Breaking into IP law

[Anonymous]

OP here again. Another element I want some opinions on, since it is an anonymous parenting forum after all--what is it like to have a baby in law school?

If I do decide to go to law school after my PhD, it seems like in the scheme of things, it's not the worst time to have a kid (not that there is ever a great time). There is not my current worry about chemical exposure from bench work, and while law school is intense and demanding, so is being a lawyer, dealing with billing your hours, keeping up with clients, etc.--from my experience watching my Dad's career, way more intense than I could imagine any type of school being.

I will probably be ~27 when I finish my PhD (right now I'm a few months away from 26), so if I jump straight into law school, I will be 30 at the youngest upon finishing. If I start as an agent, then perhaps mid 30s. I definitely want to have a kid in the next 5 years. I know that working full time or doing school full time, and children is always a tough combo, but does anyone have any advice/experience about how law school and babies/toddlers mix? I know that this particular career path is a lot of school, but I think there are a lot of potential benefits in the long run in terms of finding a niche where there is a pretty decent, recession proof market, having earning potential (and having more disposable income if DH decides to do something that is less lucrative), coordinating geographically with DH's career ambitions, and finding an area that aligns with my interests and aptitude.

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. I'm reaching out to my dad's colleagues, people I met at a conference, and some peers of mine who are in the patent office as examiners, but this anonymous forum has been very helpful.

[Anonymous]

Ropes & Gray, Finnegan Henderson, Fish & Richardson, Jones Day, Wolf Greenfield & Sacks, and likely others have patent agent programs where you work and attend law school at the same time. Tuition is free. Go this route and you will not regret it. Guaranteed associate position when you graduate plus credit for having been an agent. Usually start as a third year. You will have a six figure net worth while your colleagues are drowning in debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks so much for your advice. In the bubble of graduate school, and can be really difficult to get a handle on what options are out there besides getting a postdoc and going into academia (which is a completely miserable job market). I have a few friends in graduate school who got jobs as patent examiners through USPTO and they seem to generally enjoy the work. One question--DH is interested in a more traditional type of PhD career and will likely want to do a post-doc followed by academia or working as an R&D scientist, and for this stage of his career there are not as many options in the DC area. Do patent evaluator jobs exist in branches outside of DC? All my peers who have gone onto that path have ended up in DC.


We are looking at biotech hubs to best coordinate our careers (San Diego, Boston, San Francisco), and it seems like a lot of IP firms are based out of those areas (as well as job opportunities in consulting, biotech, and great academic post-docs). It seems like one path some take is getting hired as a technical specialist, and becoming an agent once they pass the patent bar--however most firms as you mentioned don't seem to want to train PhDs. Would your advice be to look for smaller boutique type firms?

My father is a Big Law lawyer (although he's in tax law, and doesn't know much about IP), and he has made me very skeptical of entering law school, and it does seem like working as a patent agent offers an opportunity to make a decent living without incurring a lot of risky debt. Another question--I feel sleazy asking this since my parents have always instilled a sense of independence in us, but would it be worthwhile to try to network with some colleagues/partners in my dad's firm?

Unless your husband works for a world-famous scientist with strong ties to industry he has very little chance of getting a science R&D position. That's what I was told by someone in HR at Novartis. She received 500+ applications for one open position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. Another element I want some opinions on, since it is an anonymous parenting forum after all--what is it like to have a baby in law school?

If I do decide to go to law school after my PhD, it seems like in the scheme of things, it's not the worst time to have a kid (not that there is ever a great time). There is not my current worry about chemical exposure from bench work, and while law school is intense and demanding, so is being a lawyer, dealing with billing your hours, keeping up with clients, etc.--from my experience watching my Dad's career, way more intense than I could imagine any type of school being.

I will probably be ~27 when I finish my PhD (right now I'm a few months away from 26), so if I jump straight into law school, I will be 30 at the youngest upon finishing. If I start as an agent, then perhaps mid 30s. I definitely want to have a kid in the next 5 years. I know that working full time or doing school full time, and children is always a tough combo, but does anyone have any advice/experience about how law school and babies/toddlers mix? I know that this particular career path is a lot of school, but I think there are a lot of potential benefits in the long run in terms of finding a niche where there is a pretty decent, recession proof market, having earning potential (and having more disposable income if DH decides to do something that is less lucrative), coordinating geographically with DH's career ambitions, and finding an area that aligns with my interests and aptitude.

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. I'm reaching out to my dad's colleagues, people I met at a conference, and some peers of mine who are in the patent office as examiners, but this anonymous forum has been very helpful.

Have a baby first then see if law is really what you want to get into. Honestly, once you have a baby you will realize that becoming a lawyer isn't an attractive career path.

[Anonymous]

Unless your husband works for a world-famous scientist with strong ties to industry he has very little chance of getting a science R&D position. That's what I was told by someone in HR at Novartis. She received 500+ applications for one open position.

He does work for someone like that. His lab is really excellent placement in industry--it's the sort of lab where his advisor can make a phone call to recommend placements before the job listings are even open. His lab isn't as connected with pharma companies, but they've had a lot of excellent placement in more materials science oriented companies. His advisor is a jerk, but he's well connected and my husband has done well there and has an excellent pub record and has been the rockstar of the group, so I'm not really worried about his employability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Unless your husband works for a world-famous scientist with strong ties to industry he has very little chance of getting a science R&D position. That's what I was told by someone in HR at Novartis. She received 500+ applications for one open position.

He does work for someone like that. His lab is really excellent placement in industry--it's the sort of lab where his advisor can make a phone call to recommend placements before the job listings are even open. His lab isn't as connected with pharma companies, but they've had a lot of excellent placement in more materials science oriented companies. His advisor is a jerk, but he's well connected and my husband has done well there and has an excellent pub record and has been the rockstar of the group, so I'm not really worried about his employability.

Interesting, I don't know any scientists in DC that fit that bill.

[Anonymous]

OP, yes, you should definitely go into law school. It'll only put you back $180-200K and when you get in, probably will only separate you and your husband for 3 years. It's definitely feasible for either you or him to take care of a baby while you finish up or in the worst case you can give the baby to your parents to watch. I knew someone in school who commuted to DC from NJ (her parents house) everyday and had two kids in law school. Of course she hasn't found a job and is in a lot of debt, but it's fine. At least she gets to see her kids as opposed to the 2000+ hours the rest of us must bill every year. Lucky if the kids are awake for 1 hour either in the morning or evening.

[Anonymous]

We are not in the DC area...found this forum through the TTC boards and other areas, and it seemed like a place where people could give advice on a variety of other concerns (career and so on)

[Anonymous]

My DH is an equity partner at a well known DC firm. He started as a tech specialist and went to law school at night and firm paid for it. We had several children during his years in law school. It wasn't easy, but it can be done and I worked full time. We often think about how different our life would be had he stayed in science......there has never been a time that he regretted his decision. Good luck!