maybe once every three years- but I haven't seen any patent litigation in a long time - there just isn't enough patent litigation to go around to give even one case every 10 years for each patent attorney qualified to do it. Litigation is usually copyright or designs or trademarks. My salary is £78,500 (approx $105k usd), on sub 500 hours per year personal billing (which takes me maybe 1,400 recorded hours to achieve, due to write downs and price caps, onboarding & business development time and FOB - fear of billing). Small firm, with a mix of clients. I'm at the top of my game professionally and not expecting to progress further unless I manage to get a significant repeat business client with high enough volume of patents enough to run a small team. Might make some money then. I interview less experienced, less qualified patent attorneys already getting paid more than me, when we put a job advert out. But it all comes down to billing, which assuming you do all the work available, comes down to quality of client and volume of demand. To find its way into your personal remuneration, the money must first be invoiced out to the clients, and they must pay those invoices. There is no upper limit on what I can earn. If I want to earn $1m per year, then all I have to do is bill out a multiple of that - say $2.5m in fees. And therein lies the problem - the difficulty of finding enough high rate paying work to do that.

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