My Path to Patent Law:

When I went to high school and college, I was very interested in science. I was always good at it. By the end of college, I had 32 hours of credit in hard sciences and math, but at Wake Forest, the credits I had did not amount to a minor or major. Early in law school, I learned that some of the most interesting work for attorneys was in patent law, but it had very particular requirements for a STEM background. The PTO’s science requirement was that a patent practitioner must have either BS in biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering, or that they have twenty to forty hours in hard sciences, and the course credit requirements were very specific combinations. My credits were just short, and so I tried an alternative approach. I spent a few weeks studying for the boards exam for graduating engineers—the Fundamentals of Engineering—and I took it and passed [https://account.ncees.org/rn/1875231-1105205-5fea2ef]. 

Learning what I did about basic engineering for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam last year was one of the most interesting and exciting things I’ve done in my career. I felt as if I finally had the opportunity to stretch my legs at math and science again. It was a review of principles from chemistry, physics, and math up to calculus II and III, and it was a chance for me to familiarize myself with new principles, such as structures, statics, and mechanics of materials. It gave me a great respect for engineering as a discipline, and I hope it will help connect me to future clients and help me to understand how to better help them accomplish their goals in protecting their products and bringing them to market.