[gumby]

When was in the pharma field I worked with a patent agent who had an M.D. and a PhD. She was outstanding -- really made a huge difference to the quality of our patents. She worked for one of the major law firms.

However I can confirm what others have written: she was at the bottom of the hierarchy. They treated her as if she were a paralegal.

This wasn't about her specifically -- we had a bunch of partners and associates working on our thicket of IP over the years: men and women from all sorts of national and social backgrounds. Despite her extensive education they considered her skills as simply mechanical.

PS: they charged as much for her time as a junior associate. I doubt she got paid as much though.