The agency will continue to suffer swelling attrition of experienced staff if the trend continues unabated. A law degree is not a requisite for big bucks.
Examiners can then leave the agency and become registered as patent agents.
They also offer highly competitive salaries, often adding paid law school training. The lure from corporations and law firms seeking to pad their patent enterprise with patent lawyers is even greater. Talmadge noted in 1999 that the percentage of patent attorneys out of the total number of U.S. licensed attorneys stands at about 1.5 percent. A director of recruiting at one of Washington, D.C.'s largest law firms agreed in a recent interview. In addition, he will get a substantial finder's fee for every examiner he entices to join him.