2021 Report of the Economic Survey
In This Section
The bi-ennial Report of the Economic Survey is one of the premier and most sought-after publications of the Association. The Economic Survey’s results are often cited in judicial opinions, analyzed by research firms, and used by law firms. Current AIPLA members can access the Report online - for free! You must log in to access the digital file. When you open the file in PDF, you can display the bookmarks to more easily navigate to the specific information in the Report.
AIPLA 2021 Report of the Economic Survey - Table of Contents
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The changing landscape of the workplace...
- The overall percentage of people who worked remotely to those likely to work remotely jumped from 42% pre-pandemic to 81% post-pandemic, and there was a significant shift in remote work for practitioners 35 year and younger (86.4%).
- A small number (7.6%) said their billing rates changed during the pandemic, mostly in the solo practitioner space.
- Even with the pandemic, gross median income increased by two percent.
- From the Law Firm perspective, while many are not contemplating closing locations in 2021 or 2022, more than a quarter are considering reducing their office space.
- The median total billings per attorney dropped in 2020, but is still above 2016 levels.
- typical charges for law services,
- typical types of fees for law-service charges,
- typical costs of litigation, and
- characteristics of firms.
- COVID-19 QUESTIONS: Expanded questions regarding remote work (before, during, and after the pandemic) and added questions about closing or reducing office space as well as impact on summer associates’ programs.
- FILING US APPLICATIONS ABROAD: Revised to streamline responses. Individuals were asked to choose one foreign country and answer all questions in that section based on that one foreign country. Also, a question was added for respondents to indicate if there is a surcharge to clients for handling invoices from foreign counsel.
- COVERED BUSINESS METHOD (CBM) REVIEW: Replaced with the category of PGR/IPR.
- NEW QUESTIONS: Billing rate changes for private practitioners, outsourcing services (replacing two previous questions about outsourcing international filing and annuity payments), and percent change in the firm’s revenue for IP legal services from 2019 to 2020.
Note: The online edition of the Report is protected from copying, editing, and printing. We know that members may need specific pages for court filings and we hare happy to provide specific pages for such use upon request. If you are in need of specific tables to submit, please contact kdrake@aipla.org, and state the purpose for needing the tables, and the specific tables (page numbers) needed.
Upcoming Events
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AIPLA CLE Webinar: Biotech Claim Drafting-Comparison between USPTO and EPO
October 4, 2023 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM | Up to 90 Minutes CLE
The name of the game is the claim. Claim drafting is one of the foundational skills of every patent practitioner focusing on patent prosecution. While building global patent portfolios becomes more and more important to client’s businesses nowadays, knowing the nuances between practices in different jurisdictions is a key to procuring quality patent protection. This webinar takes a comparative approach to discuss claim drafting from the perspective of European practices and US practices. We invite experts practicing in the respective regions to share their insights. The webinar is being jointly hosted by the IP Practice in Europe Committee and the Patent Agents Committee and comprises two meetings in series. Part I of this webinar, held on October 4th, 2023, will be centered on biology-related and chemistry-related fields covering claim scope and inventive steps, clarity vs. sufficiency, and eligible subject matters in these two regions. Part II of the webinar will be held on November 9th, 2023, focusing on software patents. -
2023 AM IP Practice in Japan Pre-Meeting - National Harbor, MD
October 17 to 18, 2023
The Pre-Meeting is open to all and is a great event for networking with colleagues from Japan. There is an additional cost to attend the Reception and Dinner for IP Practice in Japan Committee TBD Restaurant, at 6:30 pm on Tuesday. Note: You must be registered for the 2023 Annual Meeting to register for this event. -
AIPLA 2023 Annual Meeting
October 19 to 21, 2023
To be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. More information coming soon! Registration is Now Open! -
2023 Annual Meeting
October 19 to 21, 2023
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AIPLA CLE Webinar: Software Claim Drafting-Comparison between USPTO and EPO
November 9, 2023 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM | Up to 90 Minutes CLE
The name of the game is the claim. Claim drafting is one of the foundational skills of every patent practitioner focusing on patent prosecution. While building global patent portfolios becomes more and more important to client’s businesses nowadays, knowing the nuances between practices in different jurisdictions is a key to procuring quality patent protection. Criticalities may arise especially in the field of software / computer-implemented inventions (CII). This webinar is Part II of a similar webinar to be held in October in the area of Bio-technology. The webinar takes a comparative approach to discuss claim drafting from the perspective of European practices and US practice. We have invited experts practicing in the respective regions to share their insights. This webinar will be centered on the aforementioned software/CII-related inventions, covering claim scope and inventive steps, clarity vs. sufficiency, and eligible subject matters in these two regions.