Top Law Schools

One last thread for me. I have created a similar thread in the recent past, but my scholarships have changed a bit so I wanted to start a new thread/poll. I only have a few days to decide.

Background: Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering + 4 years work experience.
Interests: IP Law - market paying firm

Georgetown - $30K scholarship ($10K/year)
George Washington - $96k scholarship ($32K/year)

Currently no debt. About 40K in savings.

Any thoughts?

Did you negotiate?

zozin wrote:Did you negotiate?

Yes, very much so. I ended up double depositing which gave me leverage to acquire the 30K from Gtown. They will not offer more than that.

From what I read around TLS, GW is pretty good at placement when it comes to IP. However, I'm not sure if only a BS in engineering is enough for IP law. Can somebody with more knowledge say if a Master's is needed?

If you can do well at IP biglaw with only a BS and work experience, I'd say GW. If not, you might want to consider Georgetown for maximum possibility of biglaw.

Doorkeeper wrote:From what I read around TLS, GW is pretty good at placement when it comes to IP. However, I'm not sure if only a BS in engineering is enough for IP law. Can somebody with more knowledge say if a Master's is needed?

If you can do well at IP biglaw with only a BS and work experience, I'd say GW. If not, you might want to consider Georgetown for maximum possibility of biglaw.

BS is sufficient in Mechanical Engineering. Advanced degrees are more relevant when you get into the bio/chem arena.

Your employment opportunities out of either school will be roughly equivalent. There are few, if any, IP firms that recruit out of GULC that don't recruit out of GW. I believe that you'll get into a market-paying prosecution gig if you beat median at either school, and the quality of that gig will obviously improve as you head north of median grade-wise. Given GWU's IP reputation among recruiting firms, I'd take the money and run.

Edit: GULC has an edge if you want to do patent lit.

GWU.

According to NALP:

# of firms at OCI
GW 346
GULC 517

Large discrepancy is mainly outside of DC. Also, some top firms don't recruit outside of T14.

bbalcrzy23 wrote:According to NALP:

# of firms at OCI
GW 346
GULC 517

Large discrepancy is mainly outside of DC. Also, some top firms don't recruit outside of T14.

Lolz. The question is about IP Law.

The salient question is whether you want to do prosecution or litigation. For Lit, I'd take GW. For Prosecution, handsdown, I'd take GW.

But with Lit, you can at least make a decent argument for Georgetown as litigation firms tend to be a little more prestige whoreish.

GW's IP strength comes from it's huge, massive, prosecution network, and it's litigation connections to the CAFC (Read, Judge Rader). However, the prosecution network is more developed (in my view).

That said, if you want IP Lit, go to GW and do the IP moot court competitions. They are feeders to IP lit firms, it seems. If you want prosecution, just pass the patent bar and start choosing from your offers.

bbalcrzy23 wrote:One last thread for me. I have created a similar thread in the recent past, but my scholarships have changed a bit so I wanted to start a new thread/poll. I only have a few days to decide.

Background: Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering + 4 years work experience.
Interests: IP Law - market paying firm

Georgetown - $30K scholarship ($10K/year)
George Washington - $96k scholarship ($32K/year)

Currently no debt. About 40K in savings.

Any thoughts?

I personally chose Georgetown over GW for IP law. GW gave you a lot better scholarship than me, Georgetown didn't.