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[mkjka5]

Here's my story:
I'm just about to start my third year of my undergrad. I'm majoring in Exercise Science and Chinese. I'm pretty certain I want to attend law school but I'm not sure what kind of law I'd like to practice. Here are my questions:
1. Although I can take the necessary classes to be a patent attorney, my major focuses on physiology (classes in organic chemistry, functional anatomy etc. It is basically a pre-med major), and not something more desirable like an engineering major. Are there many firms looking for patent attorney's in this area?
2. By adding another semester to my schooling I could change majors to something like microbiology or developmental biology. Would that really be a big difference for law firms?
3. How much work experience or postgraduate education would I need to practice as a patent attorney?
4. (This may be outside of the scope of this board) Are there other areas of law where I could use a science undergraduate degree outside of patent work?

I'm just trying to consider my options and make sure that I'm going ahead to a field that actually exists and has opportunities. It seems like a lot of people say I'm going into IP without looking at it realistically, I just wanna make sure I go about it the right way if I plan on doing it. Thanks!

[turbotong]

From what I've gather off of reading forums:
1. No.  They hire PhDs and MDs in the bio/chem fields.
2. No.  If you don't believe me, go here: www.fr.com or www.jonesday.com (or any IP firm).  Look at all the IP people and read their undergrad degrees.  Divide "BS exercise science + chinese + minor in bio " by overall number.  That is how useful your degree is on a scale of 0 to 1.
3. Depends.
4. Probably.  But specifically which fields is out of the scope of this board =D

[plex]

This is a dead end for you, turn back, unless you already believe your major choices are a complete mistake for you.

[Oh, Crud]

To the OP, if you're still monitoring, be aware that some of the negativity is based on the economy.  Yes, your particular degrees are not likely to be in great demand in patent law, but if there weren't a large queue of 2008-2011 LS grads still standing in line for jobs, it would not be impossible for you.

But given today's realities... (see above two posts).

Your unanswered question #4, what else in law could I do having a science background?  The thing that comes to mind (and here it might actually help if you do add the bio) is environmental law.  I have some acquaintances who started off in patent law as chemists, biologists (pre-med types, essentially) who drifted into environmental law and really enjoy it.  However, I can't speak to employability now or 5 years from now if/when you would graduate LS.  Might be useful to search "environmental law" and find out who the large and medium firms are in this arena, and (similar to a suggestion above), see what sort of UG degrees young lawyers have.

ETA:  Another one that popped to mind was the field of health law and health care law. 

Anyone else have thoughts on the types of law where a science background is useful?