mediocre 1L fall grades for IP law Forum

[changedname]

Hi,

I go to a T30 and received my grades today - B+, B+, B which puts me (per last year's curve) slightly above the median.

I have a computer science undergrad and had a good job before joining law school. I want to to big law in IP.

Assuming my grades remain the same - or maybe improve to take me to the top 1/3 of the class, what are my job prospects.

I heard from a 2L that there are more job openings in IP law (especially in CS&EE) w.r.t. eligible candidates, so I shouldn't be that worried as someone else in my position who is going for say corporate law?

Many thanks for your responses!

[skri65]

Hi,

I go to a T30 and received my grades today - B+, B+, B which puts me (per last year's curve) slightly above the median.

I have a computer science undergrad and had a good job before joining law school. I want to to big law in IP.

Assuming my grades remain the same - or maybe improve to take me to the top 1/3 of the class, what are my job prospects.

I heard from a 2L that there are more job openings in IP law (especially in CS&EE) w.r.t. eligible candidates, so I shouldn't be that worried as someone else in my position who is going for say corporate law?

Many thanks for your responses!

Wow, I have the same question. CS background, 1L summer in-house gig doing prosecution work...but have mediocre grades so far (B+ and B+..haven't received third grade back), and am curious about GPA cutoffs for OCI w.r.t. people with IP background

[changedname]

bump

[rpupkin]

What region of the country are you located in? This matters because your "T30" degree likely has limited geographic reach.

When you say you want "big law in IP," what do you mean? Patent litigation? Patent prosecution? Trademark Law? Something else?

And what is your definition of "big law"?

[changedname]

What region of the country are you located in? This matters because your "T30" degree likely has limited geographic reach.

When you say you want "big law in IP," what do you mean? Patent litigation? Patent prosecution? Trademark Law? Something else?

And what is your definition of "big law"?

Thanks for responding.
I am located in the NE, however I am not so sure that my degree has limited geographic reach - already have a 1L SA in Seattle at a V50 firm w/o any connections.

I would like hard IP law but keep my options open for both Patent litigation and prosecution.

My definition of Big law is working for a NLJ 250 firm.

Hope I have answered your questions clearly.

[patogordo]

Was this thread just a setup for that humblebrag?

[changedname]

Was this thread just a setup for that humblebrag?

How is being slightly above the median at a T30 in anyway humblebrag?

[patogordo]

The "I got a biglaw 1L SA with no grades in a desirable secondary market from Boston College" part, genius.

[09042014]

You'll do alright. Probably won't be able to trade up too much from Perkins pros group. Getting lit might be slightly hard but you should be pretty good for prosecution jobs.

[changedname]

The "I got a biglaw 1L SA with no grades in a desirable secondary market from Boston College" part, genius.

Hmmm...I think that was a response to an earlier question on the reach of T30. Plus I am not from BC, if you gathered that by searching my previous posts.

[midnight419]

The grade cut offs are much lower for IP. If you're above the median you'll get interviews.

[Stevoman]

I've been told the bar is lower for IP and that was my experience as well.

I had no trouble finding a job as a STEM undergrad around top 1/3 at a low T1, although as a disclaimer I did have a few years of real work experience. I've been told some firms will actually go as low as top 1/2, but I don't know for sure.

Are you sure those grades put you slightly above median? If your median is 3.0, you should have around a 3.2 with those grades. That's closer to the top 1/3 at my school (also a 3.0 curve).

[UnderrateOverachieve]

What was your UG GPA in CS? 3.4+?

[stillwater]

I have heard recently that the IP bump is largely flame. This is obviously flimsy anecdata but just thought i would add it nonetheless.

[changedname]

What was your UG GPA in CS? 3.4+?

Yeah easily - rather a 3.8+

[changedname]

I've been told the bar is lower for IP and that was my experience as well.

I had no trouble finding a job as a STEM undergrad around top 1/3 at a low T1, although as a disclaimer I did have a few years of real work experience. I've been told some firms will actually go as low as top 1/2, but I don't know for sure.

Are you sure those grades put you slightly above median? If your median is 3.0, you should have around a 3.2 with those grades. That's closer to the top 1/3 at my school (also a 3.0 curve).

