4. Yes.  But, patent litigation doesn't require a science-based undergrad degree.  In fact, some of the best patent litigators are general commercial litigators and do not have technical undergraduate degrees.

So being a PE and wanting to be involved in patent prosecution does not help me in the eyes of an employer?

Hi,

I will be graduating next May with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from a well respected southern university. Law school has become a great interest of mine within the past year. More specifically, I have become very absorbed by the possibility of becoming a patent attorney. One of the biggest self-realizations I've had during my time as a college student is that I am a very logical thinker. This has helped me tremendously in my engineering courses and has compensated for my lack of spatial awareness. This, as I am told, is a very valuable skill to has a law school student. I have been doing some very light LSAT studying over the past few months, mainly during the weekend. I have come to the point to where it is time for me to converse with a large group of law student and professionals in order to seek advice on my unique (or not so unique) situation.

As I have said, I am a ME major with a graduation date of May 2012. I started interning for a company last summer and have earned my place as a respected employee. I was offered a full-time job this spring semester with my current employer. Being offered a full-time job as a junior is not something I was about to take for granted and, needless to say, I accepted the position. My employer is unaware of my ambitions to become a patent attorney. I have no intentions of not fulfilling my word with my employer (to become a full-time employee). I do, however, still want to become a patent attorney. So my goal is to be able to work during the day and become a part-time law student at night. This is where my head spins and the questions begin.

- Is being a part-time law student as a 22-23 year old an implausible task if I was to also be a full-time employee?
- Am I wasting the hard earned and very versatile degree I have worked so hard for?
- Does having an engineering degree help my chances at being accepted into a night-time law school program?
- Do patent attorneys get the chance to understand ideas from a client then get the convey those ideas to a jury? I have a great ability to understand and then convey that understanding to someone else in a way that they can also understand.
- Could it be recommended that I do not take my position as a full time employee and instead pursue a FT career as a law student? I am very against this because I hear that experience as a professional engineer is very important asset that many law firms look for.


Please note that I am not only looking for answers to these questions but also looking for ANY advice or suggestions that could in ANY way pertain to my situation. I appreciate any and all advice I can get. Thanks!