dadofsam

Samuel01:

As stated in my post, I'm not able to comment on law school admissions. AS far as preparing yourself for the job search, don't take it for granted that because you have the impetus you'll do well in law school. Law school is extremely competitive after you get in. In the first year, which generally is the most difficult (because the type of material and ways if studying for it are not familiar to most students) the students are competing for the chance to be on the law review staff I(I finished in the top 10% of my class but did not make law review because my first semester grades were just average). After that, students compete for class standing, which is imprtant when seeking that entry-level position. So be prepared to compete yourself, from the beginning, if you can. yes, it ican be a rat race, which means that sometimes the rats win.

lindaliu

Hi! Dadofsam:
Thanks first for your post. I am a molecular biologist with PHD. I have several years post-doc experience in cancer and vaccine, so I will be 40 soon. I have decent publication and experience in writing academic and business grant (SBIR). If I go to law school, I will be around 43-44 when I graduate. Will my age be a disadvantage? Also, Chinease is my native language. Do you think with China on the rise, will there be more china company or institution apply for US patent in next 5 years, therefore, there will be some advantage for a bilingual patent lawyer? By the way, I am in Philadelphia area and have to stay in here. Or do you think I should try to do patent agent first? Law school is a big commitment in both financial and life. please tell me like it is. No sugar coding.

dadofsam

Dear Lindaliu:
Chinese companies have rapidly moved into carrying out original research in pharmaceuticals and biotech, and have begun submitting new molecules for regulatory approval (outside the US) so, yes, they should be filing more patent applications very shortly. And for that reason, Chinese language abilities will be useful (of course there already are a number of US patent attorneys who are fluent in Chinese).
As I stated in one of my posts, I’m not able to predict the future, including the exact need for Chinese-speaking biotech patent attorneys in 3-4 years.
In the current economy, companies are looking more for patent agents than they had in the past, to save money on salaries. However, in my opinion, they may soon learn the limitations of a patent agent. You should speak with HR or hiring managers at biotech firms to get a better feel for whether in the long range you would be limiting yourself too much by not going to law school.
I don’t think that your age will be much of a factor. Many people your age decide to leave research and go to law school or otherwise change careers. However, I do hope that your post is not representative of your writing ability. You need to be able to use correct spelling and grammar in any field of law, and especially in patent law, where incorrect grammar can make a patent invalid or can fail to cover essential material.

Karensuchis

hello,my name is Karen I want to study private property, I am planning to go to France but I am not sure about what School of law, do you know wich is the best french school of law? Any information would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Karen C.

dadofsam

Sorry, don't know anything about French law schools. you should post the question on the law school board to have more people possibly answer.