Decisions....decisions

[aaasiama]

Hello everyone,

I'm a graduate student obtaining a master's in Chemical Engineering with a bachelor's in Chemistry.  I'll be graduating this december and considering law school.  I'm thinking about intellectual property focusing on patent law. I don't know if I should work in the industry for a couple of years to gain experience and then apply to law school or should I go straight through law school.  I have been doing my research about law school, but with the current economy I really don't know, which path I should consider.  If anyone could shed some light on the subject matter, it will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your time.

Best Regards

[whokebe]

I would work before jumping into law school. 

First off, it doesn't sound like you have any industry experience.  I think that working as a scientist or engineer will not only provide you with some resume candy, it will make you a better associate if and when you do work at a law firm.

Even better, you may be able to get a job that you actually like and avoid law school altogether.  That, in my opinion, is vastly preferable to essentially putting $200,000 on the roulette table in hope that you do eventually land a law firm job (by no means a certainty).

If you are set on IP law, then consider working for the USPTO as an examiner.  I do not know how easy/difficult it is to get a job there in your art area, or when the PTO will hire newbs again, but the experience would be very useful to you, and at least you would be able to see for certain whether patent pros is something that interests you.