Texas A&M Forum

[engineer2law]

Taking a shot in the dark to see if there are any Texas A&M grads or students out there. Hoping to hear if there is any sign of improvement in job prospects now after the name change. Also any thoughts on rankings in the future. I saw the that LSAT/gpa numbers for the 2015 entering class had a substantial jump from even just a couple of years ago and are competitive with some tier 2 schools even. Regardless of academic history of the program, I think that is a thing that not many schools can claim in the current climate where most programs are lowering admission standards.

I am interested in patent law and spoke with one of the IP professors recently. He thought their IP program rivaled Houston's. I thought this was a bold statement, but know they have brought in some great IP faculty over the past year. Anyone have insider information in regards to patent law prospects?

Thanks,

[totesTheGoat]

I am interested in patent law and spoke with one of the IP professors recently. He thought their IP program rivaled Houston's. I thought this was a bold statement, but know they have brought in some great IP faculty over the past year. Anyone have insider information in regards to patent law prospects?

That's really, really bold. Maybe it rivals UH in Dallas, but even that is a bit strong. Dallas patent law is:

SMU, UT, T-14 > UH, T1 > A&M, Tech, Baylor, UNT > T2, South Texas, etc.

I do know that SMU is bulking up their IP offerings because they're feeling some competition from A&M in the IP field in Dallas, but all the patent practitioners I've talked to describe A&M as having "potential" instead of already "being there."

[engineer2law]

I am interested in patent law and spoke with one of the IP professors recently. He thought their IP program rivaled Houston's. I thought this was a bold statement, but know they have brought in some great IP faculty over the past year. Anyone have insider information in regards to patent law prospects?

That's really, really bold. Maybe it rivals UH in Dallas, but even that is a bit strong. Dallas patent law is:

SMU, UT, T-14 > UH, T1 > A&M, Tech, Baylor, UNT > T2, South Texas, etc.

I do know that SMU is bulking up their IP offerings because they're feeling some competition from A&M in the IP field in Dallas, but all the patent practitioners I've talked to describe A&M as having "potential" instead of already "being there."

That's very helpful, thanks. I know Dallas has a lot of opportunity with big law and patent boutiques. Do you know of any firms in Ft. Worth for patent prosecution positions?

[J. Unfriendly]

I am interested in patent law and spoke with one of the IP professors recently. He thought their IP program rivaled Houston's. I thought this was a bold statement, but know they have brought in some great IP faculty over the past year. Anyone have insider information in regards to patent law prospects?

That's really, really bold. Maybe it rivals UH in Dallas, but even that is a bit strong. Dallas patent law is:

SMU, UT, T-14 > UH, T1 > A&M, Tech, Baylor, UNT > T2, South Texas, etc.

I do know that SMU is bulking up their IP offerings because they're feeling some competition from A&M in the IP field in Dallas, but all the patent practitioners I've talked to describe A&M as having "potential" instead of already "being there."

I'm not sure if I would put SMU above UT.

[lymenheimer]

I'm not sure if I would put SMU above UT.

It's not

[totesTheGoat]

I'm not sure if I would put SMU above UT.

The comma separated groups are in no particular order. The groups separated by greater than signs are in order.

I'll also say that the Dallas IP Bar is close-knit enough that being in Dallas for law school gives you a massive networking advantage. Whether that overcomes the "prestige" deficit, I don't know.

[totesTheGoat]

Do you know of any firms in Ft. Worth for patent prosecution positions?

Kelly Hart may have a small prosecution practice, but it's certainly not to the level of the Dallas firms. Most of the patent prosecution is done in downtown Dallas or up in the Telecom Corridor. I'm hearing some rumblings about firms opening offices up near North Plano/Frisco, but I can't tell you whether any of them are going to be patent firms.

[thetravelinglawyer]

I noticed their incoming class size has plummeted over the last few years. I can't seem to find the source but IIRC they are admitting over 100 less students now than they did two years ago. I don't know if they are trying to tighten their standards or if they are having trouble filling seats but if it's the latter that is concerning.

[kalvano]

I am interested in patent law and spoke with one of the IP professors recently. He thought their IP program rivaled Houston's. I thought this was a bold statement, but know they have brought in some great IP faculty over the past year. Anyone have insider information in regards to patent law prospects?

That's really, really bold. Maybe it rivals UH in Dallas, but even that is a bit strong. Dallas patent law is:

SMU, UT, T-14 > UH, T1 > A&M, Tech, Baylor, UNT > T2, South Texas, etc.

