Last Updated On 05 May, 2020

How to Become a Intellectual Property Lawyer

About Intellectual Property Lawyer

Law is a popular field of study with a massive scope for intellectual property law. The duty of an intellectual property lawyer is to deal with legal rights concerning intellectual and creative innovations and works. A lawyer of intellectual property defends the freedom of people who invent or create creative things to profit from their art or work. An intellectual property lawyer requires to cope up with the areas including copyrights, patents, trademarks, industrial design rights, duplication, or infringement, trade dress, trade secret and plant variety rights among many others. 

An intellectual property lawyer must have good deductive reasoning, litigation skills and reasoning ability. Also, it is necessary for the lawyers to have a tight grip on technical information and an eye on details. With the right kind of intellectual skills and knowledge, an intellectual property lawyer looks after the innovative and unique work of the client. An intellectual property lawyer can work individually or can work with corporate houses or government agencies.

Eligibility to become Intellectual Property Lawyer

For becoming a successful intellectual property lawyer a candidate must have the right kind of intellectual skills and qualifications. Check out the minimum eligibility criteria mentioned below to get a glimpse of eligibility criteria to become an intellectual property lawyer.

  • The applicant is required to clear class 12/intermediate and graduation from a recognized board of education and university respectively.
  • The minimum aggregate requirement in the qualifying examination is 50% marks.
  • Must have appeared and qualified a common entrance examination of the law.
  • To get a glimpse of the law industry and gain experience, it becomes essential for an aspirant to intern under or work with an intellectual property lawyer.

Types of Job Roles Intellectual Property Lawyer

After pursuing a specialisation in Intellectual Property Law, an individual need to be a traditional intellectual property lawyer. Plenty of job roles are open for the aspirant to consider. Check a few of them listed below.

Legal Associates: The duty of a legal associate is to understand client requirements and craft solutions. They provide a solution to clients on intellectual property rights.

Intellectual Property Lawyer: Deals with the client issues related to licensing, patents, trademark law, distribution, copyright, technology transfers, franchising and trade secret projects.

Judge: They are responsible for managing the legal process. A judge oversees the proceedings at the court and comes to an unbiased conclusion.

Lecturer: A lecturer is an academic expert who researches, develops and delivers the laws pertaining to intellectual property. 

Author: An curator or creator of any written work exploring the intellectual property laws, research and rights.

Journalist: Role of a journalist is to accumulate, write and distribute a piece of information to the public.

Employment Sector/ Industry for Intellectual Property Lawyer

For becoming a successful intellectual property lawyer, a law aspirant is required to possess the right skills and correct attitude. Enlisted below are some popular firms that hire an intellectual property lawyer.

  • Tech Industry 
  • Fashion Industry
  • Oil And Gas Industry
  • Media and Entertainment
  • Life Sciences
  • IT Sectors
  • Publishing Houses
  • Biotechnology
  • Sports
  • Pharma

Top Recruiting Companies for Intellectual Property Lawyer

With the development of technology and passage of time, the requirement for an intellectual property lawyer is rising across the globe. Listed below are the top-notch companies that constantly provides employment opportunities to an intellectual property lawyer.

  • Remfry & Sagar
  • Chadha & Chadha IP
  • Inttl Advocare
  • Khaitan & Co LLP
  • Obhan & Associates
  • Saikrishna & Associates
  • Singh & Singh Law Firm LLP
  • W.S. Kane & Co

Planning to choose Intellectual Property Lawyer as your career?

Pay Scale/Salary of Intellectual Property Lawyer

The pay of intellectual property lawyers changes from profile to profile and experience to experience. Go through the tabulated data below to get an idea of the pay scale of an intellectual property lawyer and how it varies according to the time duration.

Job Profile

Starting Salary per annum (in INR)

Mid Level Salary per annum (in INR)

Senior Level Salary per annum (in INR)

Legal Associates

1,99,000

4,76,000

10,00,000

Intellectual Property Lawyer

2,40,000

6,00,000

11,00,000

Judge

8,00,000

16,00,000

30,00,000

Lecturer

2,92,000

3,60,000

6,10,000

Author

2,48,000

4,22,000

8,11,000

Journalist

1,02,000

3,41,000

8,05,000

Note: The salary might vary from profile to profile and individual to individual.

Books & Study Material to Become Intellectual Property Lawyer

Intellectual Property Lawyers are in demand in multiple sectors across the nation. To become an intellectual property lawyer and to be consistently in the top of the career adequate amount of legal and general knowledge is required. Go through the books mentioned below to gather in-depth information regarding Intellectual Property Law.

