Any rankings or personal opinions would be appreciated...

Stanford, Berkeley, GW

In that order? What about some schools outside of the very top tier?

I believe Franklin Pierce and Chicago-Kent are also well ranked. But remember, specialty rankings are probably best used as tie-breakers when you're deciding (unless you're going to school just for the intellectual pursuit).

Ah...thanks for the advice.

Is there a document somewhere that indicates which schools offer IP? Do all the T14 offer IP law?

All the top law schools offer IP to some degree. IP is seen as a growing field and some schools are aggressively growing that area.

You should almost always choose the better school overall. Perhaps in the lower ranks there can be some reason to look at the specialty rankings... but the specialty rankings are really insignificant as compared to the overall rankings.

Speaking for U of Michigan, there is a lot of IP stuff going on. There are I think....4 profs who specialize in IP and far more IP classes offered here than I care to take. There is an almost insane number of technical people at Michigan...many with grad degrees.

I don't know of any document, but I'd assume just about all schools have some sort of IP program at this point. All the T14 definitely do.

Okay, so what I'm hearing is...the overall school ranking is what I should be concerned with, provided the school has a IP law program.

the IP rankings matter more than any of the other specialty rankings do, IMO. it would be silly to take stanford over yale JUST BECAUSE stanford has a better oh i dunno...legal writing program (i just made this up), but it would not be silly to take S over Y just because S is better at IP...

put another way, IP rankings are probably the only specialty rankings that matter. i think they can be used as a tiebreaker within tiers/groupings...

Where can I find these IP rankings you speak of?

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... ctual_prop

actually i don't really know about this stuff, i am just guessing. IP law is a lot different from other types of law and it has its own rules sorta (less emphasis on GPA, more emphasis on masters/PhD, etc, don't need as good law school grades)

The US News rankings have specialty rankings. I'd agree that IP rankings matter more than other rankings, and that using them in tie break situations makes the most sense (though I'm undecided if it'd be silly to take S over Y for IP).

Um...so you're telling me to disregard any of your advice?

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... ctual_prop

The above info is correct - you should usually always pick the higher ranked school regardless of IP program quality. Of any specialty area though, IP is probably the most valued by employers. Many firms specifically seek out people with technical and science backgrounds for IP work, and highly seek those students from the top IP schools. I transferred out of GW, but while I was there, it was clear that their IP students (that is, people with engineering/hard science degrees) were much more in demand by employers than any other students come interview time. (I remember at some interview fairs where interviewers were looking to fill their remaining open slots, and would be requesting only to talk to people with technical backgrounds). This largely has to do with GW's big rep as a IP school. Many of the kids at GW are there for patent law as well and have science/engineering backgrounds, and presumably sought out GW for that reason.

Yeah, I'm banking on that too. I'm an engineer...take a guess where I work

Go to the highest ranked school that accepts you.

Specialty rankings mean very little, even in IP.

This is what I know. You can suck grade wise (down to bottom 25%) at GW, be in the IP program, and get a high paying job. This contributes to the 40% GW getting into NLJ250 firms. I know that if I'm at the bottom 25% mark at Gtown, it's going to suck to be me.

My proof? I have absolutely 0. It's purely anecdotal based on people I know, and what others at both schools have told me. I know plenty of people who have turned down GULC for the GW IP program because it's so strong.

HYS.

In most cases, you should choose the highest ranked school over high specialty rankings. However, I chose GW over a T14 law school because of the IP program. For me it wasn't just about the school, the location was a big factor. The USPTO, Federal Circuit, and International Trade Commission are all in DC and offer many internship opportunities for GW students interested in IP. You just can't get this type of experience anywhere else and it sets you apart from students at other schools. With so many IP firms in the DC area, many students with technical backgrounds work as technical advisors/patent law clerks during the school year.

As far as OCI, IP students clean up. Most of the students I know will either be at top IP boutiques or V50 firms with large IP practices. Personally, I got OCI interviews with all but 3 of the firms I bid for and callbacks with ~20 of those firms. I'll be headed to a V10 firm. I'm pretty sure that GW's IP reputation and the work experience I've gained in the past few years put me in just as good or a better position than the T14 school I turned down. Yeah, if it was HYSCC or UC Berkeley I probably would have gone there over GW. However, rankings are just one factor to consider when choosing a school.

Is that new Rise Against album any good? The Sufferer was awesome.

solid, but I'm more of a Revolutions Per Minute fan...

Berkely and Stanford are the best. Mainly because they're located close to Silicon Valley. Those are really the only two where that ranking would sway my decision at all. GW in DC has a good program as well and it might sway me over say georgetown... I personally chose Duke over GW and Berkeley and it hasn't really hampered my job prospects at all. As long as you have a reputable name on the resume and a good undergrad transcript, the patent field is still pretty open in terms of finding employment.

I've heard good things about Franklin Pierce as well, and have run into some attorneys when applying for jobs that went there; I would probably choose FP over another similarly ranked school, but I probably wouldn't it choose over any top school.

I am an engineer (EE/CS) with a few years working experience and got accepted to Pierce and Chicago-Kent. Trying to decide which one to go. The two schools have practically equal specialty ranking this year (http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... operty-law). I have read a lot about choosing the school with better overall ranking, which would put Kent over Pierce, but after having visited Pierce and talked to people there, it seems to me that between 1/3 to 1/2 of the students there come from engineering and science background, while it's 1/6 or less at Kent according to their 2008 figures (http://www.kentlaw.edu/students/). I KNOW I want to do IP law, patent law to be more specific, otherwise I wouldn't want to do law at all.

Kent's location being in the heart of Chicago definitely is a plus in terms of internship and work opportunities, but I hear the long and hard winters at Concord, NH (where Pierce is) is ideal for studying. I wonder if it would be better for me to choose Pierce because of its focus on IP?

Please help.

You forgot Duke. Add them (and I guess Columbia) to that list and you have the list.

Not that it will really matter. The important part is that you have an engineering degree. Any of the T14 are going to be able to get you a job in patent.



That is because Duke is ALSO well respected in IP, but that is besides the point. You are right, the big thing that matters is that you are an engineer, not so much that you went to a specific law school.

Ah, what a difference a year makes.