Working at an IP law firm the summer before law school Forum
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mx23250
- Posts: 638
- Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 3:44 pm
Working at an IP law firm the summer before law school
Do law firms ever hire 0L students to work the summer before law school? Obviously they wouldn't advertise for such a position and it wouldn't involve the same duties as a SA, but I know undergrads sometimes spend summers working at law firms. I'm specifically interested in patent law (I have a PhD and WE in tech transfer) and would like to spend the summer before law school working at a firm that does IP. Would it be a waste of time to send letters asking about such an opportunity? Has anyone done this before law school and care to share any advice? Thanks in advance!
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Jchance
- Posts: 820
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Re: Working at an IP law firm the summer before law school
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Last edited by Jchance on Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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androstan
- Posts: 4633
- Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 8:07 am
Re: Working at an IP law firm the summer before law school
This sounds like a good way to harm your professional reputation before you've even created it.Jchance wrote:IP firms wont hire you just for the summer, they only look for candidates to invest. Its better to keep ur law school plan "secret" and if u happen to get the job, quit after 2-3 months to start law school.mx23250 wrote:Do law firms ever hire 0L students to work the summer before law school? Obviously they wouldn't advertise for such a position and it wouldn't involve the same duties as a SA, but I know undergrads sometimes spend summers working at law firms. I'm specifically interested in patent law (I have a PhD and WE in tech transfer) and would like to spend the summer before law school working at a firm that does IP. Would it be a waste of time to send letters asking about such an opportunity? Has anyone done this before law school and care to share any advice? Thanks in advance!
They probably would not hire you just for the summer. They will hire some patent agents to work part-time while paying them a biglaw market salary (prorated for hours) while also doing law school (and sometimes will even pay for LS). With a PhD and relevant WE you sound at least competitive for these positions. They are generally considered highly desirable but also a ton of work.
I didn't go this route I just did a typical patent SA my second summer. I interned for CAFC my 1st summer.
