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[DogDayPM 9er9er9er]

I wanted to let you guys know that I managed to get a part time unpaid internship with a small boutique firm in my area to gain hands on experience while I finish my Bachelor's. I will take the Patent Bar in the Spring if I feel comfortable that I can study hard and pass. I have begun law school applications and will most likely attend a lower ranked school (65) that is in the city. (barring substantial money from a school like emory) There is also a very small chance I will commute (an hour one way) to UGA for something like the first year then transfer to Emory. But all that is in due time. I have my LSAT this Dec. and will be studying hard until then. Thanks for all the help and guidance.

Thanks, always good to hear how things work out sometimes.  If you plan to continue working while in LS, I've gotten the impression UGA is not friendly to the idea of part time work (long time ago, though, may want to probe the issue).  Not to mention Atlanta a really bad rep for long commutes, so is there a chance the trip to Athens might be an hour most days but a lot more others?

I've had acquaintances who've gotten full and partial tuition at Emory.  I don't know what made them stand out as one guy in particular had a BS & MS in ChE but I know his grades weren't really spectacular, and his LSAT was only ~ 85th percentile.  He did have considerable industry experience and maybe that's what they were looking for at that time.

Do you plan to stay in the Atlanta area for your practice?  Or just don't know yet?  If staying in the area, you might get impressions from the lawyers at the firm whether they see a big difference in employment possibilities between the two tier 1 schools there and the local tier 2 you mention.  I'm sure in DC or NYC it would matter, but locally it may not be enough of a big deal either way to really matter.

Good luck!

[horsechute]

Nothing wrong with an MS in EE if the job market is otherwise bone dry. I know if you specialize in communications, it will help understand the more advanced areas of wireless, and I think it is fair to say that what is current in wireless is fairly advanced in most cases. Of course, if you want to specialize in something like power generation or perhaps even control theory (well, maybe), I would not waste my time if you are planning on a career in patent law.

[MSEE]

At this point, given that I am gaining very applicable experience at the firm I am at, I will be foregoing the Master's. I have a good GPA and am registered to take the LSAT this Dec. Im going for the DC trifecta, all the george's, the geogia trifecta in Georgia state, emory, and uga. And lastly I am applying for the big ones in UCLA, USC, and as a long shot, Berkeley. I have the GPA to get in everywhere, it will only come down to my LSATs. (note that if you want to see mroe of my extra-curriculars feel free: lawschoolnumbers.com/zreinhar) If I can get some good money to emory (>50k) then I will go there. I will graduate in Dec. with my Bachelor's, take the patent bar shortly after and hopefully find some gainful work as a patent agent while I wait for law school to start. As far as the UGA thing, they dont have a part time program, and the traffic in GA is only bad within 30 miles of atlanta, not over near athens, so the trip wouldnt be too horrible. But given that i live about 5 miles form emory currently, that would be the best bet for me. As far as more questions are concerned I applied to the DC schools part time. Do you think the odds would be good for me to get a job as a patent agent there while going to a school like georgetown part time?

[Scotto]

How is the unpaid part time internship going? So you are schooling full time to finish your undergrad while doing the internship? I guess I was wondering how your schedule is working out with both. I'm working full time, but I might have to accept the fact that my patent law experience will have to come from a similiar avenue.

[MSEE]

Sorry the reply took so long, I forget to get on here sometimes. To answer your question I am currenlty holding down 4 part time jobs while I finish my Bachelor's. I am interning with the firm, a TA at my school, working part time at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, and tutoring. I am working 10-15 hours a week at the firm and they are giving me alot of good work. (not getting coffee or anything) I am reviewing patent apps. Doing prior art searches, and investigating novelty of potential applications. (Not to mention they gave me my own office) The only way I got the job was sending out a blanket email to all the IP firms or large firms with IP groups in the area and hoped that one caught, and a few actually did. What I think made the difference though was that I sent my emails to actual people, not a general career email that someone checks once a month. Hopefully I can parlay into something big and can get a Tech Spec position while I wait to sit for my patent bar..

[Scotto]

Did you specify in your blanket email that you were "looking for" an unpaid internship or did you just hint at the fact? I'm beginning to think that the experience is more important than the pay especially if one can swing it.

