Concord Law School

Being a Patent Attorney is a little different, I think, when it comes to offering one's services in a state where one isn't licensed.

State Bar associations restrict the sorts of things one can call oneself in advertising but one UNIVERSAL exception is that one can always call onself a Patent Attorney if that's what one does. A multi-state Patent Office practice would maybe be somewhat less dicey than any other sort of practice so long as one made it very clear that the practice consists ONLY of preparing and prosecuting patent applications. Words like "intellectual property" would be a problem because that would imply copyright and trademark work, some of which is state law.

I am working on an LL.M. from the University of London in Criminal Law and Criminology. I wanted a deeper theoretical and academic understanding of crime and social policy. The JD is a "technical" degree; there isn't time to try and understand the "why".

No JD really NEEDS an advanced law degree except maybe for certain really arcane areas like taxation or, I guess, in cases where the JD isn't ABA accredited and some state Bar will accept an LL.M. from an ABA school for admission. As you are finding out, most law professors have their BA and JD degrees and nothing more.

As an aside, I really think that holders of non ABA JD degrees should try to be admitted to some state bar as a way of bolstering their credentials, if nothing else. That's one of my ojections to the so-called non Bar JD programs.

 

Personally, I will definitely Bar in CA, but I'm not staying there forever....I will take it back to either NM or AZ after five years and pass their Bar exams. (there's no real need, but it's where I want to be at the end of the day)

 

Interesting. What about a degree from an RA school, such as Excelsior, with a major in a Category A subject?
Or another possible way around this is to take dl science courses through a school that offers an identical onground program. Most schools will take their own dl credits.
Is it just me, or does this whole USPTO situation seem surreal?

Tony

 

two things to consider

Remember, you won't be competing for partner for 7-15 years on average and things will be much different then with the change ongoing in law school. Like I said, if you look at what keeps women from becoming partners, or anything else requiring a lot of effort for that matter, it is often the family that holds them back. That, however, is usually a choice on your part and would effect a man who prioritizes his family first the same way. Promotions can be as much a social process as anything to do with competence or education. The person who goes home at the end of the day to spend time with her or his family can be labeled "non-collegial" and left out come promotion time. In the law, as in business, socializing sometimes is business. A lot of business is conducted in bars or on the golf course. If you constantly miss that you miss those opportunities. We make choices in life.

Another choice is the DL degree. It will, without a doubt, hinder your career. Can it be overcome? Possibly, but it will take a lot more effort than required of a more traditional grad. You may have even more difficulty if you share that effort with a family. No, many of us can't go to law school full time. However, most part time law schools can be finished in 5 years with diligent effort. At the end, you have an ABA approved degree. You may have to drive a lot and spend hours away from home and it may cost far more than Concord but it is a more utilitarian option.

Also, in Illinois they do not accept non-ABA degrees for the bar, period. However, you do not need to pass the bar to practice corporate law. Could be the case in many other jurisdictions as well. Keep that in mind when you decide what to do with your degree.

I am not trying to talk you out of this. I am just trying to put the reality of it to you. When you bring up the woman thing you are missing your biggest obstacles. No, I am not a lawyer but I have always wanted to be one and still do. However, for me living in Illinois it wasn't practical to go to Concord and I didn't have the $100k that the closest part time law school would have required. I know someone who did it and I, today, make more than he does and he is considered a pretty successful lawyer in government service. Was even invited to speak at his undergrad alma mater. Assistant Attorney Generals at the Attorney Generals office in Illinois make less than system analysts at other state agencies and have a lot more debt from their degree.

We make our choices and you have to make yours. Just be practical and aware of the real challenges that face you.

Good luck.

 

Hi Chris,

Don't plan on ever having a family, so i think that i'm okay from that perspective....and the nice thing about working for Fortune 500 companies for the last 10 years, is that I am very aware of what social behaviors will get me promoted versus held back. By the time I graduate, I will have been in the corporate world 15 years with 5 of those years in Management....so those being in my favor, I think the only real obstacle is the non-ABA degree.

We have to remember that if we're trying to predict the future here, that maybe this too is a non-issue. I'm not going to be graduating from Concord until 2008. There is a chance that they'll at least be accredited for the state of CA....but even if they are not....

One of the reasons that I'm not quitting my day job is that I'll probably be able to finance an MS in Bioinfromatics, just to add icing on the cake...(can be completed in 2 years). Perhaps after that and becoming a patent agent, I will apply for Fish & Neave's program where I am a studying associate earning $100K/yr while getting my ABA approved degree, but that's just one option...

I will still be very well within my industry and skill level by then, and if I can't also finance my own practice, I'm sure I'll be qualified for a Director or Executive VP job in either the tech or pharma industries. I'm already just one level removed from Director...(even CFO positions in this day and age of corruption are trending more towards CPA's and JD's rather than MBA's)...and if this does happen, I welcome it with open arms....in the end, I will feel compensated for the work I've done.

What I'm saying is that I think that a law degree, regardless of whether or not I actually litigate, is going to do wonders for my career because I'm not stopping my career to do it. I'm staying a mover and shaker while getting various degrees and certifications. I think at this point in my life, if I gave up my lucrative career all for an ABA degree, most of my family and friends would see me as "touched" (insane)

 

If you practice in California for four or five years then apply to the New Mexico bar, your Concord degree will be accepted, as the rules stand now. I think Arizona has a similar rule.

In those states like Texas where they absolutely insist that they WILL NOT accept a correspondence JD, I wonder. If you presented five years of full time practice and membership in the California bar such that the only difference between you and a graduate of a non Bar approved, resident four year program is that you completed your JD on line, I wonder if they really can discriminate against you. Practicing one's profession is a property right under federal law. I would be very interested in seeing whether a federal Court would allow it.

Does anybody know what happened to Concord's LLM programs in tax and health law?