Thanks for your response. I think slightly above median is a bit vague. Maybe 30-40% top of the class is a better approximation.

May I know when did you graduate and are you doing litigation or prosecution?

[09042014]

I have heard recently that the IP bump is largely flame. This is obviously flimsy anecdata but just thought i would add it nonetheless.

IP boost is clearly not a flame but you've got to have a somewhat desirable tech background. You don't get any boost if you have a BS in Bio or Chem. Now you can still get an IP job with those degrees, but it's probably as hard, if not harder as getting a regular biglaw litigation job.

IPSECURE is somewhat a flame. If you have shitty UG or tech background, you aren't secure. You'll also need decent law creds.

But I think if you have EE or CS, and you can't get a job doing patent prosecution, you probably have the worst personality of all time.

But a lot of prosecution jobs aren't really big law. A lot of them are small firms. They pay ok.

[fltanglab]

I have heard recently that the IP bump is largely flame. This is obviously flimsy anecdata but just thought i would add it nonetheless.

IP boost is clearly not a flame but you've got to have a somewhat desirable tech background. You don't get any boost if you have a BS in Bio or Chem. Now you can still get an IP job with those degrees, but it's probably as hard, if not harder as getting a regular biglaw litigation job.

IPSECURE is somewhat a flame. If you have shitty UG or tech background, you aren't secure. You'll also need decent law creds.

But I think if you have EE or CS, and you can't get a job doing patent prosecution, you probably have the worst personality of all time.

But a lot of prosecution jobs aren't really big law. A lot of them are small firms. They pay ok.

There is definitely a boost and it's universal unless you lack any technical knowledge. A lot of my friends and I got biglaw litigation jobs with Bachelor degrees in life sciences. However, you generally need to have work experience in the area for a Bachelor's to be sufficient. Being above median in law school is usually okay if you attend a decent school.

[Stevoman]

I've been told the bar is lower for IP and that was my experience as well.

I had no trouble finding a job as a STEM undergrad around top 1/3 at a low T1, although as a disclaimer I did have a few years of real work experience. I've been told some firms will actually go as low as top 1/2, but I don't know for sure.

Are you sure those grades put you slightly above median? If your median is 3.0, you should have around a 3.2 with those grades. That's closer to the top 1/3 at my school (also a 3.0 curve).

Thanks for your response. I think slightly above median is a bit vague. Maybe 30-40% top of the class is a better approximation.

May I know when did you graduate and are you doing litigation or prosecution?

Sorry, I should have clarified that "job" = SA. It's with a prosecution group. My graduation date is May 2015.

There's a lot of factors at play, but if you have CS, top 1/3, and are in a relatively decent market, you can relax. I don't know what school you're at, or if you have work experience, but CS and EE are in super high demand right now.

[Stevoman]

I have heard recently that the IP bump is largely flame. This is obviously flimsy anecdata but just thought i would add it nonetheless.

IP boost is clearly not a flame but you've got to have a somewhat desirable tech background. You don't get any boost if you have a BS in Bio or Chem. Now you can still get an IP job with those degrees, but it's probably as hard, if not harder as getting a regular biglaw litigation job.

IPSECURE is somewhat a flame. If you have shitty UG or tech background, you aren't secure. You'll also need decent law creds.

But I think if you have EE or CS, and you can't get a job doing patent prosecution, you probably have the worst personality of all time.

But a lot of prosecution jobs aren't really big law. A lot of them are small firms. They pay ok.

I'll sound like a "master race!!" guy for saying this, but in my experience, engineering guys get a MUCH bigger boost than generic sciences like biology or chemistry. Special exception for comp sci guys, who seem to fare much better than their bio/chem counterparts. I do know a biology major doing very well in Chicago biglaw (pharma patents) right now, but he has a masters.

Small firm pay varies. I know of some boutiques in my area that pay as good as/better than big law. And plenty of small firms that pay less, but also demand less. Usual law school answer applies here: "it depends."

[Jchance]

Small firm pay varies. I know of some boutiques in my area that pay as good as/better than big law. And plenty of small firms that pay less, but also demand less. Usual law school answer applies here: "it depends."

Side topic: which one is more desirable for IP lit. - small boutique firm pays better than market rate, OR V-100 firms? Does this affect candidates when they want to lateral?