. Forum

[lacrossebrother]

Do law at a place that pays you 80 doing exactly what you want.

[84651846190]

if you decide you like law after all you can just become an expert witness and make 100x/hr more than a biglaw associate

This is the most underrated post in this thread. Being an expert witness is more lucrative than being a biglaw attorney (unless you happen to make equity partner at a biglaw firm, but lol @ you if you think that's a realistic goal). In addition, being an expert witness is really fucking cool. You get to work at home in your pajamas until trial. Trial admittedly sucks, but it's worth it because you get to bill a shitload of hours during trial (and some experts have even higher rates for trial work than non-trial work). Some of the happiest, chillest people I've ever met are expert witnesses. It's a shame more smart science people don't know about this option, because I think a lot more of them would do it.

Moreover, you don't even have to be that great at testifying to make it as an expert. You can get most (or all) of your money doing consulting work for law firms. I know consulting experts who have made over half a million (gross) on one case over the course of a few months. I know this because I was the one who submitted all of their hours to our client for payment.

[fats provolone]

if i could go back in time to before i applying to LS i would get an econ phd and do patent damages expert work. 100% no question about it. that door's probably permanently closed now, though.

[lacrossebrother]

if i could go back in time to before i applying to LS i would get an econ phd and do patent damages expert work. 100% no question about it. that door's probably permanently closed now, though.

I'd think having the JD makes you less credible

[fats provolone]

if i could go back in time to before i applying to LS i would get an econ phd and do patent damages expert work. 100% no question about it. that door's probably permanently closed now, though.

I'd think having the JD makes you less credible

yea it's basically a nonstarter. i could maybe do validity or licensing work but those guys usually have many, many years of experience as patent attorneys which is what i'm trying to avoid in the first place.

[84651846190]

A general rule of thumb is that fields where there are a shitload of people trying to do the same exact fucking thing (i.e., the legal field) are not going to be as lucrative/enjoyable as fields that are more obscure where there's almost no one competing with you (i.e., the expert witness field).

[fats provolone]

i'm gonna start a company that just hires out contract attorneys to write discovery correspondence

[Mal Reynolds]

Some of the most ballin professors at my school, including posner, started an econ consulting firm in the 70s and are all now millionaires because of it.

[fats provolone]

idea #2: a call center of contract attorneys that do meet and confers for you. gotomeetandconfer.com

[lacrossebrother]

idea #2: a call center of contract attorneys that do meet and confers for you. gotomeetandconfer.com

Would you refer to your company as the uber for attorneys?

[84651846190]

idea #2: a call center of contract attorneys that do meet and confers for you. gotomeetandconfer.com

180

[unemployable]

.

[fats provolone]

counting $s is a dumb metric. $ is useless except to the extent it buys QOL. you have to consider the trade-offs.

also you might not get biglaw and even if you do are unlikely to stay more than a few years.

re: expert witness/consulting, you will need work exp in field first. so take the lab job and more doors will open down the road. law school is a door that never closes.

[InTheHouse]

I attend a state school in the south right now. My understanding is that it is very difficult to make it to Wall Street without going to one of the "right" schools.

Aren't they going to pay for your PhD at MIT/Harvard? If physics is what you want to do, take the job. They hire quants out of MIT/Harvard if you decide that you just want the money.

Maybe I can take the job and shoot for an M7 MBA later? But I have no idea if I have the credentials to get into an M7 MBA program. Law school is easy because you just need a GPA and an LSAT. I dont know what sort of "softs" Ill need for B-School. That's kinda why I wrote off quant/banking as an option.

Well, a lack of knowledge about other options available you is probably the worst reason to go to law school. Take job. Live in a Boston for a couple of years. Network. Figure out how you're going to make your fortune.

[unemployable]

.

[unemployable]

.

[fats provolone]

work experience is never bad. ipsecure is a thing but most ppl have work experience so i wouldn't count on it. you also don't know how patent will look in 3-4 yrs.

[InTheHouse]

Allright my UG softs are weak - idk if that matters though. I'll have to look into whether working at the lab for 2-3 years will be the sort of work experience that could get me into an M7 if I've got a high GMAT score. But I guess youre referring to my career alternatives in general and not just the MBA here, so yeah, I should probably do some more research.

I wouldn't worry about your "softs." You should have plenty of time to explore extracurricular interests while working at Lincoln. And its not like you're locked into work for Lincoln for the rest of your life. There are plenty of opportunities in Boston. After a year maybe you leave to work at a tech startup or join an IP firm to work as a patent agent. All of this will look good for a B-school app. Just give yourself a chance to see what your options are.