<p>I really hate asking "What are my chances?" but I couldn't find another post on here where someone was in a similar situation as me. I've been out of school for a couple of years and decided at the beginning of this year that I would get off my butt and take the steps to apply to law school. Unfortunately, I got a little lazy and didn't seriously consider it until July, when I signed up to take the October LSAT. I got 160 on the test. My undergrad GPA was a 3.77, double majoring in Psychobiology and Communication (I graduated with honors in both, and was on the Dean's List multiple times). I haven't done a lot of extracurriculars as an undergrad, except participating in the pre-law fraternity for one year--I studied abroad the semester afterwards and upon coming back was busy working whenever I wasn't in class, so I didn't really have time for it.</p>
<p>My interests have always lied in Intellectual Property Law and Entertainment Law. I've been working at a music distribution company for the past 2 years, which further fostered my interest in those fields. Considering this, what are my chances for the following schools if I were to apply for Fall 2011? I know LSAT scores are extremely important, and my score isn't exactly the best. Should I delay applying until next year and retake the LSAT?</p>
<p>Columbia
NYU
UCLA
USC
George Washington University
UC Hastings
UC Berkeley
Boston University
Stanford</p>
<p>I mean, you should always retake if you have good reason for thinking your score will rise.
You should never retake otherwise. The question is whether law school is a wise investment given that you’re at your peak score.</p>
<p>Are you African American? Otherwise you are going to need at 7-8 more points for the worst schools on your list. Also, IP is generally easier to get a job in than non-IP but you don’t have an enginneering or sciences background so that will be tough for you.</p>
<p>(a) No, it isn’t.
(b) “Intellectual Property” doesn’t exclusively mean “patent law.” There’s “Soft-IP,” which covers copyright and trademark issues. Soft-IP has no requirement for an engineering or science background.</p>
<p>Patriot: You post on TLS (and, more specifically, on the employment forums). You should know better.</p>
<p>It is my fault for conflating patent and IP, but anecdotally, it seems people who have hard sciences background and have taken the patent bar are doing much better ITE. Also, from what i’ve heard (admittedly I have no experience), soft IP is a tougher market than those with hard sciences.</p>
<p>Of course, if OP is specifically referring to the IP as refers to the music industry then it is a different story.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your input. Seeing as I started studying for the LSATs only 2 months in advance, I’m positive I could get a higher score if given more time to prepare. I was already doubting my chances, and you all have helped to reaffirm that.</p>
<p>My IP interests are moreso in what flowerhead noted: copyrights and trademarks as it pertains to music industry (though I’m definitely open to TV, film, literary works, etc). I realize it’s a tough field to get into, but I do have a few connections having been <em>sort of</em> in the digital music/media industry already. </p>
<p>I would, however, like to know: what do you think are more realistic schools given my current stats?</p>
<p>starlight- i’ll agree with the info you have received. If you feel you can do better on the LSAT’s, then retake it. If you remain with the 160 score, you may want to check out Cardozo Law in NYC. They do have a very decent reputation in IP/Entertainment law. Some on these boards maintain a T-14 or bust mentality so not all will go along with this suggestion .
But if you have the drive, desire, and can swing it financially I’d suggest you look into the program at Cardozo.</p>
<p>This is probably my fault for being unclear. My point was not that the industry was necessarily harder to break into, but that it has been easier for patent people and hard sciences people to get biglaw jobs then the rest of the student body. Getting a job at a firm like kirkland is really tough for 99% of people, but for a hard IP person it has, anecdotally, opened up more doors with more offers.</p>
<p>Believe me, I want to work at Covington, but that doesn’t mean I think it is even remotely possible.</p>
<p>By itself, this isn’t a good indicator – 2 months is usually about where I find that my friends max out. Of course, if you weren’t studying during those two months, or if your score was continuing to rise during practice tests, then that’s another story. As one indicator, 160 LSAT is roughly what you’d expect if your M+V SAT was about 1240 – or if your starting “cold” LSAT score was about 150ish.</p>
<p>If the OP can boost his LSAT and get into a T10 law school, getting Kirkland or Debevoise wouldn’t be incredibly difficult. It wouldn’t be easy, but it’s not nearly as hard as you’re suggesting.</p>