[MSEE]

Word for word below..


"I am a senior at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta majoring in Electrical Engineering Technology with a minor in Math. I am looking to be a patent attorney one day with a plan on taking the Patent Bar this spring in an effort to become a patent agent shortly thereafter. I am also applying to law school for the fall semester of 2010. I am looking for something along the lines of an unpaid internship working alongside an experienced patent agent or attorney. I have work experience as a Teaching Assistant and I have worked at the Georgia Tech Research Institute for 2 years. If you or anyone you know of has a position similar to what I am looking for I would be greatly appreciative if you could point me in their direction.
Thank You
-Zachary Reinhardt-"

[bald & chained]

Are you sure you want to leave your name out like that? Not that this is an ultra-anonymous forum or anything, but still...

[ms2009]

do these firms want MSEE because of the advanced coursework, or exposure to more research?

[Scotto]

I think it's quite ballsy to post anything word for word so I applaud MSEE's efforts! It surely helps my position out and I feel motivated to do the same first thing tomorrow!

ms2009, I haven't run across a job posting yet that required an MSEE at all. In this job market it's a bit over-qualifying to get one. I'm personally taking my chances with a BSME, but I'm hoping my explanation of starting of with a BSEE and having a more macro way of thinking didn't match up well which is why I switched to a BSME. No I've been working in the IT field for 3 years so hopefully the experience trumps the lack of "degree prestige."

[MSEE]

I dont mind leaving my name out like that. The firm I am working with now is all about me finding work however I can, one thing I have found is that most of the patent attorneys/agents in my area are more than willing to talk or help out as many know that sometimes the first job can be especially challenging. As far as the msee I actually dont have one now, and if I do get one it may end up being after law school as opposed to prior, but that all depends on my LSAT score this Dec. Also, thanks for the recognition of my ballsiness, and I posted word for word because I wanted people who were/are in my position to know how easy it can really be to get a first job (compared to what they thought) For instance I thought I would need something like  PhD and a pre-law sticker on my diploma or something, but all it took was one email and two weeks later I had a job. I now know that I am very far ahead of alot of my future law schoolmates  and if I pass the patent bar before this fall will have all but locked up a summer associateship after my 1L which is pretty exciting to me..

[Scotto]

I'm just glad to see one guy doing well out there For your one thread I've seen 10 other failure threads which is quite sad lately MSEE, to be honest, I'm starting to look for my first job down here in San Diego and it's definitely tough to find something that doesn't require any experience. Even my current company's legal department turned me down since they had recent layoffs. If you can provide some pointers or recommendations on the best way to go about making the jump, I know it will help myself and maybe give other soon-to-be patent engineers the push to make the transition.

[DogDayPM 9er9er9er]

"I am a senior at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta majoring in Electrical Engineering Technology . . .

Just a curiosity question, but earlier you said BSEE and here it says electrical engineering "technology".  What are the differences between BSEE and BSEE"T" degrees, and how will these affect your eligibility to sit for the patent bar examination?

[MSEE]

The only difference for the patent bar is what category I sit under. I have taken well over 40 hours of engineering coursework along with over 20 of calc-based physics and minored in math. I'm also taking the FE in two weeks. I called the PTO and they said that I'll just qualify under cat. C (though if I pass the FE, Ill qualify under that cat because it's easier then getting them my transcripts and course explanantions). The reason for the discrepancy is that outisde of engineering I have run into very few people who know the difference, so I just say BSEE because it's easier. 

But as far as pointers, pick actual people to send the blanket email to, not some generic "resumes@abigfim.com" . And someone you may have something on common with. In ATL there are obivoulsy a crapload of Georgia Tech Graduates. While I am not one, I worked at the Georgia Tech Research Institute for almost 3 years. That is enough to grab their attention and actually respond to the email. From there I was just fortunate enough to pick a boutique firm that is getting alot of business and could use an extra hand. (albeit a free unpaid hand) But I figured it would be worth more in the long run, and possibly help me get a 1L summer job that is paid (especially if I can manage to pass the patent bar before law school starts)

[gabbo]

So is a BSEET not accredited by ABET?