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[cjesqip]

I'm currently a 2L at a tier-3 law school in the middle of no where. There are no patent attorneys here, and there are few research universities. There is one course taught on patents by an adjunct b/c a few of us begged for it. Luckily the tuition at my current school is really cheap. I am moving to DC for a summer externship at the USPTO. I have no reason to go back to the small-town in rural America. Btw, I find patent law to be challenging, but fun.

Is there any reason I shouldn't try doing my 3rd year of law school at George Washington or George Mason?

I'm thinking that my career development options can't get any worse, right? But then again, having merely two realistic job prospects and an extra $40K of debt isn't a good decision either. So the options are
1) No chance of doing patent law, or 2) Some ambiguous chance of doing patent law + debt x 2

If you were me, would you pick option 1 or 2?


p.s.

Here's more info about me:

I had an undergrad in applied physics with a 2.8 GPA (nothing published). I got a 162 LSAT and thought patent law would be my golden (or at least bronze) ticket. Right now my law school GPA is around 2.5.

[klaviernista]

Going to GW or Mason would certainly help your chances of landing a job in patent law.  But with your stats (2.5 GPA in law school, 162 LSAT), you might not be able to transfer to either of those schools.  Mason is lower ranked than GW, and its median LSAT and GPA (undergrad) are ~165 and 3.7, respectively.  You might want to speak to their admissions folks before you spend the time drafting a transfer application and paying any necessary fees.  I would also look into what, if any, additional requirements those schools would impose upon you to graduate. 

Honestly, I think your best option might be to do the USPTO externship, return to your law school, and bust your ass to bring up your GPA.  Once you graduate, you can try to get a job at the USPTO as an examiner (they'll probably be hiring by that time), or you can consider applying to Mason or GW and getting an LLM in intellectual property.

Of those two options, I think that trying to land a position at the PTO is the better one.  You don't incur further debt, and you gain meaningful experience in the field (provided you can land a job).  The LLM option (or transferring) just has you racking up debt without a reasonable (i.e., >25% chance) of gainful employment outside of the PTO.

If you come to the conclusion that patent law is not for you, you still have time to take courses that are drawn to in vogue and recession proof areas, e.g., trusts and estates, wills, bankruptcy, and tax.

Best of luck in whatever you decide.

[bleedingpen]

Klav,

the OP isn't talking about transferring- just visiting as a student.

And my advise is to go for it.  Without the ties to DC, you will have issues finding jobs in the "middle of no where."

[klaviernista]

Klav,

the OP isn't talking about transferring- just visiting as a student.

Ah. . . . I misunderstood.