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Hello,

I'm a long time reader and first time poster. I am a 3rd year mechanical engineering student at The Ohio State University with a 3.57 GPA. I just got my LSAT scores back today and got a 167. I'm looking to start law school in Autumn 2011.

Obviously I'm looking into the patent attorney job market and I have a few questions.

First off, I realize now that an EE or CE degree would have been advantageous over my ME degree. When i started college I thought that any engineering degree would be weighed equally. Now I'm wondering how much of a disadvantage it is to have a ME degree instead. Am I still going to have good job prospects, or will I continuously be pushed aside by people with EE and CE backgrounds?

My second question is would there be an advantage to taking the Patent Bar Exam right after I graduate from undergrad and then go to law school, or would it be better to wait on that?

And last off, I know that the best patent attorney job markets are in California (silicon valley) and Washington DC. I want to go where I have the best chance to succeed in the job market, and I was curious if, say, staying in Ohio for law school would be a huge disadvantage for me down the road.

Thanks in advance guys, I really appreciate the help.

1. In response to "Will I continuously be pushed aside by people with EE and CE backgrounds?"
Yes.

2. In response to "would there be an advantage to take the Patent Bar...."
Yes, if you want those 1L and 2L internship experiences (a lot easier to get if you get a reg number. $500 if you failed, $600 if you pass).

3. In response to "staying in Ohio for law school would be a huge disadvantage for me down the road"
No, we have a lot more diploma mobility than Liberal arts major law grads. Plenty of OSU law grads work in major IP law firms all across the country. Assuming you are not dead last in your class (top 50% is needed).

U have a great shot at GW.

Thanks for the response Panda.

I'm actually considering GW, my sister is currently in 1L there and she likes it a lot.

I'm only somewhat familiar with the Patent Bar exam. I understand a registration number is given to every certified patent agent and attorney, but is that separate from the fees to actually take the exam? And if it is separate, then what is the difference between me not getting a registration number and just passing the exam and actually getting a reg number too?

If you pass the exam, then you pay some fee to get your registration number.