What type of law should I pursue if i'm interested in... Forum

[Ioannis]

Is it intellectual Property law i should study in school if I wish to work in law relating to internet rights (such as websites rights/governments rights, whatever deals with the internet, not just "rights.)" If not, what should I?
Any other specific details i should know about pursueing a law career relating to the internet? such as required undereducate education (such as a computer science degree)?

[NoleinNY]

Harvard, for it's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

[geoduck]

Required type of undergrad degree: None.
Type of law you should study: Law.

[Ioannis]

Harvard, for it's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

school suggestions are really welcomed but are you saying that such field is only found at certain schools or you're just stating harvard has a really good program?

[geoduck]

This isn't undergrad. You don't get a JD in something. You get a JD. While getting it, you focus on getting relevant summer internships/experience. Maybe write some journal articles on the subject.

[Ioannis]

Ok thanks. Would firms require a degree related to computers along with your JD to get a job related to the internet field?

[spleenworship]

Required type of undergrad degree: None.
Type of law you should study: Law.

Any law school will allow you to do IP. IP does relate to internet issues, generally. Go to best damn law school you can, get IP job. Getting degree that allows taking of patent bar might be useful. Computer science degree would allow you to take patent bar.

[geoduck]

No. They don't want you to write code. Unless you want to go into patents, it really doesn't matter. Passion for the subject (combined with good grades at a good school) does.

[NoleinNY]

Harvard, for it's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

school suggestions are really welcomed but are you saying that such field is only found at certain schools or you're just stating harvard has a really good program?

A) Yes, it is a very, very good program. THE people who write/make/lobby "Internet rights," so far as they exist have been fellows/faculty in that center.

B) Very few schools put you in a position to work with such a niche field quite like, well, really the BEST schools. Yale, Stanford, and Boalt (Berkeley), have similar policy centers; Harvard's is one of the best known outside of the legal profession (just like the school itself.)

C) As said above, any school will allow you to practice "IP" law. My responses have been predicated on your shift mid-post toward "rights" and the Internet generally.

[Ioannis]

Thank you for the quick, quality replys! I don't think this site has some sort of tribute system to posters that helped... right?

[NoleinNY]

Thank you for the quick, quality replys! I don't think this site has some sort of tribute system to posters that helped... right?

You mean like the stuff on reddit that is vague like web karma? I think TLS tried something called "weight" but no one uses it.

[geoduck]

Thank you for the quick, quality replys! I don't think this site has some sort of tribute system to posters that helped... right?

You mean like the stuff on reddit that is vague like web karma? I think TLS tried something called "weight" but no one uses it.

Who would want to be the fattest poster?

[Emu Flu]

Required type of undergrad degree: None.
Type of law you should study: Law.

Any law school will allow you to do IP. IP does relate to internet issues, generally. Go to best damn law school you can, get IP job. Getting degree that allows taking of patent bar might be useful. Computer science degree would allow you to take patent bar.

Just want to clarify that not all CS degrees easily qualify for the patent bar under Category A (an accredited undergrad degree). Some CS degrees have to qualify to sit for the patent bar under Category B or C, which require certain coursework on your transcript or the Fundamentals of Engineering test. I can't imagine going Category C... taking the bar exam, FE exam, and then patent exam!

[englawyer]

just as a warning "law and the internet" is not very robust in terms of actual practice areas. There is some litigation regarding DMCA takedowns and stuff but its a very small area of law. In broad strokes, most IP work is either patent prosecution (helping people get patents) or patent litigation (arguing whether A did or did not infrige B's patent). Some of the patents relate to internet stuff obviously but you will probably not be penning lengthy policy papers on whether youtube should have to take down clips of How I Met Your Mother. Academia is of course different in this regard.

[jerzgrl630]

I came to law school really wanting to get into some sort of "Internet Law" field. Unfortunately, I have not been highly successful for a variety of reasons, but that's not to say I haven't found any other interests. In my observation, most Internet issues involve how the law is applied to the Internet. For example, if you find yourself really interested in Contracts and transactional law, then studying that would put you in a good position to do this work for Internet companies. Same thing with civil rights (especially First Amendment) and torts. However, all of the responses about IP are dead-on. I also agree about getting into a top law school that actually has a program in this field. Going to the best law school possible is always the right move, but I feel like it's especially important in this field. My school is neither a top school, nor does it have an Internet-specific program. So my focus has been to familiarize myself with different areas of the law so that I can apply that knowledge to the Internet field. The good news is that I've found a lot of things that interest me. The bad news is that I may not ever practice what I originally wanted. But I'll live.