<p>What would be the best engineering major for patent law in terms of which one will have the most opportunities in the future (besides Electrical Engineering since I'm not particularly interested nor good at electricity stuff)? The engineering majors I'm looking at getting into in particular are: environmental engineering, chemical/materials engineering, biomed engineering. So which one would provide the most opportunities in the future? </p>
<p>Also, just about patent law in general, does the whole T14 law school still apply here in order to get decent jobs, and are there opportunities to work internationally as a patent lawyer?</p>
<p>For the answer to question 1, read my pinned post on intellectual property law. Attending a T14 law school is not necessarily the only way to go as there are certain non-T14 schools that are considered quite good for patent and other IP law - John Marshall, Franklin Pierce and Santa Clara among them.<br>
Working internationally occurs from time to time, but you should face the fact that usually one will have to be an outstanding performer to be sent overseas in any capacity. However, you could consider moving to another country and becoming a patent lawyer there. Some American patent attorneys have moved to Japan, Israel and elsewhere, but you will need to become proficient in the local language.</p>
<p>I have a question about patent law...I'm in a bit of a dilemma because while I want to pursue patent law, I really don't want to go to grad school to get a PhD. I feel like one option is to go straight to law school with just a BS, meaning my employment prospects might be slim out of law school. Another option would be to go to grad school under the disguise of getting a PhD, and then demote myself to a masters; this kinda seems inherently dishonest to me, but I reallllllyyy can't stay in grad school for 6+ years like that.</p>
<p>Environmental engineering doesn't qualify under Option A (certain science degrees), but a good program would likely qualify under Option B (qualification by coursework).</p>
<p>ditto boogz's post. Does only having a BS really limit your patent law prospects? One of the reasons I'm pursuing law is because I KNOW I don't want to go to grad school just for science.</p>
<p>If the BS is in a solid engineering degree, it might be sufficient. If it is in biology/biochemistry/genetics/chemistry or physics, it will limit your prospects very much. The primary reason is because there are many candidates looking to get into patent law with advanced degrees in those subjects, so by comparison your credentials will be weak.</p>
<p>Do you think, then, that getting a masters in the physical/life sciences is the way to go for someone who does want to practice patent law but does not want to go as far as getting a PhD? I can definitely do 2 additional years of schooling...not 6. As far as patent law job prospects are concerned, do you think there's any harm with demoting oneself to a masters in a PhD program? I've heard that those who choose to do this are sometimes looked down upon.</p>
<p>In my experience in an east coast city-in biology/biochemistry/genetics-a master's is rarely enough these days-and hasn't been for quite awhile. There are A LOT of under-employed Ph.D. biologists looking for second careers and patent law generally looks pretty attractive to some one desperate to get out of lab and start earning a decent living (as compared to being a postdoc). Some markets are so saturated with Bio Ph.D.'s that not only must one have a Ph.D. - it has to be from Harvard, MIT, or may be a few other top tier places. </p>
<p>In chemistry-moving forward with a Masters is certainly more possible than in biology-but it should be in organic chemistry (preferrably synthetic) from either MIT, Berkeley, CalTech, Harvard, or Stanford (maybe). A Master's from a non-top 5 school has much less leverage. Is it impossible? No. But-you will be at a disadvantage. A Ph.D. is generally considered by (some) employers to be a much more desired degree. Still-I know people with chemistry Ph.D.'s who had a hard time finding a job.</p>
<p>In physics-I think it would be a hard sell with a Masters-but I don't know the high tech side. I think for physics it would be best if the course work, etc. had a lot of engineering components. There aren't (as far as I'm aware) a lot of patent applications on inventions related to String Theory. </p>
<p>So-do you have other options? Certainly. Please do not go to science grad school if you know you'll hate it-life is way way too short to be that miserable for that long (very approx. 4%-8% of life span if you live to 100). Other options for you might include doing litigation rather than prep and prosecution, FDA law, or environmental law. Or tax law if you are good at math.</p>
<p>Boogz: It may partly depend on geography. If you are looking to practice patent law in a hotbed area of the country, i.e. a major city on either coast or in the Midwest, these are desirable areas in which to live (for most people, anyway) and (unfortunately) you need to compete with the top-rated candidates for positions there. If you prefer to live in a less "hot" city or in a different part of the country, maybe then a Master's degree will be enough to get you into the profession. But frankly, with a graduate degree and law school to go, you are a good 5 - 6 years away (at least) from looking for that entry level position and nobody can predict now what the job market will be like then.</p>
<p>You therefore ought to think seriously about why you are looking into patent law in the first place. I suspect that it's one of a number of possibilities you are considering where you may be able to make use of an interest and some study in a science without becoming a research scientist. If so, there are other possibilities such as science writing or science journalism, environmental issues (both legal and non-legal), high school teaching, and others.</p>