"I want to be a lawyer!" -- Frequently Asked Questions

I'm guessing that by IP you mean Intellectual Property. Don't know what you mean by an IT lawyer - Information Technology? If so, there's no such animal (forgive me, I still need coffee :-D).

Anyway, Intellectual Property attorneys are always in demand and always working, so far as I am aware. The EE background is, of course, fantastic. You will need to be able to explain why a similar design does not infringe upon a preexisting patent. You will need to be able to show that a patent application was made at a particular time, in good faith, etc. And this will include defending against international patents. You don't need to speak a slew of languages but you'll need to have access to those who do.

My father is a retired EE and a multiple patent holder, so he has dealt with patent attorneys for decades. The one he has dealt with for the last 30 years is a former EE who most assuredly knows his stuff. And I know Dad trusts P___ and the feeling is mutual. They work as a good team. P___'s firm is directly retained by the company my father is retired from. I doubt that P____ does all of the work; it's much more likely that P___ does the heavy lifting, such as trials, whereas he has younger attorneys and legal assistants performing the leg work, the research, and making motions and whatnot.

There always seems to be work there and I know that they are paid very well (for a while there, my father wanted me to go into that, but alas I took a number of science classes in college but never even had a real minor in anything scientific so I was not qualified). Anyway, so long as people are creative, there will be a need for IP attorneys. Go where the engineers are -- this means, generally, California, Seattle, North Carolina's Research Triangle area, New York City and upstate New York (near Rensallaer Polytech), Boston/Cambridge and probably also an area like Austin, TX.

Good luck and welcome to A2K.

Wow, thanks for the timely reply and the welcome. It's much appreciated (expecially since it's a Saturday morning!)

IP Law is looking more and more promising. Is there a website, or some kind of guide to all thing IP related? Coming from Canada, all States are the same to me (as they are all America), but i'd prefer to be in a good place, one with promising employment opportunites (hopefully while in school).

And, hopefully a place which is nice and temperate, i'm fed up with average temperatures of -20C but unaccustomed to long periods of temperatures above freezing

LOL, I hear you re the cold, it's currently blizzarding (is that a word? No? Well, it is now) here and the temps are in the deep freeze. My neighbor's house has huge, daggerlike icicles hanging from it, and the governor has declared a state of emergency. I'm in Massachusetts.

Of the places I listed above, the most temperate are California, North Carolina and Austin, but NC still gets some snow. Dunno about Austin and I'm not even so sure there are scads of EEs there. California has earthquakes and San Francisco can be cold but I don't believe it gets terribly snowy there. Seattle is less snowy (even though it's farther North), because it's very humid and there is often a lot of rain. So you pick what kind of weather you can best tolerate.

Try here for patent law info: http://search.able2know.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?query=patent&catid=71

Here is a website on the creative class: http://www.creativeclass.org/rankings.shtml That particular page has a drop-down which shows how various cities rank, based upon certain creativity factors, which you may or may not agree with. The bottom line is that cities are more creative if they have and encourage to move there a large creative class (artists, musicians, etc.), they have a lot of high tech, they encourage diversity (large gay population, large immigrant population, not everyone is married, not everyone is a parent), plus innovation is encouraged (I believe this has to do with the number of trendsetters in an area).

Compare, for example, Boston, MA and Anniston, AL (that's Alabama). Boston is ranked third while Anniston is ranked 236th. And this makes sense; Boston has the 128 circle (that's a route number) of engineering companies, we have a decent but not super-fantastic theatre district, and there is a thriving diverse population. Plus, there are more colleges and universities here than in any other part of the US. Anniston, in contrast, is a small deep-Southern town not known for any of those things. However, if it's important to you (and this isn't on that website, I just happen to know this), it's a lot cheaper to live there.

Anyway, time for me to look out the window some more and cuss the weather. :-D

Thanks for the links. I had no idea that one could put so much research into a career. When I went into EE, the demand was so great at the time, I thought i'd be a fool not to take a slice of the pie. In hindsight, I should have dug a little deeper and figured out that my job could be outsourced.

Of all the scores of lawyers graduating, are there enough jobs to support them all? I've never heard of an unemployed lawyer, but what is the job climate like for newly graduated lawyers?

