Law and intellectual property

Patent attorney CV: example and template

This example is for patent attorneys at patent firms, in-house IP departments and research institutes, and for trainee patent attorneys and engineers who want to work with protecting inventions.

The employer wants to know which technical field you work in, which applications and proceedings you handle, before which offices and which qualifications you hold. We show you how to describe this on your CV.

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Example CV: patent attorney

All the details in this example are fictional. Treat it as a model of layout and wording, and replace the content with your own experience.

Paulina Rutkowska

Patent attorney

Gliwice +48 123 456 789 paulina.rutkowska@example.com

Professional profile

Patent attorney on the list of Polish patent attorneys since 2018, with a PhD in materials engineering. At a patent firm I handle about 60 applications a year at the Polish Patent Office and the European Patent Office, freedom-to-operate opinions and oppositions. I serve 20 regular industrial clients, and 85% of the applications I handle end with protection granted.

Work experience

Patent attorney

04.2018 - present

Patent firm, Gliwice

  • About 60 patent applications a year at the Polish Patent Office and the European Patent Office.
  • Invention descriptions and claims with clients' engineers.
  • Freedom-to-operate opinions and prior art searches before a product launch.
  • Oppositions and responses to examiners' objections, 85% of applications granted.
  • Trademarks and industrial designs for 20 regular industrial clients.

Trainee patent attorney

10.2014 - 03.2018

Patent firm, Katowice

  • Drafting patent descriptions.
  • Prior art searches.
  • Correspondence with offices.

Education

PhD, materials engineering

2010 - 2014

Silesian University of Technology

Master's degree, materials engineering

2005 - 2010

Silesian University of Technology

Skills

  • Patent applications
  • Proceedings before patent offices
  • Freedom-to-operate opinions
  • Prior art searches
  • Trademarks and industrial designs
  • Licence agreements

Qualifications

  • Entry on the list of patent attorneys, 2018
  • European Patent Office proceedings training, 2021
  • Licence agreements training, 2022

Languages

  • English: C1
  • German: B2

Additional information

  • PhD in materials engineering

I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

How to write a patent attorney CV

Professional summary

Write since when you have been on the list of patent attorneys, which technical field you work in, which matters you handle and before which offices. Add a result, for example the share of applications granted. The employer is looking for someone who understands both technology and law.

Third-year trainee patent attorney with an engineering background and 3 years of experience at a patent firm. I draft patent descriptions, search prior art and handle correspondence with offices. I am looking for work as a patent attorney.

Experience: duties and achievements

Describe the field, applications, offices, opinions, oppositions, trademarks and clients. Show results in numbers, without client data or details of unpublished inventions. Add the languages you handle proceedings in.

Weaker: Applications.

Better: About 60 patent applications a year at the Polish Patent Office and the European Patent Office.

Weaker: Opinions.

Better: Freedom-to-operate opinions and prior art searches before a product launch.

Weaker: Results.

Better: Oppositions and responses to examiners' objections, 85% of applications granted.

Skills worth listing

List applications, proceedings, opinions, prior art searches, trademarks and agreements. In your soft skills show precise language, inquisitiveness and talking to engineers.

Professional skills

  • Patent applications
  • Office proceedings
  • Freedom to operate
  • Prior art
  • Trademarks
  • Licence agreements

Personal skills

  • Precise language
  • Inquisitiveness
  • Talking to engineers
  • Discretion
  • Punctuality

Qualifications

List the year of entry on the list of patent attorneys, training in office proceedings and your technical education. If you are a qualified European patent attorney, give it separately.

How to become a patent attorney

After a technical or science degree you complete patent attorney training and pass the exam. On your CV show your technical field and work on applications.

Add foreign languages. Many proceedings at the European Patent Office are in English or German.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

A patent firm looks for many clients and applications, an in-house IP department for protecting its own products and opinions, and a research institute for commercialising inventions. Move to the top what the job ad is about.

The most common mistakes on a patent attorney CV

Questions and answers

What should a patent attorney put on a CV?

The list entry, technical field, applications, offices, opinions, oppositions, trademarks, results and languages.

Which education is needed?

A technical or science degree, then patent attorney training and the exam.

How does a patent attorney differ from a legal adviser?

A patent attorney specialises in protecting inventions, trademarks and designs and combines technical and legal knowledge.

Which results are worth giving?

The number of applications, the share granted, oppositions won and regular clients.

Create a patent attorney CV in the builder

In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.

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See also

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