  • Intellectual Property Law (III Edition) by Bently and Sherman
  • Intellectual Property Law Dynamic Interfaces by Sreenivasulu NS
  • Law Relating to Intellectual Property by Dr BL Wadehra
  • Intellectual Property Risk Management by Sudhir Ravindran
  • Intellectual Property Rights in India by VK Ahuja
  • Law of Trade Marks by KC Kailasam by Ramu Vedaraman

Pros of becoming a Intellectual Property Lawyer

  • With the rise of awareness regarding Intellectual Property rights, many people are getting themselves an intellectual property lawyer. The sector has lots of opportunities to offer aspirants.
  • With the right and adequate knowledge, an intellectual property lawyer only moves onwards and upwards. Along with the growth in opportunities, money and perks also keeping increasing.
  • Along with working with government and private firms, an intellectual property lawyer gets an option to work individually as well. A lawyer can opt for whatever suits his/her convenience.

Cons of becoming a Intellectual Property Lawyer

  • It might take a toll on your personal life as it requires immense dedication and mindful thinking. It is difficult to maintain a balance between personal and professional life for an Intellectual Property Lawyer.
  • The laws and legal processes involved in intellectual property are difficult for a layman to understand. Intellectual Property Lawyer might face trouble in explaining the law to the client.
  • People interested to make a successful career in intellectual property law face fierce competition in the field.

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FAQs about Intellectual Property Lawyer

Which companies actively hire an Intellectual Property Lawyer?

The companies that hire an Intellectual Property Lawyer are Remfry & Sagar, Khaitan & Co LLP, Chadha & Chadha IP, Singh & Singh Law Firm LLP, W.S. Kane & Co etc.

What job profiles can I consider other than an Intellectual Property Lawyer?

The job profiles that an Intellectual Property Lawyer can consider are Legal Advisor, Legal Associates, Professor, Author, Judge, Journalist etc.

How much can an Intellectual Property Lawyer earn?

The salary of an Intellectual Property Lawyer differs from individual to individual. The entry-level salary of an aspirant is around INR 2,40,000/- while the mid-level-salary is INR 6,00,000/-. In the senior-most stages, a lawyer can make up to INR 11,00,000/-.

What are the best study materials that an aspiring Intellectual Property Lawyer can study?

To be an Intellectual Property Lawyer, the following study materials can be referred to- Intellectual Property Law (III Edition) by Bently and Sherman, Law Relating to Intellectual Property by Dr BL Wadehra, Intellectual Property Rights in India by VK Ahuja, Intellectual Property Risk Management by Sudhir Ravindran, Law of Trade Marks by KC Kailasam by Ramu Vedaraman etc.

What are the demerits of being an Intellectual Property Lawyer?

Intellectual Property Lawyer requires a lot of concentration and dedication which might end up affecting the personal life of an individual. The field is highly competitive and it is difficult to stand out among so many aspirants. Also, at times, it becomes difficult to explain the laws and legal rights to the clients.

Which colleges are best to be an Intellectual Property Lawyer?

To be an Intellectual Property Lawyer, an aspirant can pursue Intellectual Property Law from Apeejay Stya University (ASU), Gurgaon, Sandip University, Nashik, NLSIU, Bangalore, Karnavati University (KU ), Gandhinagar, HNLU, Raipur, Parul University, Gujarat, Raffles University, Alwar, NLU, Jodhpur etc.

Is it worth it to be an Intellectual Property Lawyer?

Intellectual Property Lawyers are in huge demand these days and there are plenty of job opportunities for the aspirants. It is totally worth it to be an Intellectual Property Lawyer as there are a lot of career options, emotional satisfaction and financial rewards that the job brings along with it.

Can I be an Intellectual Property Lawyer after completing an undergraduate degree in law?

Yes, you can be an Intellectual Property Lawyer after completing a UG level law degree.

I want to be an Intellectual Property Lawyer. Which course can I pursue?

To be an Intellectual Property Lawyer, you can pursue an integrated 5 years long or a 3 years long LLB course. Candidates who have completed education in the specialisation of Intellectual Property Law are more likely to get better career opportunities.

What are the responsibilities of an Intellectual Property Lawyer?

An Intellectual Property Lawyer is responsible for looking after the freedom of individuals who create creative things to profit from their art or work. Their duty is to deal with rights concerning creative and Intellectual innovations.

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