Top Law Schools

Hi everyone,

Still have 1 grade pending, but currently sitting at 3.7+ at GW. I'm toying with the idea of transferring but not sure if it would be the best thing to do. I have a technical background and hope to do patent law, which GW is known for.

I'm not sure if I can replicate my grades from this semester as I think it may have been a bit of a fluke haha. I'm currently thinking about either ED/EA to Chicago or Georgetown. Do you guys think I have a shot and if so, would it be smart to transfer??

Thanks for your responses...

oh.. don't know how this will translate to 1L grades, but last year top 10% for 3Ls at GW was a 3.69 and we're on a 3.2 curve.

anyone?

LawyerToBe8787 wrote:anyone?

First, it's only been a few hours since you posted. Since most of us on this board are law students or have jobs during those few hours, patience is the virtue here.

Second, I think this thread http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=105592 has answers to many of your questions.

Third, have confidence in your grades. Work harder this semester to ensure they remain the same or go up. If you did it once, you can do it again, statistically speaking.

Fourth, are you on scholarship at GW?

sorry, didn't mean to sound impatient.

no - i'm not on any sort of scholarship at GW. the main thing making me hesitate about transferring is GW's reputation in IP. would firms think its strange that I transferred from GW to Georgetown given that I hope to practice patent law?

By all means transfer if you like. You have the grades to, and the money will be the same. The only thing to consider is risking your GPA at GW for a fresh start at GULC...

LawyerToBe8787 wrote:sorry, didn't mean to sound impatient.

no - i'm not on any sort of scholarship at GW. the main thing making me hesitate about transferring is GW's reputation in IP. would firms think its strange that I transferred from GW to Georgetown given that I hope to practice patent law?

Given your grades I think you have a shot at doing better than GULC (assuming you are not tied down to DC). I think you overestimate GW's catchet in IP/patent law. I work in this field and we tend to look at what your majored in UG far more than whether you went to a law school with an IP specialization. The best thing to have is actual work experience in the patent law field (e.g. patent agent, examiner, etc.). If you want to go to GULC, go for it. GULC has a national reputation, GW, while being a good school is still a regional school IMO.

digitalcntrl wrote:

LawyerToBe8787 wrote:sorry, didn't mean to sound impatient.

no - i'm not on any sort of scholarship at GW. the main thing making me hesitate about transferring is GW's reputation in IP. would firms think its strange that I transferred from GW to Georgetown given that I hope to practice patent law?

Given your grades I think you have a shot at doing better than GULC (assuming you are not tied down to DC). I think you overestimate GW's catchet in IP/patent law. I work in this field and we tend to look at what your majored in UG far more than whether you went to a law school with an IP specialization. The best thing to have is actual work experience in the patent law field (e.g. patent agent, examiner, etc.). If you want to go to GULC, go for it. GULC has a national reputation, GW, while being a good school is still a regional school IMO.

Even in IP, GULC has a better reputation than GW. Maybe not at smaller firms where few of the attorneys went to top law schools, and where they value experience over anything else, but any remotely prestigious firm would easily understand transferring up to GULC or another T14 from GW. Attorneys aren't lying when they say go to the highest ranked school you get into...

starstruck393 wrote:Even in IP, GULC has a better reputation than GW. Maybe not at smaller firms where few of the attorneys went to top law schools, and where they value experience over anything else, but any remotely prestigious firm would easily understand transferring up to GULC or another T14 from GW. Attorneys aren't lying when they say go to the highest ranked school you get into...

I am afraid this is a somewhat incorrect. Whether GW or GULC has a better IP reputation is actually beside the point (arguably GW has a better reputaton around the DC area since they have Adelman, Duffy, and Judge Rader are on the teaching staff). The reason is that the patent world is divided into two types of firms: 1) GP firms with patent practices and 2) patent firms/botiques. The former tend to focus on stellar grades/law school rank out of habit (most GP firms will not focus the specialization of the school). The latter will focus on work experience, though both will probably demand you have the right UG degree. GULC is a better bet because while it might do better at GP firms, GW does not have an advantage in either category (not to mention that a GULC degree is more portable).

The statement made above that only small non-prestigious firms value work experience above all else is also incorrect. The distinction is not between big firm/small firm but GP and patent law firms (as mentioned above). Their are numerous large top notch patent firms/botiques (e.g. Finnegan Henderson) that value your work experience over law school. Their are also numerous patent practices at GP firms that are crap since they often lack the brain trust to make technically sound arguments.

digitalcntrl wrote:

starstruck393 wrote:Even in IP, GULC has a better reputation than GW. Maybe not at smaller firms where few of the attorneys went to top law schools, and where they value experience over anything else, but any remotely prestigious firm would easily understand transferring up to GULC or another T14 from GW. Attorneys aren't lying when they say go to the highest ranked school you get into...

I am afraid this is a somewhat incorrect. Whether GW or GULC has a better IP reputation is actually beside the point (arguably GW has a better reputaton around the DC area since they have Adelman, Duffy, and Judge Rader are on the teaching staff). The reason is that the patent world is divided into two types of firms: 1) GP firms with patent practices and 2) patent firms/botiques. The former tend to focus on stellar grades/law school rank out of habit (most GP firms will not focus the specialization of the school). The latter will focus on work experience, though both will probably demand you have the right UG degree. GULC is a better bet because while it might do better at GP firms, GW does not have an advantage in either category (not to mention that a GULC degree is more portable).

The statement made above that only small non-prestigious firms value work experience above all else is also incorrect. The distinction is not between big firm/small firm but GP and patent law firms (as mentioned above). Their are numerous large top notch patent firms/botiques (e.g. Finnegan Henderson) that value your work experience over law school. Their are also numerous patent practices at GP firms that are crap since they often lack the brain trust to make technically sound arguments.

Actually, which of GULC or GW has the better IP reputation is exactly the point, since OP is considering transferring from one to the other, with money being equal at both, and is worried firms would look down on transferring from a good IP school to a slightly better IP school. And you seemed to completely miss my point about prestigious firms. There are plenty of small, non prestigious IP firms (you could hardly call them boutiques, as they're not especially great) whose attorneys are mostly T3 and T4 grads, who would wonder why you would ever want to go anywhere but the local T3/4, who think that Franklin Pierce and Chicago Kent are better schools for IP than T25 or even T14 schools because their IP programs are more pronounced, and who would almost surely question why you would bother transferring from a good IP school. Attorneys at more prestigious firms, be it IP boutiques or larger general practice firms, typically understand how the overall legal world works, and also would likely understand transferring from GW to GULC, without any negative implications. Many (maybe even most) would likely endorse the transfer...