Top Law Schools

Chances of getting a 1L SA job?

-B.S. only (no grad degree): 3.6+ GPA in Computer Engineering w/ Minor in Math (analog circuit emphasis) at average-quality UG institution
-I have 3 years work experience w/ bigEngineering firm in EE/CS: mostly wrote driver code but also worked on some high-level digital circuit design
-I'm at a T10 law school
-I'm focusing on D.C.
-I passed the patent bar and have a registration number, but I have no actual patent prosecution experience

Normally I would say looks awesome.

The problem is that this economy is making it hard for anybody to shoulder additional costs and firms don't really have an incentive to hire 1Ls.

You probably have a better shot that most though.

I would bombard the firms in the area that you're interested in and see what comes up.

So should I be looking beyond D.C.?

why not start in DC and if you have time do others after you send those out?

FYI, the NALP directory will tell you if a firm has hired 1Ls in the past. However, I think there are a mess of small firms not on the directory.

http://www.nalpdirectory.com

OP here:

Will Career Services give me contact info for smaller firms that are not in the NALP database or should I start doing that kind of research on my own?

I guess that would depend on your career services office. I think your chances are much better for example if your school is in DC and you're looking at smaller firms in DC. At our career services office, they did have a bunch of lists, but once I found a job (not IP...even though I'm doing IP lit as a 2L summer) I didn't bother to look at them.

There are some lists of IP firms out there if you spend some time on google (I did this a long time ago, but I didn't save any of that info). The ones that were easiest to find were for CA, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was one for DC or nationally out there someplace.

You could also try Martindale.

OP, cast about in the forums on intelproplaw.com. They seem to be pretty knowledgeable about the DC market and may give some directed guidance. Good luck.

BTW never forget: Grades über alles

Your best bet is to target IP boutiques over GP firms. But, given the state of the market, it may be harder than in previous years, especially since you do not have any patent prosecution experience. Your 1L grades may also play a significant role. Good luck!