I simply cannot find a way into IP law after many years of searching in multiple major cities. I assumed it would be hard, or that I would have to take on a lesser role with lower pay and less seniority. I did not expect to be shut out of the industry completely.
I have been a practicing attorney as in-house regulatory compliance for the last 10 years. I live in the Bay Area, so there are no shortage of postings for patent attorneys, patent agents, technical advisors, or whatever other common IP-related job titles get shared on this subreddit. All of them require prior IP law experience, which I do not have and cannot get without an IP job.
I've sent out on the order of 500 applications to every firm/company/boutique in the area, but I simply do not get offered interviews. I have tried networking with patent attorney friends in the area, but also get ghosted after sending a resume. I have talked to local "career coaches," only to get ghosted or told my situation was a "dead end." The only job offer (and only interview) I have received is as a patent examiner position with the post-Trump dysfunctional-on-purpose USTPO, but I cannot relocate to Alexandria due to my spouse's work here.
I spent many years earning a second degree part-time in order to make this "pivot" and it has gone absolutely nowhere. Are there any actual entry level positions in IP law in 2026 that aren't internships for current law students?