Fame

In Hollywood, IP lawsuits come and go faster than celebrity relationships on the front page of the gossip rags. In the tech world, one of the basic devious plots is to rip off your competitor in the least noticeable way possible. As the IP lawyer handling these cases, the quieter you keep such business, the better a name you make for yourself.

Don't start feeling too close to that fame, though—unless you end up in a high-profile courtroom battle (which you and your clients don't want), you're not likely to get all that famous beyond the rolodexes of the rich.

That said, it's still possible to make a huge name for yourself in "the biz." But for the most part, lawyers remain in the background. Does anyone remember the attorneys in the rumble between Sir Isaac Newton and Wilhelm Leibnitz over the title of "real father of calculus"? We didn't think so.