Taryn Elliott helps companies protect and commercialize technologies

“What can physicists do? ” is an interview series that profiles physicists who opted for careers outside of academia.

How did you go from physics to law?

I love physics and wanted a profession that would actively use my degree. As an undergraduate, I shadowed patent attorneys. It was exciting to see cutting-edge breakthroughs. You could be a student of technology forever and learn things that you wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to. I went to law school and took both the state bar and the patent bar exams in 2010.

How did you get your job?

I interned each summer at law firms and, after graduation, started with one of those firms.

How do you spend your time?

Every day is different. I’m the first point of contact for many companies’ legal issues. I manage a lot of portfolios. I work with team members to handle the life cycle of the patent process.

I also work closely with other groups—it’s a general practice firm—on different legal issues. We might be advising a startup that is going through fundraising rounds or an acquisition. Or perhaps licensing or enforcing patents.

What do you like most about your work?

The diversity of legal issues and the diversity of technology. It’s enjoyable to see the incredible things people create. And it’s fun to see a company grow from formation to success and to be part of their internal team.

How do you use your physics?

I use my physics every day to digest and quickly understand technologies—autonomous vehicles, telecommunications, medical devices, consumer electronics and other products, and of course AI. I have to understand an invention well enough after an hour-long meeting to describe it in a written patent application and to develop a strategy for the scope of protection.

What new skills have you needed to pick up?

At the end of the day, the legal world is a form of customer service. You have to learn to work with different personalities.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

As hobbies, I do artwork and I’m a pilot. I have leveraged my ability to visualize things in 3D to carve out a niche working in design patents, which focus on ornamental features. And understanding the nuances that go into the mechanisms of flying gives me a good starting point for understanding technologies related to aircraft and drones.