I know the job climate for us EE's sucks right now (at least here in North America), but in the 4+ years it'll take for me to become a lawyer, will I have to face the same hurdles as I face now? (ie outsourcing, too many EE's and not enough jobs available, etc.)

As more and more companies outsource, how will it affect legal work in terms of IP Law, the actual design work is done there (India for example), so wouldnt the Patents be filed in India? If they wanted to market a product in the States would they need to file a patent in the US?

(again, please forgive my ignorance)

Law can't really be outsourced because lawyers need to be able to (a) take the Bar, (b) do pro bono or continuing legal education or both, as required to maintain their licenses and (c) go to court. Court appearances are just that: appearances. Hence they can't be handled by someone in Pakistan (or wherever), unless the person in Pakistan wants to travel to the US for court appearances. I used to go to court three or so times per week (keep in mind, though, that I wasn't in IP and I worked in a very busy office) so outsourcing would've never worked. It would just be far too expensive.

Anyway, there will always be a demand, although not in every single specialty. The slow and steady types of specialties, like real estate and personal injury, will always have work. Will IP? I have no idea. It probably will, although if there's a glut in the amount of lawyers during IP work, it's impossible to know for sure. The market for incoming attorneys varies, depending upon where you want to practice (Iowa or Idaho or wherever), and depending upon which specialty, if any, you wish to pursue. Patent lawyers have to have a scientific or mathematic-type of background, so by definition there are a lot fewer lawyers qualified to do that than, say, medical malpractice. Therefore there is less likelihood of a glut in the market but it's not outside the realm of possibility. It's highly doubtful, though, that a glut would happen in the next half-decade to decade. That's my opinion, though, so take it for what it's worth.

I don't know much about patents and I don't want to steer you wrong, but I strongly suspect that a US patent has to be filed in the US. And, even if it doesn't, the American lawyer could still conceivably have to bring suit in the US. If an American firm holds an international patent, and that patent is challenged by an Indian company, the American firm will fight tooth and nail to get jurisdiction in the US. That, at the very least, will entail arguments and motion practice in the US. As to whether the US firm would win, of course I have no idea.

I do not know the intricacies of it, if a patent for a US-sold product must be patented in the US, but that's possible. I suspect that there is some reciprocity out there but can't be certain.

Dickens: As usual, I agree with Jespah. Legal jobs can't be outsourced overseas, although they can be outsourced across the country. Just because a client is in a high-tech corridor (e.g. Silicon Valley, etc.) doesn't necessarily mean that the client's lawyers are there too. One of my friends who is a patent lawyer here in Chicago has a good number of clients in the automotive industry, and they are concentrated in the Detroit area.

One other thing: don't get the mistaken impression that intellectual property law is driven by the high-tech sector of the economy. That, of course, is a significant part of IP work, but there are still lots of patents out there in "low-tech" fields (remember the multi-million dollar case involving the inventor of intermittent windshield wipers?). Plus IP lawyers also tend to do a lot of trademark work, which is pretty much no-tech.

Although it's a general site, not targeted to the IP field, you might want to check out the links here for information about employment for lawyers.

Thanks for all the advice. It's much appreciated.

I'm planning on writting the June LSAT. Assuming I do well, and I have my applications in before June to various law school in the US and Canada, when would be the earliest I'd be able to start my Law studies? Is it possible to get acceptance (should I be accepted) this coming Sept '05? Or should I be preparing myself for Sept '06? I've been reading about early acceptance, but it's concept is lost on me.

Ideally, I'd like to start Law as soon as possible, and delaying it a year wouldn't be much fun, as my current job predicament sucks!

Thanks again!

I don't think it would be possible to take the LSAT in June and get admitted to law school for the following September. The June test (which is the most popular of the LSATs) is typically taken by college juniors who intend to enter law school after graduating, so those taking the June '05 test will, most likely, be entering law school in the fall of '06. It will take around six-eight weeks to get your LSAT score, which wouldn't leave much time for a school to decide to accept you for the fall '05 entering class.


I'm not too clear on it myself. Some law schools have early admission (my school did), where part of the incoming class starts in the summer rather than the fall, but that's not the same thing as early acceptance.


