{"id":57,"date":"2019-03-23T11:57:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-23T08:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/?page_id=57"},"modified":"2020-03-02T21:58:40","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T18:58:40","slug":"law","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/career-information\/law\/","title":{"rendered":"Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>Throughout graduate school, you\u2019ve likely had to defend your research succinctly with the appropriate data.\u00a0 Maybe your advisor has even mentioned how well you argue your position (perhaps sometimes to a fault in order to get your dissertation approved). \u00a0Although you may not have realized it, there are a surprising number of skills that directly translate from your time in graduate school to the practice of law. \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>Anyone coming out of a PhD program is surprisingly well prepared for law school if they are willing to spend another three years in school, and there are even some fields of study that will allow you to find a job at a law firm directly out of your PhD program.<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Entry_Points\"><\/span>Entry Points<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6606f8e4a588e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6606f8e4a588e\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/career-information\/law\/#Entry_Points\" title=\"Entry Points\">Entry Points<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/career-information\/law\/#Who_are_the_Employers\" title=\"Who are the Employers?\">Who are the Employers?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/career-information\/law\/#Application_Process\" title=\"Application Process\">Application Process<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/career-information\/law\/#Career_Progression\" title=\"Career Progression\">Career Progression<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/career-information\/law\/#Work_Hours\" title=\"Work Hours\">Work Hours<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/career-information\/law\/#Compensation\" title=\"Compensation\">Compensation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/career-information\/law\/#Exit_Options\" title=\"Exit Options\">Exit Options<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>If your PhD is in a non-technical field such as the humanities or social sciences, there is good news and bad news\u2026 the good news is that your expertise has trained you exceedingly well to be a top-notch lawyer and you should have no trouble getting into a very respectable law school.\u00a0 The bad news is that you\u2019ll probably need to go directly to law school after you finish your PhD; most law firms will not have a position of interest for you until you have your law degree.<br \/><br \/>If your PhD is in a technical field, particularly in engineering, computer science, or one of the life sciences, you may qualify for a position as a technical specialist\/scientific advisor at law firms that have intellectual property practices.\u00a0 This position will not only provide a comfortable salary, but many law firms will sponsor their technical specialist\/scientific advisors, letting you attend law school part-time for free while still working as a technical specialist\/scientific advisor and collecting a salary.\u00a0 Even better, most firms will credit you for your time at the firm while attending law school so that when you finish your degree, you will join the firm at a salary significantly higher than that of a first year associate.\u00a0<br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_are_the_Employers\"><\/span>Who are the Employers?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>A comprehensive list of law firms can be found\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.martindale.com\/law-firms.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><br \/>A list of intellectual property law firms can be found\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.martindale.com\/Intellectual-Property-law-firms-countries.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Application_Process\"><\/span>Application Process<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>If you are going straight to law school, then your process is pretty clear-cut: take the LSAT and then apply to law school.\u00a0 Those with a technical background should look for opportunities as a technical specialist\/scientific advisor.\u00a0 Law firms that are looking for technical specialist\/scientific advisors generally require the standard fare of resume, transcripts, cover letter, and a writing sample.\u00a0 For the writing sample, you should generally keep it 4-5 pages long, make sure you are the only author (so not one of your multi-author academic publications), and it\u2019s best if you cover a current topic in the field of your expertise.\u00a0\u00a0<br \/><br \/>Regarding to which law firms you apply, you should apply to quite a few (at least 20) and don\u2019t rely on posted openings.\u00a0 For any law firm that catches your eye, do a quick check to see if they employ any technical or scientific advisors, which is usually in their \u201cpeople\u201d section of their website.\u00a0 If so, then send in your materials to the contact person for employment, which can usually be found in their \u201ccareers\u201d section.\u00a0 Finally, don\u2019t be discouraged by failure; keep applying because there are plenty of law firms in the sea.<br \/><br \/>If you are invited in for an interview, it will likely be a pretty standard two-step process consisting of an initial phone interview followed by a more in-depth in person interview.\u00a0 They are not likely going to grill your knowledge of the law, but you should at least be familiar with the very basics of patents and patent protection.\u00a0 The in person interview is likely to be a very long, if not all day affair, so be prepared to meet a lot of people and charm them with your sparkling personality.<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Career_Progression\"><\/span>Career Progression<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>Technical specialists\/scientific advisors are usually required to take and pass the patent bar within a year of starting (all of which will be paid for by the law firm). \u00a0After passing the patent bar, there is an instant promotion to patent agent.\u00a0 Some law firms are happy to employ you long term as a patent agent, while others will sponsor you to attend law school part-time while remaining with the firm as a patent agent, so this should be something to bring up during the interviewing process.\u00a0 After the four year process of attending law school part-time, many law firms will credit you for your time spent at the firm, so you will enter as a 3rd\/4th year associate instead of a 1st year associate.\u00a0 From there, the jump to partner can vary depending on the firm and your productivity, but the average wait is around 9-11 years.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Work_Hours\"><\/span>Work Hours<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>Law firms require a certain number of hours spent doing work for clients, otherwise known as billable hours.\u00a0 These billable hour requirements generally range between 1700 and 2300 hours per year.\u00a0 Just for some perspective, once you factor in things like a lunch break and other non-client related work throughout the day, 50 hours of work per week can roughly translate to 1760 hours per year.\u00a0\u00a0<br \/><br \/>While 50-80 total hours of work per week is not unheard of for full time employees, most firms that would sponsor you to attend law school part-time will allow for scaled back work hours while you are a student.\u00a0 For example, the intellectual property law firm of Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper, and Scinto claims on its website that technical advisors can expect to work ~35 hours per week at the firm while attending law school.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Compensation\"><\/span>Compensation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>Although pay will vary depending on the size of the law firm and geographical location, (highest pay will be in firms of 100+ employees in major cities), a reasonable expectation for compensation would be:<br \/><br \/>~$85-95K salary for technical specialists\/scientific advisors<br \/>~$100-115K salary for patent agents (passed the patent bar)<br \/>~$135-160K salary for first year associates (passed the patent bar and have law degree)<br \/>~$175-200K salary for third\/fourth year associates (passed the patent bar and have law degree)<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>On top of these salaries some firms will offer bonuses to technical specialists\/scientific advisors and patent agents (although the bonus will be lower than bonuses to associates.)\u00a0 At the most generous firms, associate bonuses can range from $10-60K.<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Exit_Options\"><\/span>Exit Options<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>For patent agents that choose not to go to law school, suitable positions can be found in intellectual property law firms, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, technology transfer offices, and consulting firms that specialize in intellectual property. \u00a0<br \/><br \/>Those that decide to go through the trouble of getting a law degree after a PhD may not be too eager to leave that lucrative law firm position.\u00a0 If the law firm life isn\u2019t for you, the PhD\/JD combo will put you in a good position to land a position as an in-house counsel within a corporation.\u00a0 This is especially true for businesses that are related to your field of expertise, e.g. a PhD in molecular biology would be well suited to serving as in-house counsel at a biotech company.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout graduate school, you\u2019ve likely had to defend your research succinctly with the appropriate data.\u00a0 Maybe your advisor has even mentioned how well you argue your position (perhaps sometimes to a fault in order to get your dissertation approved). \u00a0Although you may not have realized it, there are a surprising number of skills that directly&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":27,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/57"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/57\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phdcareerguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}