Re: Law school decision question

Subject: Re: Re: Law school decision question

Comments:
: : My desire is to be working as patent attorney within the next 5 years. Given the opportunity to attend part-time and have my tuition paid for at a tier two law school, i.e Seattle University or having to take out substantial loans to attend a school full time such as Stanford, what would be the smart thing to do? I have a BS in computer engineering from a top 10 undergrad program and 3 years experience as a software engineer. Would there be substantial opportunities available if I graduated with the tier two degree? Thanks to all who respond. : : The answer depends entirely upon where you want to work eventually, both geographically and career-wise. Bigger firms -- especially international, prestigeous firms with patent practices -- really like to see top-name law schools. It's rare, but not unheard of, that companies will hire newly minted patent attorneys out of school. They tend to care as much about technical pedigrees as legal ones. : Some schools aren't really known nationwide but enjoy regional reputations. Here in the SF bay area (and Silicon Valley), Santa Clara University enjoys a good local reputation. I've known a number of people who attended SCU (or USC, Univ. of Sta. Clara?) part time at night while working as patent agents. It's not a bad way to go. : Here (SF Bay area), I'd say the top law schools are: : 1. UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall); : 2. Stanford; : 3. (tie) : a. Hastings College of Law; and : b. Santa Clara. : Of those 4, I believe only Santa Clara has a part time or night program. Of course, other top-name schools with national reputations (Yale, Columbia, Harvard, etc.) carry significant weight here as they do throughout the country and beyond. : If you plan to work in a smaller firm or in a less competitive area (e.g., not the Bay area), you might get by with a lesser known school. If you want to attend the most convenient school without consideration of quality or reputation, you should already have a job lined up (e.g., your current company has agreed to send you to school to become a patent attorney for the company or you know someone with a patent firm who would already like to hire you). : The good news is that your experience and ability as a patent attorney, and your client base, eventually eclipses any law school you might have attended. : I hope that helps. : Regards.

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