37 yrs old and Stanford?

[cmo]

Hi
I'm a 37 year old PhD scientist. I completed my undergrad and graduate education in the UK in great schools, and did pretty well. Since then I was a post-doctoral scientist (the 'traditional' career path for PhDs trying to break into an academic career as a professor) for about 5-6 years. I moved from the UK to the US in the course of that time, and about 1.5 yrs ago I started working in a start-up biotech company. I'm now looking at making a major career switch to IP law and would really like to go to either Stanford or Berkeley law school as they are the best schools for patent law and because of the proximity to Silicon Valley. I have only just started preparing for the LSAT and I'm scoring in the low 160s...I'm pretty sure with a little work I can bump that up to a 170 score. Is age a limiting factor in me getting into a top law school like Stanford or Berkeley?

[Cereal_Killer]

Age has no bearing on law school admissions. It's really all about your LSAT and GPA. On the other hand, your age might actually help you get into the school of your choice (assuming your hard factors are competitive) because law schools work very hard to create diversity within the classroom.

[FalconJimmy]

Your credentials are astounding.  The main issue will be LSAT and GPA.

I can tell you right now that a score in the 160s won't even get you past the mail room at Stanford.  Will probably mean an automatic reject, regardless of anything else.

https://officialguide.lsac.org/release/OfficialGuide_Default.aspx

Can't really say much without knowing what your GPA will turn out to be, but with a 170 and say, a 3.7, you would have a poor chance of admission to NYU or Michigan.  It's hard to interpret where you'd fall with Stanford, but suffice to say that if NYU won't take you, Stanford and Berkely probably won't, either.

With your impressive credentials, though, I would not be so fixated on Stanford and Berkeley.  If you can get to any school with a national reach (top 14, or maybe even top 25), you can land a great job in IP law, even in the bay area (or anywhere else in the country.)

Don't get me wrong:  if you can get into Stanford, do it.  However, if you go to, say, Northwestern, with your credentials and a good law school performance, you will have no difficulty getting an IP law position in the bay area at graduation.

Best of luck to you.

[cmo]

Hi so I'm trending in the 170s on my LSAT now, my GPA equivalent is about 3.75 to 3.8. The next thing that I'm looking at...and fretting over...is how much this career change is going to cost me. Law school ain't cheap.
Does anyone have any ideas/recommendations about the best way to fund school, scholarships etc? How difficult is it getting financial help? If this question appears naive, forgive me as I'm not accustomed to the US system, all of my education to-date has been gained in Europe.

Thank you.

[fortook]

With numbers like that regional schools, or even a top 20 non top 5, might give you a full ride.  Considering the cost you might want to aim lower. Depending on the school, its not necessarily a bad thing.  I didn't bother to look it up, but I'm guessing Stanford, like HY, is in the 200k range.

Getting a scholarship at HYS.....Good luck there, everyone has max upper range numbers.

[jparks]

I can tell you right now that a score in the 160s won't even get you past the mail room at Stanford.  Will probably mean an automatic reject, regardless of anything else.

Do you really think that's true? I kind of doubt it (but honestly don't know). I bet that having a doctoral degree and an interest in IP would get you past the mail room.

[FalconJimmy]

Do you really think that's true?

Yes.

I bet that having a doctoral degree and an interest in IP would get you past the mail room.

An interest in IP is not an admissions factor.  Nor is an interest in personal injury, family or labor law.  Everybody applying to law school is interested in something.

Having a doctorate?  An intangible, at best. 

[nathan001]

I don't know about the expectations at Stanford. Having a PhD in a science is a factor because this person can qualify for the patent bar and can easily find a post-graduation versus a typical undergraduate with a liberal arts background and I high LSAT. In this job market, it is probably more of a factor. Stick to tier one schools with low debt to predicted associate  salary (50% median of graduating class) and a patent focus. Ratio below 1 are acceptable. 

[CWFirm]

How worried are you about the cost? Is the tuition rate a factor if you end up having to pay it all out of pocket? If cost is an issue, I'd definitely broaden your scope when looking at potential options.

[Maintain FL 350]

Your age will not limit your chances for admission at Boalt or Stanford. Very few attorneys have any training in hard sciences, and you will likely be employable no matter where you go to law school. For most (if not all) biglaw IP jobs, however, a degree from a prestigious school is pretty much required.

Consider this, however: if you can score 170+ on the LSAT you may get a full ride at Hastings, Davis, UCLA, or USC. If you are intent on staying in Silicon Valley it might be better to stay local, make connections, and graduate with no debt. Although none of these schools are T14, all they are well respected.

Here's my unscientific anecdotal evidence: I know a guy with a PhD in microbiology and a JD from Hastings. He was hired straight out of law school by one of the biggest firms in California (patent law), no problem. He actually had several job offers at graduation and got to pick and choose. The other new hires at his firm had JDs from Harvard, Stanford, etc., but his science background got him the job.

Good luck!