Re: Too Many Patent Lawyers/Agents?

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Yes, I think there is an oversupply of patent lawyers. Alot of
folks think patent law is a quick road to $150k salary. This
may be true if you can get a job, but many newbies cannot get
their foot in the door so they remain in engineering after all
the time and expense of law school. This is something to
seriously think about!

The problem with legal careers in general is that the market
is very flooded with lawyers. New law schools are opening up
when they should be closing down. Contrast law schools to
medical schools. Medical schools limit enrollment to keep the
supply down.

As a result of the serious attorney glut, it is very difficult
to find entry level work right out of law school. This is true
even for the patent lawyers. Many folks will say that the lack
of jobs is primarily due to the general poor state of the
economy. The poor economy makes things much worse, but it has
always been difficult in getting that first patent job right
out of law school.

Another strange thing about the legal profession is the overy
heavy emphasis on paper credentials. Many law firms will not
even consider you if your JD degree is not from a "top 10" law
school and/or you are not in the "top 10%" of your graduating
class. As an electrical engineer, nobody ever cared about my
school or grades. Why not? Because there is a demand for
engineers, unlike attorneys, so engineering employers cannot
be overly picky.

I hold a BEE, MSEE and JD. JD is from a Tier 2 law school and
I graduated in top 50% of class. Also, I am a member of my
state bar and the USPTO patent bar. But guess what? I stll
work in engineering because I cannot get my first patent job.

Re: Too Many Patent Lawyers/Agents?, 3/26/04, by cc.

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