I do know that SMU is bulking up their IP offerings because they're feeling some competition from A&M in the IP field in Dallas, but all the patent practitioners I've talked to describe A&M as having "potential" instead of already "being there."

This is wrong. A&M should be placed well below Tech and Baylor, as should UNT. They are both well behind in terms of placement.

No one of any intelligence should be considering A&M.

[engineer2law]

I noticed their incoming class size has plummeted over the last few years. I can't seem to find the source but IIRC they are admitting over 100 less students now than they did two years ago. I don't know if they are trying to tighten their standards or if they are having trouble filling seats but if it's the latter that is concerning.

Texas Wesleyan had pretty big class sizes. Last time I looked at the a&m website I think they said their entering class was around 140ish in 2015, which I would still consider a healthy size. I would imagine with the bump in their starting class stats they are being more selective, but I'm not sure

[lnh819]

I would be very wary of going to a school that's a) going through a transition phase, b) facing new competition (UNT), and c) is a good hour away from the proper Dallas area where most patent lawyers would be. You either need to go to SMU or Houston (if you're ok starting your career in Houston). Obviously, UT could also possibly open some doors. Tech places well in the Dallas area and should be chosen over Baylor or South Texas. South Texas is only good if you want to be a litigator in Houston. However, as a current Tech student, I get the impression that IP is not a particularly focus of ours, although you'd have the opportunity to get some good advocacy experience if you want those basic skills.

[totesTheGoat]

This is wrong. A&M should be placed well below Tech and Baylor, as should UNT. They are both well behind in terms of placement.

A&M and UNT are both gearing up to churn out IP attorneys, and they are both focusing on making the connections in the Dallas IP Bar that are necessary to start placing students. Most of the hiring attorneys I've talked to are curious about the quality of student A&M and UNT will put out, and are willing to take a chance on top-of-the-class students from those schools in the coming few years. (Most are more interested in UNT than A&M) There is a genuine curiosity as to whether UNT and A&M can challenge SMU for the Dallas market in the future, and the attorneys I talk to say that IP is going to be the primary battleground.

On the other hand, Tech and Baylor hardly place in Dallas IP, and they're not trying to make any play in the Dallas market to change that. I've met a whopping 2 Tech grads and maybe 3 or 4 Baylor grads doing IP in Dallas (I can't even count the number of UT, SMU, and T-14 grads I've met).

It may be a little premature to put A&M and UNT on the same level as Tech and Baylor, but I have little doubt that at least one if not both of them will surpass Tech and Baylor in Dallas IP placement within 5 years.

I would be very wary of going to a school that's a) going through a transition phase, b) facing new competition (UNT), and c) is a good hour away from the proper Dallas area where most patent lawyers would be.

I think this is a perfect critique of A&M, especially c).

[p1921]

A&M isn't very well connected from what I can tell. i wouldn't recommend it.

[Right2BearArms]

OP, don't got to A&M, really.

[thetravelinglawyer]

This is wrong. A&M should be placed well below Tech and Baylor, as should UNT. They are both well behind in terms of placement.

A&M and UNT are both gearing up to churn out IP attorneys, and they are both focusing on making the connections in the Dallas IP Bar that are necessary to start placing students. Most of the hiring attorneys I've talked to are curious about the quality of student A&M and UNT will put out, and are willing to take a chance on top-of-the-class students from those schools in the coming few years. (Most are more interested in UNT than A&M) There is a genuine curiosity as to whether UNT and A&M can challenge SMU for the Dallas market in the future, and the attorneys I talk to say that IP is going to be the primary battleground.

Unrelated since this is an A&M thread, but I got the feeling from my interactions with UNT that they are really strongly focusing on public interest/government work. Their personal statement prompt mentioned public service, and in the mandatory(!?!) interview they asked several questions about what you've done to help the community and how you will use your law degree to help the less fortunate.

(Not going to A&M or UNT but I was limited to Dallas law schools so I just blanket applied to all of them for the heck of it).

[totesTheGoat]

Unrelated since this is an A&M thread, but I got the feeling from my interactions with UNT that they are really strongly focusing on public interest/government work. Their personal statement prompt mentioned public service, and in the mandatory(!?!) interview they asked several questions about what you've done to help the community and how you will use your law degree to help the less fortunate.

That's interesting! I hadn't heard that. I know that UNT is trying to become the "working professionals" school in Dallas, catering to students with jobs and families. I also know that UNT has been selling themselves to local firms as the school in Dallas that will produce the most practice-ready graduates. I can certainly appreciate what they're trying to do, even if I think they're going to have a hard time getting there.