Top law school chances for an engineer

<p>Hey all. I was looking to see what everyone’s thoughts were on my chances at a top law school. Quick background on myself:
[ul]
[<em>]I’m an electrical engineering student from a no-name state university.
[</em>]I’ve got a 3.69 GPA, which has been on a steady upward swing so I’m hoping for a 3.75ish GPA by the time I’m done.
[<em>]I’ve spent the past few semesters interning with an oil company, and will have 3 or 4 semesters of experience by the time I’m finished. I’ve also been in a social fraternity for three years and a resident advisor for two years.
[</em>]Haven’t taken the LSAT yet, but I’m planning to put in a lot of work into it and I’m good test taker, so I’m hoping for a score in the vicinity of 170 (But really who isn’t?).
[li]I’m scheduled to graduate in December 2014, but may push it back to May with a business minor. [/li][/ul]
Assuming I finish out my career with a 3.7-3.75 GPA and 168-170 on the LSAT, am I competitive for a top law school? Being realistic, I’m setting my sights on the schools hovering around the bottom half of the top 20. Particularly I’m looking at Michigan, Duke, Berkeley, Cornell, Texas, UCLA, ect.</p>

<p>As a little more information about myself, I'm still in the process of deciding whether I want to apply to law school or not. I'm also considering applying for a doctorate program in engineering or I may just go right to work as an engineer after undergrad. If anyone could recommend any good blogs or books about law school, admissions, the legal profession, ect, I would appreciate it!</p>

<p>You can plug different numbers in [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm]here[/url”&gt;http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm]here[/url</a>] to see how things play out. The site is uploaded with 2012 numbers and I expect it will actually be easier to get higher schools as time goes on and applications fall. I think the best way for you to figure out whether you want engineering or law is to go talk to some lawyers and engineers. You’d be surprised how amenable people are to grabbing coffee or lunch. An internship wouldn’t be a bad idea either, if you have the time.</p>

<p>Thank you for the reply and helpful link, Demosthenes. How do you think my background in engineering will impact anything in my application process? I’ve heard there is a little bit of leeway for an engineering major’s GPA, but not much. Should I just expect to treat it as a soft factor that really only comes into play after the GPA and LSAT numbers?</p>

<p>I’d first work as an engineer if I were you. You may end up liking it a lot, all the while gaining engineering connections if law doesn’t work out. Also, work experience can only help you during the law school application process! Another thing, you can save up money, hopefully get scholarships, and minimize your debt.</p>

<p>I’d recommend checking out Law School Transparency for information on the legal profession.</p>

<p>There’s no leeway for engineers in getting into law school. The upside is that engineering lets you go into IP, which is recruiting a lot these days.</p>

<p>If you go into IP, you will find that many employers care more about where you received your engineering degree than where you received your law degree. They care about where you received your technical education. Advanced degrees and work experience are also more important for IP jobs.</p>

<p>I don’t know that I’d go that far. The job statistics drop so precipitously as you head away from the T14 that I’d be hesitant to think they’ll overlook a law school to get a good undergrad. I’ve definitely seen IP willing to dip further into classes at the schools they do recruit at, though.</p>

<p>Thanks for all of the responses. I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out and to get a little discussion going on engineering and law.</p>

<p>@Rolando: Engineering as a career is by no means ruled out, nor do I have my heart set on law. Mostly, I’m trying to test the waters and do a little research on other career options. From a financial benefit point-of-view, I can’t help but think that going to anything other than a top law school would make any sense for me. Although truth be told, the best option financially would be to take a job with my current company (Provided I’m fortunate enough to get a full-time offer). But in the long run, I’m not certain that its something I would really be happy with.</p>

<p>@crankyoldman: Thank you for the link. Very interesting website. I love seeing schools broken down by purely objective measures.</p>

<p>@demosthenese & cartera: IP/patent law is definetely something that interests me. However I don’t have my heart set on being a patent attorney, and therefore am not trying to pursue law from that strict of an angle. I’ve heard it said before that technical education and experience is more important than the law school for patent attorneys, but I don’t think that applies in my case. It seems to me that that would be good advice for someone with a graduate degree or years of work experience. That could be especially true for someone who is moving from engineer to patent attorney within the same company, and really only needs the legal qualification and not the name brand or network of the university.</p>

<p>Of course, me being an ignorant college student and the Internet being a giant echo chamber, this is just speculation on my part.</p>

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<p>Yes, some employers will do that. I have a number of clients who have turned down applicants from top law schools in favor of those with undergrad and grad degrees from top engineering/science programs. Of course, they love to have both. I am working with a software company now that makes that choice. As I’ve said before, I deal with lateral hiring.</p>

<p>A few thoughts:</p>

<p>*Don’t go to law school. You can get into a stable, relatively lucrative profession straight out of undergrad, or you can get into an overcrowded profession that throws people out of the best jobs after three years. If you’re going to go, go at night or go for free.</p>

<p>*Look at the job opportunities in your area. Many require a PhD in engineering to go into patent law; the ones that don’t involve patent prosecution (i.e. patent litigation and technology transactions) often do not give much, if any, preference for engineering degrees. If they are only hiring PhDs in your area, don’t go to law school.</p>

<p>*Do the USPTO exam (Patent Bar) before law school. Yes, you can do this. Yes, it may be enough to get you a job in patent law (as a “patent agent” and not as a “patent attorney”). At the very least, it will be a strong plus on your resume as you look for 1L and 2L summer jobs.</p>