Top Secret Clearance Forum

[zreinhar]

I was curious as to how this may affect potential employment (government or otherwise). I work in engineering research and may be able to get one. Does this do anything for me in the legal world? (DOJ or anything else?)

[sibley]

All I can see happening is, if you're interviewing for a job and they mention it, you can say you already have it/did at one point. I assume it'll have expired. But you'll just look a little more fully qualified, like you'd require less training/work to get started.

[zreinhar]

That's basically what I thought but figured I would peruse the collective knowledge of the TLS drones...

[irc1988]

Just to add to the previous post, other than in the few firms that have a "black" government contracts practice, it does not matter. DoJ said as much. Of course for non-legal jobs, especially in and around DC, it matters a great deal.

[zreinhar]

Non-legal jobs that wouldnt benefits from having a JD? I mean at this point the goal is IP stuff (perferably litigation, but prep and pro works too)

[Lawl Shcool]

I'm still pretty asleep, but didn't Obama just get rid of the classification system this morning?

[Anonymous User]

if you get it before law school it will be expired when you get out which will mean basically nothing other than potential employers who care will know you were once cleared so you're probably clear-able.. but that's a stretch. Short answer; if you're going into law school, getting a clearance now isn't important. If you're not sure however... those things are worth like $10-$20k a year in the DC area

[zreinhar]

I'm still pretty asleep, but didn't Obama just get rid of the classification system this morning?

I don't know. the doom and gloom of our future has caused me to watch TMZ for my daily news.. if it didn't happen to Britney or Paris, I dont know about it (Yes I live in Atlanta, and yes I have a pitbull, but cant we be both tough and soft?)

I Digress...

if you get it before law school it will be expired when you get out which will mean basically nothing other than potential employers who care will know you were once cleared so you're probably clear-able.. but that's a stretch. Short answer; if you're going into law school, getting a clearance now isn't important. If you're not sure however... those things are worth like $10-$20k a year in the DC area

For the most part thats what I had been told by other people, but some people I know said that the JD and TS would be beneficial and I hesitated to call BS...

[Cupidity]

It will get you laid.

[agentzer0]

It will get you laid.

For this... Clearance >> JD

"Oh I work for blahblahlamelawfirm" vs. "I can't tell you where I work or I'd have to kill you... would you like to go for a ride in my aston martin? I'll show you the missile launcher..."

Cus i mean... that's what people with clearances are like... that's just how they roll.

Also Bourne >> Bond

[zreinhar]

It will get you laid.

For this... Clearance >> JD

"Oh I work for blahblahlamelawfirm" vs. "I can't tell you where I work or I'd have to kill you... would you like to go for a ride in my aston martin? I'll show you the missile launcher..."

Cus i mean... that's what people with clearances are like... that's just how they roll.

Also Bourne >> Bond

I can't tell you how excited I was the first time I told my wife that I couldn't tell her what I did at work that day. or when my friends ask what I have been working on. It's pretty cool. But I think that 160k speaks a little more than "I can't tell you" at least to the people who power my house ..... and I know I know. "ITE" Well, I'm going into patent law. So I suffered through undergrad for a reason...

[jk11287]

Top secret clearance has to be renewed every 5 years, so you could still have it after law school. From what I've heard, it can be an asset at certain places, since it costs so much time and money to get one. Obviously, it would only help in a "related" job, its probably not going to give you an edge over th ecompetition at, say, a tax law firm.

[englawyer]

hmm..usually the fact that you have a TS is classified so i would clarify that with your security officer before adding it to your resume. a TS is also usually project specific so once you leave the TS project, you no longer have TS (although you still have S the whole time).

[zreinhar]

hmm..usually the fact that you have a TS is classified so i would clarify that with your security officer before adding it to your resume. a TS is also usually project specific so once you leave the TS project, you no longer have TS (although you still have S the whole time).

Yeah, that was the impression I was under, from talking to people at work. And as far as having the TS afterwards I meant moreso that I have qualified for one before... Either way I guess it will be kind of moot at this point.

[mjbernhardt]

hmm..usually the fact that you have a TS is classified so i would clarify that with your security officer before adding it to your resume. a TS is also usually project specific so once you leave the TS project, you no longer have TS (although you still have S the whole time).

Yeah, that was the impression I was under, from talking to people at work. And as far as having the TS afterwards I meant moreso that I have qualified for one before... Either way I guess it will be kind of moot at this point.

TS is good for 5 years and it is not use it or lose it. S is good for 10 years. Also, once you have a clearance it is much easier to renew an expired one so it is helpful if you have it or had it and are competing against others that do not.

Keep in mind that in order to obtain a TS, you have to have a legitimate reason. Higher levels of clearance above TS will be more project specific.

[zreinhar]

hmm..usually the fact that you have a TS is classified so i would clarify that with your security officer before adding it to your resume. a TS is also usually project specific so once you leave the TS project, you no longer have TS (although you still have S the whole time).

Yeah, that was the impression I was under, from talking to people at work. And as far as having the TS afterwards I meant moreso that I have qualified for one before... Either way I guess it will be kind of moot at this point.

TS is good for 5 years and it is not use it or lose it. S is good for 10 years. Also, once you have a clearance it is much easier to renew an expired one so it is helpful if you have it or had it and are competing against others that do not.

Keep in mind that in order to obtain a TS, you have to have a legitimate reason. Higher levels of clearance above TS will be more project specific.

yeah, at my job, when you go full time you get one automatically (I'm a co-op now) so I mean, I was just curious if it had any overlap with law..

[englawyer]

It will get you laid.

For this... Clearance >> JD

"Oh I work for blahblahlamelawfirm" vs. "I can't tell you where I work or I'd have to kill you... would you like to go for a ride in my aston martin? I'll show you the missile launcher..."

Cus i mean... that's what people with clearances are like... that's just how they roll.

Also Bourne >> Bond

i am somewhat lol'ing at this. many people w/ security clearances are engineers in aerospace/defense companies, probably including the OP. the work environment is a far cry from Bourne, more like Dilbert except in a room with a secret passcode.

also, you are supposed to live your life as discrete as possible, certainly not name dropping your clearance level in a bar. there are foreign spies on the lookout for that sort of thing, that will attempt to offer you $$ for secrets. the gov't basically encourages a very boring life as to not arouse suspicions. it's far less glamorous than you think.

one time, a security officer even said that if a pretty woman talks to us at a technical/professional conference, given that most of the engineers in the audience were not charming/good looking, to be very suspicious because she is probably a foreign spy .