Patent Agent Expert

AfterQuery builds the expert evaluation data that frontier AI labs use to measure and improve their models. We're hiring USPTO registered patent agents as contractors to author and grade the patent prosecution scenarios those evaluations run on.

What you'll actually do

• Author realistic patent scenarios, from prior art analysis through claim drafting and office action responses
• Write reference answers with the legal and technical reasoning behind each decision
• Grade model output for claim quality, procedural soundness, and technical accuracy
• Flag drafting that reads plausible but would fail at the USPTO

Who this is for

• Patent agents registered to practice before the USPTO
• Practitioners with at least 2 years of patent prosecution experience
• Agents with depth in claim drafting, office action responses, and prior art analysis
• Clear writers who can document the reasoning behind a prosecution decision

Contract and pay

• $90 to $125/hr, paid weekly via Stripe. Your rate is set from your experience, not negotiated down after you start.
• Fully remote, fully async. No fixed hours.
• Minimum 10 hours per week, no maximum. Scale up or down week to week.
• No screen recording, no keystroke monitoring, no idle timers.
• Independent contractor. Ongoing project work rather than single task batches.

How our hiring process works

1. Apply at /apply/patent-agent-expert. About five minutes. Resume plus a few structured questions.
2. Resume review. Every application gets read against a published rubric and gets a decision.
3. Written assessment. You may be asked to take a written assessment for further placement.
4. Onboarding. Sign the contractor agreement, connect Stripe, and get platform access.
5. Project match. You're matched to live work in your specialty, usually within a week of onboarding.

About AfterQuery

AfterQuery is an expert data lab. We build the evaluation and training data that frontier AI labs use to measure what their models can and can't do in real professional work. Our contributors are practicing professionals, not annotators, and the work is credited, reviewed, and paid at professional rates.

Responsibilities

• Author realistic patent prosecution scenarios from prior art analysis through claim drafting
• Write reference answers with the legal and technical reasoning behind each decision
• Grade model output for claim quality and technical accuracy
• Flag drafting that reads plausible but would fail at the USPTO

Requirements

• USPTO registration as a patent agent or patent attorney
• 2+ years of patent prosecution experience
• Depth in claim drafting, office action responses, and prior art analysis
• Clear written English for documenting legal and technical reasoning
• Able to commit at least 10 hours per week

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in engineering or the sciences
• Experience across multiple technology areas
• Experience training or mentoring junior patent drafters

Why Apply

• $90 to $125/hr, paid weekly via Stripe
• 100% remote and fully async
• Shape how frontier models reason about patent prosecution
• Ongoing project work with hours you set each week