There may be chance of getting admitted to a law school starting in the second semester (January 2006). Because first-year law students take their required courses in the first year, however, it may not be possible to start in the middle of the year. Check out the web sites for law schools and see if any of them allow this option.

Is it okay to party and have a social life? Or bury myself into my books to do well.

Or do I need a balance? If so, how and isn't it more benifical to my career if I study more than "play?"

I'm not sure there is one "absolutely correct" answer to your question that will serve everyone, but in my opinion, you definitely should have a social life. I witnessed people "bury themselves in their books" in the first semester, only to burn out right before finals, when it's most important to be at the top of your game. The first semester is perhaps the most important of your law school career, however, so it is important to study hard. I think it is absolutely correct to say you should have a balance. Schedule your study time, but also schedule your party time. And, I would suggest that when you do that scheduling, that you should study more than play.

Yeah, what Tico said. As Aristotle famously opined: "nothing in excess, everything in moderation." And that includes studying.

Practicing Law...
I desire to practice law in Israel, as opposed to practicing law in America.

Am I shooting myself in the foot (so-to-speak)?

Are the complications and changes drastic?

Note::: I am well aware of the fact that I must attend Law School in Israel and learn Hebrew. I also understand that I must serve in the Israeli army once I become a citizen.

I truly love Israel. I feel at home and at peace.

I returned yesturday from Israel and I feel so dejected here. But do not get me wrong. America is great, just our society... isn't up to speed with our country's status. It is lacking, in my humble opinion -- no offense to anyone.

If I will be rich enough I would not be against having two houses; one in Israel and the other in New York. No joke.

P.S. The only thing which is holding me back -- mainly -- is the language. I question myself: Will I know the language well enough as my English (and improve) to present the winning argument? I am sure that I can learn the language, read more hebrew (after that) and do that I have always done (Read, Write, Read, Read...). Yet, I still ask myself...

Kyle: You've reached the limits of my expertise. I have no idea how someone becomes a lawyer in Israel. This website might be of some help.

Good luck. Behatzlacha!

To-da. =]

Joe can I have your email address? I have an important question.

Email me: [email protected]

Hello Kyle!

Incidentally, I am an Israeli immigrant to Canada, so I guess are ways are exactly opposite.

I have a question for the practising lawyers on this board. I am currently in grade 12, planning to attend university next year. Recently I became interested in law. What undergraduate degree would you suggest I should get before law school?

Personally, I always thought a BA is the best way. But I asked my school's law teacher and he surprisingly told me that a BSc or a BCOM are much better. Is it true?


Thank you!

BA vs BS
Jake-
Im also in 12th grade at a high school in Sacramento, CA. I'm going to California State University, Fresno this fall and am interested in law. I don't think that deciding to go for a BS over a BA is the right decision necessarily.
I took a mock trial class last term and am a t.a. for my old mock trial teacher during his constitutional rights class. I also participated in the California Mock Trial comp and had the opportunity to speak with many lawyers who served as judges during our trials.
I wouldn't limit myself to a BA or a BS. Choose whatever major you want that will help you develop your writing and literary analysis skills, like a previous post advised.
Some Bachelor of Art degrees can do that as well as some Bachelor of Science degrees. Just research whatever undergrad degrees that appeal to you. My current major for Fresno State is criminology-victimology, but I am going to change it before registration to probably psychology with a minor in politics or English. Hope that helped.

~Kayla Priester

Jake:

See this post from Joefromchicago earlier in this thread: http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1064198#1064198

As Kayla suggested, having good writing skills is essential to do well in Law School, and when you are practicing law. For my undergraduate degree, I dual majored in History and Business Administration, receiving a B.A.

Welcome to A2K, jake_m and kpriester!

As I briefly mentioned in the post that Ticomaya linked, it really doesn't matter what major or minor field you choose to study in college. As long as you have the opportunity to develop your writing and reasoning skills, any course of study will prepare you for law school. I knew plenty of people in law school who had BS degrees, and a few who had BFAs. Choose a major that interests you and that allows you to develop the skills that will make you a better thinker: law school will prepare you to become a lawyer.