Model Patent Prosecution Templates
AIPLA's Patent Law Committee maintains a collection of sample documents related to day-to-day patent prosecution. These documents are exemplary and may not be ideal for every situation. Use them at your own risk.*
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Model Response Shells:
Each of these documents contains a comprehensive shell document that can be used to formulate a response to 35 U.S.C. 112, 102, 103, or 101 rejections made by a patent examiner during prosecution.
Model Appeal Brief (updated 3/2026): (Doc) (PDF)
This document contains the overall structure of appeal brief with a section for drafting responses to point out error in rejections made in 35 U.S.C. 112, 102, 103, 101, and obviousness-type double patenting rejections. The model appeal brief includes summaries of the relevant portions of the PTAB’s designated informative and precedential decisions applicable to ex parte appeals along with associated Federal Circuit case law.
Model Reply Brief(updated 3/2026): (Doc) (PDF)
This document contains the overall structure of a reply brief along with relevant case law summaries to use for handling new grounds of rejection in an Examiner’s Answer.
*Nothing included in these sample documents or elsewhere on this site should be considered legal advise on the part of AIPLA or any of its members.
AIPLA’s New Lawyers Committee and the Special Committee on Law Student Engagement present the AIPLA Virtual Mock Interview Program.
This is a great opportunity for both interviewers and interviewees to practice their interview skills, which are transferrable for many opportunities other than applying for jobs. There are three mock intellectual property job postings that interviewees can “apply” for: (1) a summer associate position at a firm; (2) a lateral associate position at a firm; and (3) an in-house position. The Program will begin with a short presentation on interview best practices and helpful tips. Then, using mock job postings, each interviewee and interviewer will be paired up for two rounds of 20-minute mock interviews with 10 minutes for interview and resume feedback.
Registration:
This free event is for AIPLA members and will take place on Friday October 2, 2026 from 3-4:30 pm ET. Registration is limited to 50 participants each interview side, register today at the below links:
Interviewee Registration Link
Interviewer Registration Link
After registration, you will receive the mock job postings, your one-on-one interview pairings, the link to the virtual interview platform, and the interviewee’s resume.
If you experience errors with the forms or cannot fill out the registration links, please email the following information to meetings@aipla.org: (1) if you are an interviewer or interviewee; (2) name and preferred email; (3) which mock position you are interviewing for / can interview others for; (4) if you are an interviewee, please email your resume to meetings@aipla.org; and (5) if you are an AIPLA member.
The form has a "next steps" section for interviewees which states: AIPLA will not share your participation with employers and will endeavor not to pair you with someone at your organization. Await an email connecting you with your interviewer. This email will have the mock job postings and will share your resume with your interviewer. Thank you for your participation!
Not an AIPLA member? Joining is quick and affordable and can be done here: https://www.aipla.org/members/Membership-Categories-and-Annual-Dues. AIPLA membership for students is free and is discounted for lawyers in their first 5 years of practice. If you need assistance joining AIPLA, please contact aalder@aipla.org.
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