...how do you like your field? Been thinking of a career switch after 18 years in software. IP law might be in order given my background. Dunno...or maybe a prosecutor with a spoon.
How long would it take for schooling and the basics, before I really get to practice?
Buy a Monster Dark instead..........
That's as close to "the dark side " you need to go [evil]
I keed, I keed
Three years of law school...
The bar...
Years of peed-on associate...
I am now looking into cooking school.
When I was growing up there was a kids tv show...yes we had tv... ;)
The theme song went like this...
"The grass is always greener in the other fellows yard"...
just sayin'
Three years of law school, bar exam for each state you want to practice in, grunt work as an associate (depending on the size of the firm, it could be a lot of years and a lot of hours). Graduated law school in 2000, worked as an attorney for 6 years, now working in litigation/electronic evidence consulting. Much better now, been in it for 3 years.
My brother did law school in 2.5 years (took summer classes), graduated, passed the IL Bar, and became a prosecutor.
Now he does criminal defense
All my close lawyer friends no longer practice, and instead have moved into different fields (Finance / Venture Capital / Comedy writing)
All my close engineering friends are still in engineering.
On the flip side, the IP lawyers I work with are all lazy as hell, work very little, and the starting salary (from a good school) for an in-house IP council is supposed to be around $170K :o
Quote from: NAKID on March 29, 2009, 09:38:30 AM
huh?
The keyboard on my laptop is all make the beast with two backsed up and randomly sticks. Must have happened there. My fault
I was thinking that was some new acronym I didn't know yet!
Quote from: NAKID on March 29, 2009, 04:43:03 PM
I was thinking that was some new acronym I didn't know yet!
...and that would just be wrong for a navy guy.... [evil]
Damn Right!
law school blows, fyi. There's really no upside to law school. There's very little work available the first summer between 1L and 2L years, and even less of it pays.
IF you have an engineering background, go learn about the Patent Bar, the requirements for taking it and make sure you qualify. If you do, and this is key: Go get a study-kit (unfortunately around $1k), study, and take this test BEFORE law school. many will tell you this is not necessary - and its not, but it IS smart. You need to law background to pass this sucker, just the study kits.
What the P-Bar gets you: Take and pass - You are a "Patent Agent" and can work on Patent Claims, etc. Then, lets say you go to law school, you graduate, you take a state bar (any) and pass --> You are now a "Patent Atty" which pays handsomely (though so do the non-lawyer patent agent jobs).
I'm in the midst of law school. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel still, though many people lose the spark in their eyes. When you go, if you go, get involved - do Moot Court, Mock Trial, etc so that you still see the practical application. You'll have some great, engaging professors, but nothing can drag down even the most enthusiastic student like a boring torts professor discussing the nuances of negligence.
The more I get into studying etc, the more flaws I see in the entire law school process --> Law should be an apprenticeship process rather than a school.
There are night programs available at many, even Tier-1, universities. If you choose to go to a tier-3 or tier-4 law school and don't graduate in the top 5 or so people from the class, you'll have to really enjoy that $32,000 starting salary...
If you do well and focus on IP, I'm being constantly reminded that starting salaries are all over $150k, many at $170k+...However, then the recession came in and many firms laid off a lot of unproductive lawyers. Recent law graduates received deferred start days, and idiots who hadn't accepted job offers yet had their offers rescinded.
There are, however, certain elements of law that boom when the economy goes bust: foreclosures, patent prosecution, etc. Time to start protecting assets you already have rather than invest in new stuff. This is all what I've been told, so its all regurgitated facts, nothing is FHE other than the FHE of a law student in the mixup.
And know what you are getting into when you decide on law school - I studied till late during week days, quit at 7pm on fridays to drink away my frustrations, went to the library and studied on saturdays and looked at college FB scores on the internet 'ticker', and did some sunday homework. This resulted in placing in the Top Third after the first semester. It was a lot of work, and I wasn't used to working that hard - I came to law school on scholarship with an engineering undergraduate degree where things came easy for me... its a lot of work to do well, don't be fooled.
Prostitution is where its at...
Quote from: Munch on March 30, 2009, 04:07:53 PM
Prostitution is where its at...
That's what we're discussing. ;)
watch out, I'll bite your tongue and not let go.
You dirty whoooore, you.