A real path into patent law — for anyone facing barriers.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit expanding access to patent law careers for people with STEM degrees who face barriers to the field — through free virtual education, hands-on training, one-on-one mentorship, and full financial support for the patent bar exam.
Apply · Learn · Pass the patent bar
Patent Pathways® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to careers in patent law for individuals with qualifying STEM degrees who face barriers entering the field. Through free virtual education, hands-on training, one-on-one mentorship, career development, and full financial support for the patent bar exam, our program provides participants with the tools they need to launch successful careers as patent agents or attorneys. Our mission is to break barriers and create real opportunity in the patent profession—by empowering those with talent, drive, and technical backgrounds who simply need the right support to get started.
Four ways into the work.
Wherever you're coming from, there's a role to play in widening the door to patent law.
Participants
Free education, mentorship, and patent-bar support for STEM grads breaking into patent law.
Program details & requirements →
Law firm partners
Sponsor the program or host a three-month internship, and build your talent pipeline.
Partnership options →
Corporate sponsors
Bring your outside counsel into the program and send them the work that trains our participants.
Ways to get involved →
Volunteers
Mentor, interview, serve on a committee, or join the board. A few hours changes a trajectory.
Ways to help →From application to a seat at the table.
Learn & be mentored
Curriculum, patent-bar prep, and a pair of mentors — one in-house, one at a firm.
Network with law firm partners
Meet attorneys at our partner law firms, build relationships, and explore internship and career opportunities.
Pass the bar
Participants sit for and pass the USPTO patent bar, with support along the way.
Apply to Patent Pathways®.
100% free. 100% virtual.
Apply early to get your spot. Reviews and interviews are ongoing throughout the application window.
Check your eligibility
- A qualifying technical degree (some sciences require a PhD)
- Eligible to practice before the USPTO, but not yet registered
- U.S. citizen, or U.S. permanent resident as of your application date
- A law degree is not required
Have these ready
- Résumé and cover letter
- Undergraduate and graduate or law school transcripts
- Optional: a short video (2 minutes or less) on why you should be chosen
Two ways in. One open door.
Firms tell us the biggest barrier for new patent professionals is real, hands-on experience. Law firms close that gap by partnering with us. Companies close it through sponsorship, bringing their outside counsel into the program and sending our partner firms the work that trains our participants.
Law firms Partner
A law firm partnership takes one of two forms, or both.
- Sponsor the program: $2,500 per program year, funding patent bar training and exam fees for each cohort
- Host an internship: a structured three-month internship, paid by your firm, for a Patent Pathways® participant or alum
Recognized as a partner across our site, events, and materials.
Companies Sponsor
Sponsorship means at least one of these three commitments. It carries no fee: we ask for something more valuable, your influence with outside counsel.
- Bring your firms in: encourage your outside counsel to become Patent Pathways® partners and host interns
- Send training work: send additional matters to your outside counsel firms that partner with Patent Pathways®, so participants train on real client work
- Hire alumni or offer an internship: consider program alumni for technical specialist, patent agent, or patent attorney roles, or offer an internship to a participant
Recognized as a corporate sponsor across our site, events, and materials.
All client work stays between you and your counsel.
× Sabrina
Shruti Law hired Sabrina Contreras full time — a Patent Pathways® participant who came through the program and joined the firm. It's the outcome we're working toward: connecting firms and companies with bar-ready talent, and opening a genuine door into the profession.
More than 130 mentors. Countless opportunities.
Since the program began, mentors from close to 100 organizations — corporations (many of them Fortune 500), law firms of every size, government agencies, and law schools — have guided our participants. They join from across the country, and many are members of groups still underrepresented in patent law.
This cohort's mentors come from 9 law firms, 8 corporations, and 2 government agencies — spanning telecom, automotive, electronics, software, biotech, and aerospace.