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Topic: need law school help (Read 800 times) |
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pharmacist
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I am starting my final year of pharmacy school at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in a few weeks and then it is off to law school next fall. When considering law school what is more important, the tier of the school or the IP rank. Franklin Pierce is one of the best IP schools in the country but it is also a tier 4 law school. Is this a good school?
I want to get a job as a patent attorney for a drug company so I can utilize my knowledge of pharmacology. How is patent law different from IP law? If I want to do patent law, should I go to a school with a good IP program?
Thanks for the input
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Zing
Newbie
Posts: 8
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Re: need law school help
« Reply #1 on: Aug 12th, 2006, 7:18am » |
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The general rule is that the overall rank is more important than specialty rankings.
Unless you are going to a top national school, go to the best regional school in the area that you want to work.
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Bill Richards
Full Member
 
Posts: 758
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Re: need law school help
« Reply #2 on: Aug 13th, 2006, 5:27am » |
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My advice is to choose the school with the best IP package. Good students will always get jobs. The main thing is to distinguish yourself in school, no matter where you attend. Get good grades, law review, moot court, etc. and, with the IP focus, you should have plenty of good opportunities. I graduated from a good regional law school at age 55, very little IP coursework, and a patent license under my belt. I had two very good offers and since then have had no trouble finding work.
I think the tier rankings are overrated. Remember, they're based upon a mix of factors and some of them are very subjective. IMHO, passing the bar is a personal matter. One has to take the time and make the effort to study. The rest will take care of itself. Also, being a good attorney has little to do with which school one attends. Bottom line, pick the best school you can get into, but look for the education package, too.
Patent law (functional aspects) is a subset of IP law. IP law covers creations of the mind/intellect. So, copyright (expression), trademark (marks indicating source of goods or services), and trade secrets (proprietary information that imparts an economic advantage and is kept secret) are all part of IP. Some IP attorneys limit their practice to just one or two areas of IP. And, there are many IP attorneys who are not patent attorneys. They can do anything a patent attorney can do except prepare and prosecute patent applications at the USPTO. (Interestingly, one does not have to be an attorney to do the latter. Just pass the patent bar and become a patent agent.) Finally, there are many IP attorneys who litigate patent rights that are not patent attorneys, although most are.
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William B. Richards, P.E.
The Richards Law Firm
Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights
614/939-1488
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florida
Newbie
Posts: 36
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Re: need law school help
« Reply #3 on: Aug 17th, 2006, 10:35am » |
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I would recommend going to a law school where you want to practice, above all else. After that, your class rank is most important. After that, overall law school rank is most important.
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