Law School Clinic Certification Program

Students enrolled in participating law school clinic certification programs practice intellectual property law before the USPTO under the strict guidance of a law school faculty clinic supervisor. Students practice both patent and trademark law before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Office of Enrollment and Discipline administers the program; the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline grants the law students limited recognition to practice before the USPTO.

Students gain experience drafting and filing either patent applications or trademark applications for clients of the law school clinic. Further, as they are authorized to practice before the USPTO, they gain experience answering office actions and communicating with either patent examiners or trademark examining attorneys for the applications they have filed.

To get help, contact a participating law school clinic through their email address provided below.

Participating law schools

The following law schools participate in the USPTO Law School Clinic Certification Program. Please contact the school at the listed e-mail address to make general inquiries or request legal services.

**Acceptance as a client is  
subject to the law school's  
requirements and discretion

USPTO Law School Clinical Certification Program Participating School Map

2016 Report to Congress

Additional information

Questions regarding the program may be directed to the Office of Enrollment and Discipline:

Phone: 571-272-4097  
E-mail: LawSchoolInformation@uspto.gov

See Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Design Patent Practitioner Bar

As of January 2, 2024, the Office of Enrollment and Discipline is accepting applications for the newly created Design Patent Practitioner Bar. Applicants should have a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate of philosophy degree in any of the following areas from an accredited college or university: industrial design, product design, architecture, applied arts, graphic design, fine/studio arts, or art teacher education, or a degree equivalent to one of the listed degrees.

Additional information can be found on the Design Patent Practitioner Flyer.

2020-2025 Expansion

Update: The United States Patent and Trademark Office has extended the time period for the Law School Clinic Certification Program to admit additional law schools to commence participation therein. Complete application submissions from interested law school clinical programs will be accepted on a rolling basis. The deadline for submitting an application is now July 7, 2025. Applications from interested law school clinics will be examined for admission into the program as they are received.

A copy of the application packet can be found at:

2020-2025 Law School Application Packet

Complete applications and requested materials should be sent to:

MAIL STOP OED  
Office of Enrollment and Discipline  
United States Patent and Trademark Office  
ATTN: Law School Clinic Certification Program  
P.O. BOX 1450  
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450

Questions regarding the program, requirements, or the applications may be directed to the OED staff attorneys:  
Emily Sprague, Gerard Taylor, Charlema Grant, Michael Nullet, Timothy Rooney, and Melanie Canter.  
Email: LawSchoolInformation@USPTO.GOV  
Phone: 571-272-4097

• Application Form
• Federal Notice

Additional information

Questions regarding the program may be directed to the OED staff attorneys:  
Emily Sprague, Gerard Taylor, Charlema Grant, Michael Nullet, Timothy Rooney, and Melanie Canter.  
Email: LawSchoolInformation@USPTO.GOV  
Phone: 571-272-4097