I am a patent agent and I am not an attorney. Consequently, I can represent you before the US Patent and Trademark Office, but I cannot represent you in a court of law.
The registration process with the US Patent and Trademark Office is essentially the same for a patent agent and patent attorney, and so to some extent, a patent attorney is a patent agent with a law degree. In terms of obtaining a patent for you, I can do essentially everything a patent attorney can do. Since the first level of appeal is before the Patent Trial and Appeals Board, which is within the US Patent and Trademark Office, I can also represent you at the first level of appeal (should that be necessary). The second level of appeal is to the court system, and should that be necessary, we would need to hire a patent attorney. However, in my years of practice as a patent agent and as a patent examiner, I still have not had a case in which the applicant desired to go to this second level of appeal. Additionally, as a registered patent agent, I am bound by the US Patent and Trademark Office to keep your information confidential. However, since I am not an attorney there may not be an actual attorney-client privilege in at least some jurisdictions. Also, I often work with attorneys, and by doing so an attorney-client privilege (with the attorney) can be created.
