I am going to be finishing college in the next year and a half, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I’m going to be applying to law schools soon, and I want to open my own firm one day in Michigan. I was speaking with one of my Pre-Law professors, who is also a mentor, and she suggested I look into Patent Law because of my Engineering background. However, I would like to make a reasonable amount of money, while owning my own firm, so would Patent Law or Personal Injury be a better choice?
Patent law is a “prestigious” field of law. Patent lawyers often can get paid higher rates than other lawyers, and there are plenty of opportunities, from working with start-ups (tech companies often have patent needs) to being specialized counsel that works with larger firms. In addition, as a patent lawyer, you have lots of choices as to where to work–even if you are sure that you want to work in your own firm, it’s good to have other options.
Personal injury lawyers are a dime a dozen and are somewhat looked down on by other lawyers. Insurance defense is a reputable field for personal injury law, but plaintiff-side is definitely looked down on.
Within the legal profession, it would be hard to imagine two areas more different than patent and PI. This, at least on the surface, suggests an unfamiliarity on your part with what lawyers do, and what lawyers in these specific areas do. In addition to the above advice, you would benefit greatly from sitting down with a patent lawyer and a PI lawyer and asking them what it is they do on a daily basis; you’ll find it’s very, very different.
As already mentioned by others, patent law and personal injury are very different from each other to consider as choice. I guess you might not have done good research before considering these 2 areas of legal professions. I would suggest you to meet in person both patent lawyer and personal injury lawyer, http://www.monteithbaker.com/practice-areas/personal-injury/ to get an idea about what you will be doing. Then you will get a clear idea about what choice to make. When choosing a profession, don’t consider money alone, there are much more important factors. Good luck!!