P.C. Shannon

[Note: I started a separate page about the practice of patent law in general and where my job fits into the big picture. Please check it out to get an idea of what I do. Thanks!]

For the last two months, I’ve been working as a technical advisor in the patent group of a law firm. It’s great to be back at a company; the environment and atmosphere is really much more suited to me than a research lab. Moreover, this is, so far, the best job I’ve ever had.

I’m hesitant to say that I love my job because I’ve only been there two months, and it could just be the novelty or the initial excitement. I mean, I would hate to go around bragging about how great my job is and then have to eat those words later on. In fact, the last couple of weeks have really dragged.

Since I’m the new guy, I just don’t have that much work to do, and the work that I have had recently, has all been boring, procedural kind of stuff. What I really love is responding to office actions from the PTO because it involves a lot of critical thinking and arguing. I also really enjoy legal research and reading case law. I like getting to learn not just what the law means but also how it got that way. That bodes well for law school, I think. Another exciting thing about my job is that I get to learn about all sorts of cool new technologies and products.

I like that my work has a direct impact not only for my clients, but also for everyday people. For example, one of my clients makes nebulizers and inhalers for treating respiratory ailments like asthma. By working on patent prosecution and other intellectual property matters for this client, it allows the scientists to focus more of their energy on developing new treatments for patients. A lot of the patients most severely affect by asthma are young children, so I get a good feeling from that.

I have a fair amount of responsibility, which is cool, and a lot of freedom. There’s no one watching me clock-in in the morning. I just have a goal for how many billable hours I should have for the year (but since I’m the new guy and just learning, that’s kinda moot anyway).

It is weird that I have a secretary—she’s not exclusively mine, but it’s still very strange. I actually got an e-mail the other day inviting me to a bosses’ day appreciation luncheon. And it was addressed to me, along with all the other supervisors in the building. I just stared at it for several minutes, trying to comprehend that I was somebody’s boss.