Computer Science or Eletrical Engineering for IP Law? Forum

[PatentMoney]

Anyone in IP Law know which degree is more sought after in Big Law and IP boutiques?

[mrtoren]

Anyone in IP Law know which degree is more sought after in Big Law and IP boutiques?

I don't think computer science counts as a hard science.

[Tom Joad]

Anyone in IP Law know which degree is more sought after in Big Law and IP boutiques?

I don't think computer science counts as a hard science.

Are you 100% sure it doesn't count or just not sure? I am not sure, but I know lots of CS programs would probably be more practical for IP law than physics.

[09042014]

Anyone in IP Law know which degree is more sought after in Big Law and IP boutiques?

EE by a small bit. Why are you asking? You aren't planning on getting an engineering degree to go into patent law are you?

[PatentMoney]

Anyone in IP Law know which degree is more sought after in Big Law and IP boutiques?

I don't think computer science counts as a hard science.

Are you 100% sure it doesn't count or just not sure? I am not sure, but I know lots of CS programs would probably be more practical for IP law than physics.

Computer Science is counted but it has to be accredited.

[PatentMoney]

Anyone in IP Law know which degree is more sought after in Big Law and IP boutiques?

EE by a small bit. Why are you asking? You aren't planning on getting an engineering degree to go into patent law are you?[/quoute]
That is one of the biggest reasons, yes.

[09042014]

Anyone in IP Law know which degree is more sought after in Big Law and IP boutiques?

EE by a small bit. Why are you asking? You aren't planning on getting an engineering degree to go into patent law are you?[/quoute]
That is one of the biggest reasons, yes.

You are going to plan 7 years on the assumption you want to do one area of the law?

[PatentMoney]

Anyone in IP Law know which degree is more sought after in Big Law and IP boutiques?

EE by a small bit. Why are you asking? You aren't planning on getting an engineering degree to go into patent law are you?[/quoute]
That is one of the biggest reasons, yes.

You are going to plan 7 years on the assumption you want to do one area of the law?

I don't see why this is a bad idea?

[09042014]

EE by a small bit. Why are you asking? You aren't planning on getting an engineering degree to go into patent law are you?[/quoute]
That is one of the biggest reasons, yes.

You are going to plan 7 years on the assumption you want to do one area of the law?

I don't see why this is a bad idea?

Cause you might hate it, you might not get into a good law school, engineering is better than law, patent law is boring.

[PatentMoney]

EE by a small bit. Why are you asking? You aren't planning on getting an engineering degree to go into patent law are you?
That is one of the biggest reasons, yes.

You are going to plan 7 years on the assumption you want to do one area of the law?

I don't see why this is a bad idea?

Cause you might hate it, you might not get into a good law school, engineering is better than law, patent law is boring.[/quote]
My mom is a doctor and she finds her job boring, but she's good at it and it pays well. My passion was to be a journalist, but how can I support a family with 30-40k?

[Bronck]

So, you want to go to law school to make money? That's the worst reason. Only go if you genuinely want to practice law.

[bk1]

My mom is a doctor and she finds her job boring, but she's good at it and it pays well. My passion was to be a journalist, but how can I support a family with 30-40k?

Why not just use your undergrad degree for a job in EE or CS?

[GTSkillz]

A typical view that I have seen is that EEs can do cs and mechanical patent work, but cs and mech engineers can't do EE. Thus, it is easier to get a patent prosecution position as a EE. I know several attorneys with a cs background with a patent bar reg. no., but I don't know the requirements.

[bernard97]

I got an engineering degree with the sole purpose of pursuing patent law, what gives random people the right to say thats a wrong decision? It met my interests, I'm sure it meets OPs interests too. I got a mech e degree, but if I had known better I would have done ee without a doubt.

Also, I will be doing software work even with an ME

[GTSkillz]

Agree on the thoughts of random people. And I wasn't saying me's and cs's can't do other work, just a perception I have noticed that EEs are considered more flexible in general.

I got an engineering degree with the sole purpose of pursuing patent law, what gives random people the right to say thats a wrong decision? It met my interests, I'm sure it meets OPs interests too. I got a mech e degree, but if I had known better I would have done ee without a doubt.

Also, I will be doing software work even with an ME

[pat123]

[quote="GTSkillz"]Agree on the thoughts of random people. And I wasn't saying me's and cs's can't do other work, just a perception I have noticed that EEs are considered more flexible in general.

That perception is generally true, I agree. It's much easier to show you can do other work as an EE than show that you have the skills to do other type of work as an ME.

So if you are indifferent to the type of engineering, do electrical, it'll make you much more competitive in the long run.

[09042014]

I got an engineering degree with the sole purpose of pursuing patent law, what gives random people the right to say thats a wrong decision? It met my interests, I'm sure it meets OPs interests too. I got a mech e degree, but if I had known better I would have done ee without a doubt.

