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[2xxandalawdegree]

I am hoping someone can tell me what the hiring is looking like in the firm right now.  Here is my situation:
 
I am a relatively recent grad from a top 25 lawschool that is not known for its IP program. I worked for a year and a half in a prosecutor's office (I wanted trial experience).  When I left the office I worked with a headhunter to try to find a Chicago IP job.  At the time he said that most of the feedback he was getting was that I really ought to have the USPTO under my belt before they would consider me. I thought this was kind of stupid-- from what I hear it is the pHDs who do most of the drafting and I only have a BS in Chemistry.

Now I am back in the job market again (used my maternity leave to study and pass the USPTO).  I graduated with honors, an editorship at one of the journals, and was on moot court.  I am still having trouble getting any attention from firms other than a polite "no thank yous."  It the economy really this bad, or is there just no point for people with only a BS and no experience in this area to take the USPTO?

[miltonian]

In a normal economy, your experiences should be enough to land you a big firm job even without a concentration in IP.  It's pretty awful out there.

[horsechute]

I agree. But I think Chicago is a tough nut to crack patent-law wise, or at least it appeared to have rather limited opportunities (for a city of that size) about five years ago.

[freepatentbar]

I would join the AIPLA and the IPLAC.  Start meeting people.  Let them know your deal and tell them you'll answer phones if it means they'll train you to practice IP.

http://iplac.org/

[Spor]

I've got to stop coming to this forum.  It does nothing but scare me.  I'm about to go into law school and will likely end up at a school somewhere in the 15-20 range.  I don't want to deal with what you are.  I thought going to a top20 school and doing well would get you a job.  I do have a B.S. in computer science though, perhaps that will make things slightly easier for me. 

Best of luck to you.  I hope you find something soon.  Keep us up to date on your job search. 

[horsechute]

There are actually a number of small (sometimes very small) IP firms in Chicago in which people branched off from what I consider to be the large, well-known, and generally good firms there. These are probably worth looking into. And, if not now, certainly when things get better. I think chemical practice is a good area. There are more jobs (IMHO) than mechanical generally, the science aspect is interesting, and it presents many interesting aspects of patent law you really don't see in the "machine" arts.