2017 Report of the Economic Survey
In This Section
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The Report of the Economic Survey provides an in-depth report on the annual incomes and related professional characteristics of intellectual property attorneys and patent agents. Conducted every other year, the survey also examines the economic aspects of intellectual property law practice, including individual billing rates and typical charges for representative IP law services
The 2017 version of the Survey is initially broken down by practitioner practice type. Next, the Survey includes the following primary sections:
(1) typical charges for law services,
(2) typical types of fees for law-service charges,
(3) typical costs of litigation, and
(4) characteristics of firms.
The characteristics of firms’ section is further broken down into the following subsections:
(1) number and type of attorneys,
(2) associate starting salary and summer monthly pay,
(3) support staff and services,
(4) billing rates and practices,
(5) liability insurance, and
(6) training and marketing.
New this year: Of notable importance—and included primarily due to their general relevance to the Survey and their unique interest to those tasked with formulating the Survey’s questions—were the following matters:
- Amending the list of choices pertaining to major technical undergraduate degrees;
- Adding a question regarding a year-end cash bonus at places of employment;
- Estimating
percentage of annual corporate IP budgets based upon types of work; - Including questions regarding practitioners’ familiarity with Global Dossier (i.e., the five-IP offices’ [Europe, Japan, Korea, China, and United States] and five IP industry groups’ initiative to provide patent applicants with a convenient way to view, monitor, and manage intellectual property assets); and
- Adding new information regarding non-U.S.-originated and U.S.-filed, but non-U.S. prosecuted patent applications.
Upcoming Events
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World IP Day 2025
April 30, 2025 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Join AIPLA and partner organizations on April 30 in Washington, DC, for a special three-hour program to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day 2025. This annual international event is an opportunity to learn about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and creativity. The theme of this year’s celebration is “IP and Music: Feel the Beat of IP.” -
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May 27, 2025 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM | Up to 90 Mins CLE Pending
Do you receive questions from clients regarding licensing of intellectual property from educational institutions? Not comfortable providing answers? Educational institutions can have unique requirements, concerns, and incentives that are not present for commercial entities. Knowing these requirements and appreciating the unique concerns of educational institutions may help reach an earlier consensus on licensing terms and overcome common pitfalls experienced in such licensing negotiations. Take this rare opportunity to hear from experts in academic-corporate technology transfer and prepare yourself and your clients to address the unique challenges of licensing technology from educational institutions. -
AIPLA 2025 Annual Meeting
October 30 to November 1, 2025
Join us as we bring IP professionals together to learn and connect. More information coming soon! The 2025 Annual meeting will take place at the Westin Washington, DC, Downtown. Leadership Meetings on Wednesday, October 29. Programming scheduled October 30 - November 1.