Top Law Schools

Remix101 wrote:I have had 3 engineering internships and have been working full time as an engineer for a little over 6 months now. By the time I go to law school I will probably have an additional 1-2 years of full time W/E as an engineer.

If I ultimately want to get into IP Law, will an MS in EE help? I have a BS in ECE from a USNews T100 school with ~3.4 gpa. Should I do the MS first, then go to law school or just study my butt off for the LSAT now, and then apply to law school directly (then hopefully I can start either fall of 2011 or 2012).

If I were to do the MSEE it would probably take ~3 years part time, and that will put law school on hold until fall of 2013/2014.

My main concern: I want a job at a big law firm in NYC/DC/LA.

Desert Fox wrote:

Remix101 wrote:I have had 3 engineering internships and have been working full time as an engineer for a little over 6 months now. By the time I go to law school I will probably have an additional 1-2 years of full time W/E as an engineer.

If I ultimately want to get into IP Law, will an MS in EE help? I have a BS in ECE from a USNews T100 school with ~3.4 gpa. Should I do the MS first, then go to law school or just study my butt off for the LSAT now, and then apply to law school directly (then hopefully I can start either fall of 2011 or 2012).

If I were to do the MSEE it would probably take ~3 years part time, and that will put law school on hold until fall of 2013/2014.

My main concern: I want a job at a big law firm in NYC/DC/LA.

I'm not sure, but if it does, I'd consider getting the MSEE in one year full time, instead of dicking around for 3 years.

Remix101 wrote:Alright..the problem is I just bought a condo (hoping in a couple years it will get me some profit to help pay for school) so I cannot convert to full time, I have to keep my job..So part time is the only option. What do you think about the situation now?

Thanks.

CE2JD wrote:

Remix101 wrote:Alright..the problem is I just bought a condo (hoping in a couple years it will get me some profit to help pay for school) so I cannot convert to full time, I have to keep my job..So part time is the only option. What do you think about the situation now?

Thanks.

Well, I sure as hell wouldn't go to law school unless I got a full ride scholarship if I were in your situation.

Remix101 wrote:I think you guys misunderstood. I meant I cannot do a Master's full time since I own a condo (SoCal region). I was hoping to study for the LSAT/work for a year, then apply. I want to do law school full time for sure.

kdawg666 wrote:If you have an engineering background and somewhat decent grades, both in undergrad and in law school, you will easily get a job for 100k+ starting (EASILY).

kdawg666 wrote:Trying to keep the advantage alive....can you blame me.

Cloud9 wrote:I've been wondering the same thing recently.

In '93 I finished a CS degree from a top 40 university (while working full-time) and took the LSAT on a dare / bet with no intention of going to law school. I scored a 179, won my bet, and didn't give it another thought.

From my perspective, it didn't seem to matter as I was too broke to not work and all the serious law school programs were full-time. A couple of years after that I was recruited by a Fortune 20 technology company and was making six figures, so the opportunity cost of attending full-time just seemed too great.

I agreed to work for them on the condition that they pay for my MBA, but they wouldn't sponsor for the executive MBA program, so again, that limited my options to part-time programs, so I attended NYU in the evenings and obtained 4 majors (though they limit my majors to 3 on the transcript.)

Again, the thought of law came up as I met a few JD/MBA students, but upon further research, I found out those students were in the full-time program and there was no part-time option.

Last year I was laid off as my position was outsourced, and began thinking about what to do next. With my degrees I'm a 21 credits short of a MS in computer engineering, and 30 credits short of an MS in electrical engineering.

Since I can attend either program part-time at a regional college in California where I now live, and it'll take about a year giving me some time to mull over a JD once again.

I'm in my 40s now after working for a top tech company for over a decade, so the three key questions rattling around my head are:

1. Whether a CE or EE will help pursuing a legal career in IP and Patent Law...
2. Is it just too late for full-time law school at my age with a wife and kids...and
3. Will my 3.4 GPA undergrad and grad (both earned while working full-time) limit my options for a top school.

The biggest question of all which I haven't really thought through completely yet is whether any top law firm will actually want a 40 something old lawyer regardless of what law school I graduate from.

I was considering MD for a while, but that's much, much longer path than law, so I've completely ruled that out.

Thoughts, comments, and opinions welcome.

Is J.D. for Just Dreaming...?

CE2JD wrote:A EE degree is slightly? better than a CE degree which is a LOT better than a CS degree for IP job placement.

Good luck! Unfortunately, I've seen your type of situation play out all too many times in this economy with some of my coworkers.