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I am, sadly, underqualified to answer IP-specific questions with any real depth, as I'm not an IP person. That said, based on anecdotal evidence from my friends that Are IP folks, portability back to the west coast has been pretty good. I know people going to good IP shops in the Bay Area and in the PNW. That said, I know more people staying out here on the East Coast than going west, and I'm unsure of how much of that was self-selection and how much was forced on them.cahwc12 wrote:How would you rate portability of GW degree to the SF bay area with IP focus, assuming patent-bar eligibility? As a follow-up, how do those prospects change for those with EE degrees? On the whole, how are IP students doing at OCI/etc relative to everyone else, and within IP, do you know how much better EE is doing as opposed to non-EE?
Cost of living is high, I'm not going to lie to you. I pay around $1100/mo. to split a two-bedroom with another law student, and that's in Virginia and a twenty minute walk from metro. In DC itself, depending on where you're at, a studio can run around $1800/mo. It's possible, if you're splitting with someone and depending on what kind of apartment you're splitting, to get yourself down to around $1000/mo. (or even slightly lower) without going anywhere all that dangerous, but it'll depend on what quality of life you want, how long you're willing to commute, and the like.cahwc12 wrote:Just how damn high is COL there in your experience? With SO/roommate, is it more manageable? I'd like a decent, safe place to live where I won't get mugged walking home, and my bank account won't get mugged on the first of every month. What options do I have for apartments?
At this point in the year, in terms of biglaw, I think we're probably at around 20-25%. Once we add in the IP folks going to boutiques, it's probably closer to a third. Me and a few others are clerking - probably something around 5% of the class are going to federal courts, and another 5-10% to state courts. The government (both fed and local) is no where done with their hiring yet (with rare exception; I do know one person who got funneled in their government job), so I know people with interviews, but we're still waiting on how those shake out. Once I hear anything about the various honors programs, prosecutor hirings, EJW hirings, etc. I'll try and update this.scifiguy wrote:How's your class been doing in terms of placement into biglaw, fed. clerkships. or other good pub. interest jobs?
I think, in terms of atmosphere, GW is great. I've never had a real issue with anyone at the school, and pretty everyone has been pretty chill. Even people who annoy me, gunner-style, in class have been totally fine outside of it. I think we benefit a bit from having such large classes, because the chances of you finding a group of people you actually like are higher when you've got that many more to choose from. No matter what your style is, whether you like going out every night or never, you can find people to hang with. Academic atmosphere-wise, I haven't seen any of the stereotypical Paper Chase-style gunning or anything. It's not crazy studious, though people do take it serious and study of course, and people aren't all that competitive with one another (at least not outwardly). I've never been turned down if I've asked for notes or anything.scifiguy wrote:Also, what's the social and academic atmosphere like at GW? Tyvm!
GW IP kids do well. But I would caution you against coming here if you are dead set on moving back to market in California. The problem isn't that people there won't know that GW is a good school or that they'll look down on you because you didn't goto a local school, it's that logistically it's a nightmare to try and set up enough interviews where you have a realistic shot at getting a job there. Few SF firms will be flying to D.C. to interview students or participating in GW's OCI, so you're essentially left with contacting them yourself and trying to set up phone screening interviews. This is not an easy task. Legal hiring is very much a numbers game and even the best candidates set up several dozen screeners to ensure they get a few good options. I can pretty safely say that even if you were top of your class at GW, it would be difficult to set up a dozen screeners in SF.cahwc12 wrote:How would you rate portability of GW degree to the SF bay area with IP focus, assuming patent-bar eligibility? As a follow-up, how do those prospects change for those with EE degrees? On the whole, how are IP students doing at OCI/etc relative to everyone else, and within IP, do you know how much better EE is doing as opposed to non-EE??
