Hello,
I am a second-year law student in the U.S., focusing on intellectual property law, particularly patents. I am interested in practicing in Asia after graduation. Either Singapore or Japan would be my top choices.
During the summer after second year, law students generally work for a law firm with the expectation (or at least hope) that they will be hired permanently upon graduation. However, in the current economic downturn, hiring is down sharply.
I am wondering if patent firms in Singapore are able to hire summer associates from U.S. law schools for patent prosecution work, assuming of course that the student associate has passed the U.S. patent bar already.
Also, I understand that Japan requires that an attorney have already worked three years in his home country before being able to get full recognition as an attorney in Japan. (This is somewhat different for patent attorneys, at least for those doing patent prosecution; while not being allowed to work as full attorneys, they can do patent work.) Does Singapore have a similar post-graduation experience requirement, and if so, does it also apply to attorneys?
Thank you,
Harry