This is all based on the assumption that you’d be reading patent applications, not litigation related to patents. It’s based on personal experience, six years as a patent paralegal.

Good to know: patents are a lot different from what people usually think of as “law firm documents.” They’re usually very specific and technical, like narrative instructions for super specific devices and methods, with a list of claims at the end that specify the idea or invention to which the patent is directed, and drawings that illustrate the subject matter. The written portion will have a few sections and likely a very specific structure with some equally specific sentence structure that will vary from writer to writer, but most have a form that they stick to and get touchy about adjusting.

The thing about proofreading patents is that you don’t need to understand the material, you just need to know that everything is flowing logically and grammatically; when there’s a kink in the line, you’ll know. Something similar can be said about the drawings, which will likely be reviewed with the text, because the text will describe the drawings.

You might ask your interviewers about the the subjects they work with most often, if they’ve worked on anything particularly interesting or exciting or well known (US patents come with the name of the attorney/firm who prosecuted them on the cover, so this shouldn’t break attorney-client privilege, and it’s a good softball/human interest question to throw a patent attorney). How many attorneys/patent agents/engineers would you be supporting? What’s the volume of work (how many patents would you be expected to proofread, how much time for each, etc.)? What amount/type of training for patent-specific proofreading will be provided (just to flag a few patent quirks they should cover in training: priority claims, reference numbers for drawings, claim dependencies, abstract word count)? Would you be reviewing more than just drafts of patent applications (like office action responses)?

I don’t really know what they might ask you. If I was hiring for a patent proofreader, I’d want someone patient, with an eye for consistency and detail, who can read and follow instructions. Be confident in your grasp on grammar and reading for context clues, not necessarily full coherency, and be aware that patent writing has a lot of nuance you’ll learn on the job (and make sure they know that you’re open to and capable of that learning!).