Thanks this is good to know. I guess my major concern is that outside UCLA, there aren't any california schools that would give me enough scholarship to compensate for the prospects. I probably don't have a shot at Berkeley or Stanford even with an improved LSAT score, and Hastings, Davis, SC, SD would put me significantly in debt. Berkeley/Stanford would too, but I'd feel confident it would be worth it going there.KidStuddi wrote:GW IP kids do well. But I would caution you against coming here if you are dead set on moving back to market in California. The problem isn't that people there won't know that GW is a good school or that they'll look down on you because you didn't goto a local school, it's that logistically it's a nightmare to try and set up enough interviews where you have a realistic shot at getting a job there. Few SF firms will be flying to D.C. to interview students or participating in GW's OCI, so you're essentially left with contacting them yourself and trying to set up phone screening interviews. This is not an easy task. Legal hiring is very much a numbers game and even the best candidates set up several dozen screeners to ensure they get a few good options. I can pretty safely say that even if you were top of your class at GW, it would be difficult to set up a dozen screeners in SF.cahwc12 wrote:How would you rate portability of GW degree to the SF bay area with IP focus, assuming patent-bar eligibility? As a follow-up, how do those prospects change for those with EE degrees? On the whole, how are IP students doing at OCI/etc relative to everyone else, and within IP, do you know how much better EE is doing as opposed to non-EE??
This isn't per se a failing of GW, it's just the reality of how difficult it is to interview for jobs on the other side of the country. It goes both ways. Just ask the Boalt / UCLA / USC kids who try and find jobs in D.C., and D.C.'s legal market is much larger than SF's.
Outside of HYS, very few schools allow you the opportunity to target a market so far away from your school with confidence. Your best bet is to stay local if you want to work in California.
It's called the Loyola PLIP. GW does well, and places all over. I suspect that EE/CS places better in SV than life sciences would.KidStuddi wrote:GW IP kids do well. But I would caution you against coming here if you are dead set on moving back to market in California. The problem isn't that people there won't know that GW is a good school or that they'll look down on you because you didn't goto a local school, it's that logistically it's a nightmare to try and set up enough interviews where you have a realistic shot at getting a job there. Few SF firms will be flying to D.C. to interview students or participating in GW's OCI, so you're essentially left with contacting them yourself and trying to set up phone screening interviews. This is not an easy task. Legal hiring is very much a numbers game and even the best candidates set up several dozen screeners to ensure they get a few good options. I can pretty safely say that even if you were top of your class at GW, it would be difficult to set up a dozen screeners in SF.cahwc12 wrote:How would you rate portability of GW degree to the SF bay area with IP focus, assuming patent-bar eligibility? As a follow-up, how do those prospects change for those with EE degrees? On the whole, how are IP students doing at OCI/etc relative to everyone else, and within IP, do you know how much better EE is doing as opposed to non-EE??
This isn't per se a failing of GW, it's just the reality of how difficult it is to interview for jobs on the other side of the country. It goes both ways. Just ask the Boalt / UCLA / USC kids who try and find jobs in D.C., and D.C.'s legal market is much larger than SF's.
Outside of HYS, very few schools allow you the opportunity to target a market so far away from your school with confidence. Your best bet is to stay local if you want to work in California.
I have a personal friend, IP (BS in engineering, not saying more for anonymity) who recently got an offer at a V30 in Palo Alto. Good grades, but not tippy top grades. Secondary journal. He landed it through the regionals I think, not through PLIP, but yes GW does well at PLIP as well (lots of people I talk to get offers through it).sky7 wrote:It's called the Loyola PLIP. GW does well, and places all over. I suspect that EE/CS places better in SV than life sciences would.KidStuddi wrote:GW IP kids do well. But I would caution you against coming here if you are dead set on moving back to market in California. The problem isn't that people there won't know that GW is a good school or that they'll look down on you because you didn't goto a local school, it's that logistically it's a nightmare to try and set up enough interviews where you have a realistic shot at getting a job there. Few SF firms will be flying to D.C. to interview students or participating in GW's OCI, so you're essentially left with contacting them yourself and trying to set up phone screening interviews. This is not an easy task. Legal hiring is very much a numbers game and even the best candidates set up several dozen screeners to ensure they get a few good options. I can pretty safely say that even if you were top of your class at GW, it would be difficult to set up a dozen screeners in SF.cahwc12 wrote:How would you rate portability of GW degree to the SF bay area with IP focus, assuming patent-bar eligibility? As a follow-up, how do those prospects change for those with EE degrees? On the whole, how are IP students doing at OCI/etc relative to everyone else, and within IP, do you know how much better EE is doing as opposed to non-EE??
This isn't per se a failing of GW, it's just the reality of how difficult it is to interview for jobs on the other side of the country. It goes both ways. Just ask the Boalt / UCLA / USC kids who try and find jobs in D.C., and D.C.'s legal market is much larger than SF's.
Outside of HYS, very few schools allow you the opportunity to target a market so far away from your school with confidence. Your best bet is to stay local if you want to work in California.