Also, I will be doing software work even with an ME

Stop being a little bitch.

[sky7]

Wow - a lot of hate in this thread. I know a lot of people who went through engineering in undergrad with the intent of going to law school and doing patent law. Seems like a fine plan to me. Have fun being IPSECURE. It's a great time to be a patent attorney.

[hurldes]

So, you want to go to law school to make money? That's the worst reason. Only go if you genuinely want to practice law.

Nothing wrong with wanting to make money. EE or CS will open a lot of doors even if you decide not to go to law school. You can't go wrong with either, unless you suck at programming (like me)... then don't do CS. But you'll find out if you have an knack for programming once you take a class or two.

Also, if you genuinely like engineering or CS, you should consider doing that for a career. I know some people who love engineering but always planned on going to law school, so now they are in law school and hate it... they wasted a year of income as an engineer ($65k) and a year's worth of tuition ($40k) at law school to realize they'd rather not be an attorney.

Regardless of whether or not you go to law school, do engineering/CS. It's wayy better than a humanities or business degree.

[Bronck]

So, you want to go to law school to make money? That's the worst reason. Only go if you genuinely want to practice law.

Nothing wrong with wanting to make money. EE or CS will open a lot of doors even if you decide not to go to law school. You can't go wrong with either, unless you suck at programming (like me)... then don't do CS. But you'll find out if you have an knack for programming once you take a class or two.

Also, if you genuinely like engineering or CS, you should consider doing that for a career. I know some people who love engineering but always planned on going to law school, so now they are in law school and hate it... they wasted a year of income as an engineer ($65k) and a year's worth of tuition ($40k) at law school to realize they'd rather not be an attorney.

Regardless of whether or not you go to law school, do engineering/CS. It's wayy better than a humanities or business degree.

It is wrong if that's the only reason someone wants to practice law. Your second paragraph clearly shows why this is the case.

[benburns214]

So, you want to go to law school to make money? That's the worst reason. Only go if you genuinely want to practice law.

+1 billion

[J-e-L-L-o]

and whats the difference going to college for a history/political science/....any major... and knowing you want to go to law school? That makes no sense. All degrees take 4 years (technically).




so how about computer engineering....a lil bit of both EE and CS.

[UzerName]

So, you want to go to law school to make money? That's the worst reason. Only go if you genuinely want to practice law.

I don't think it is necessarily the money, but those who can pass the patent bar are currently ridiculously employable. Others? Not nearly as much.

So I agree with you. If you have the science background for the patent bar, you will be able to practice law. Otherwise, you may potentially be able to practice law at some point. For some reason, taking a class in copyright doesn't allow you to immediately practice law because anyone can take that class. Those with hard science backgrounds... are a different story.

I can't begin to describe the number of places willing to pay 6 figures for someone who can write out patent applications, which can literally be done with computer programs.

[patent-o]

I am graduating with a B.S. in Computer Science and I have been accepted to law school. I've wanted to be a patent attorney since middle school. Yes, that means that I've already gone through 4 years of engineering just to go to law school. I highly recommend CS because it is a bit more rare than EE. Namely, because the CS degree has to come from an engineering college. When I was applying to universities for Computer Science, I was surprised at how many schools give out a CS degree in the form of a B.A. I will admit, I am a bit biased CS internships also pay really really well ($25-33/hour). You could have a really nice nest egg saved up to help out with law school costs.
I've spoken with some career services employees at some of the law schools that I am considering. They tell me that firms are reaching out to them requesting students who have a CS or EE background, and there aren't enough students to go around. Either way, you can't make a bad decision. Four years ago I was in your shoes, and I have no regrets.

[r6_philly]

I am graduating with a B.S. in Computer Science and I have been accepted to law school. I've wanted to be a patent attorney since middle school. Yes, that means that I've already gone through 4 years of engineering just to go to law school. I highly recommend CS because it is a bit more rare than EE. Namely, because the CS degree has to come from an engineering college. When I was applying to universities for Computer Science, I was surprised at how many schools give out a CS degree in the form of a B.A. I will admit, I am a bit biased CS internships also pay really really well ($25-33/hour). You could have a really nice nest egg saved up to help out with law school costs.
I've spoken with some career services employees at some of the law schools that I am considering. They tell me that firms are reaching out to them requesting students who have a CS or EE background, and there aren't enough students to go around. Either way, you can't make a bad decision. Four years ago I was in your shoes, and I have no regrets.

It may be a little bit more rare, but firms still prefer EE before CS.

ETA: you may have no regrets now, wait 3 more years. You may still have no regrets, but you can't claim everything is all good and as expected before you start law school, because you still don't know what it means to practice law (neither do I, but I have a little more insight by now).