<p>say i got to a non t14 law school. would that put me at a grweat disadvantage for this career. Also, would i need an engineering degree of soem sort or could i get an economics and then law- intellectual property?</p>
<p>If you don’t find the answers to your questions in the thread at the top of this forum, post again</p>
<p>yea still no definite answer</p>
<p>Carefully read dadofsam’s post because there is great info. My research (I’m still in high school so double check my info) tells me that you need a science related major/background for this field of work, pass a patent exam, and will need some solid work experience if you plan to brach out on your own a few years down the road.</p>
<p>An economics degree would not serve you well in this area, and I would surmise you would have a hard time finding good work. A masters apperntly helps job placement because you are more specialized, and thusly more attractive to big law firms.</p>
<p>Also I’ve read that what law school you attend does not really matter as much as you may think for intellectual property law because I think that your science background is more important, but I may be wrong. Post a question/PM dadofsam or read his thread again because that’s where most of my info came from, along with browsing internet/CC for last few months.</p>
<p>I’m surprised you couldn’t find the answers on his thread, unless you accidently read the wrong thred. Oh well, I hope that I helped you! :)</p>
<p>I’m also very interested in a career in IPL–I’m planning to major in Biochemistry. I’ve done some extensive research and everything that I’ve found mentions that a background in a “technical field” (engineering—mechanical, chemical, biomedical, biology, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, etc.) is very important—if you want to be a patent attorney. I’m still a little fuzzy on the qualifications of a patent agent, so I will not comment on that.</p>
<p>I do agree that an economics degree would not be of much use in this field because potential clients and employers will want to seek those that can understand the technology of the invention. What you study as an undergraduate is very important in this line of work—your undergraduate major determines your eligibility to take the Patent Examination. That is why a strong technology background is very important.</p>
<p>As far as going to a non T14 school goes, my research (again I’m only just about to begin college) has shown that T14 schools provide much greater recruitment opportunities than non T14 schools. Also the general consensus seems to be that a prospective law school student aims to go to the highest reputable school he can get admitted to. Not only does a reputable school provide excellent job placement upon graduation, but it also provides excellent summer employment between law school years—this can be invaluable when looking for work later on down the line.</p>
<p>I have found this particular website throughout my quest for research on patent attorneys which provided me with much needed help: [Career</a> opportunities in intellectual property law](<a href=“http://www.oppedahl.com/opportunities/]Career”>Career opportunities in intellectual property law)</p>
<p>However, I do have a question of my own: Is the general education path for a career in IPL undergraduate (Sc.B) —> LSAT —> Law School (J.D.) —> Patent Examination —> Bar Examination? Is a Master’s degree (or even Ph.D) necessary? If so, when? Not many schools have a combined J.D./MS program—Stanford does, but it is in Bioengineering and I don’t think a degree in Biochemistry will prepare me for graduate work in Bioengineering…Thanks for any advice! And I hope I was of some help!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If you read my post you would have seen that in my opinion you do not have to go to a T14 school to become an intellectual property attorney.</p></li>
<li><p>You also would have read that intellectual property includes many areas of law besides patent law, and that to work in those other areas you do not need a technical degree.</p></li>
<li><p>Both patent attorneys and patent agents have to pass the USPTO examination, which requires either a technical degree or a certain minimum number of credits in science courses. The difference is that a patent attorney also has attended law school and passed a bar examination whereas a patent agent has not (yet) passed a bar examination.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t think that a degree in biochemistry would be a good preparation for a masters’ degree in bioengineering. However, I also don’t think, (and I do think that I made it clear in my posts) that anyone should take a certain degree because it is convenient (for example, the law school gives it in conjuction with a J.D.) or because it would be a good degree for practicing patent law. Whatever degree you take, you will be spending countless hours taking classes and doing the work, and it should be in a subject that you like and can do well in. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for many hours of bad experiences. If you like biochemistry, major in it, and if you then want to become a patent attorney you may find that an advanced degree will be essential or at least helpful.</p></li>
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