Hi guys,

I have a Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in Canada and am considering to study for LLM-IP in UK.

I have some questions about employment opportunities for graduates with LLM-IP from UK schools, and hope if you can offer some advice:

1) I have read that the IP field continues to grow strong in all parts of the world and is a good area to participate in, especially for people with background in science/engineering. Is this circumstance going to change depending on the countries? Alternatively speaking, which region is more IP-focused nowadays and in the prospective future? Americas, Asia, or Europe?

2) What kind of handicaps, if any, would North American students who hold a Bachelor degree in science/engieering from universities in North America (Canada and US) and a LLM-IP degree from UK face if one were to move back to North America to work? Is this issue of place of legal education and work environment even a legit concern to worry about?

3) In terms of employment opportunities, what kind of handicaps/competitions would graduates with a science/engineering Bachelor degree and an LLM-IP degree face in comparison with entirely-conventionally-trained lawyers?

Thanks in advance!

Hello Nycc:

With the caveat that I do not practice IP law but am somewhat familiar with the field, here are my thoughts on your questions:

To the extent that you would like to work as an attorney in the US, the problem would be that you do not have a law degree. I do not believe you can become an IP attorney with an LLM degree, but without having graduated from law school (the equivalent of a J.D. in the States). There are exceptions to this rule, but they are fairly narrow (some states allow you to work as a trainee for a specified number of years under the supervision of an attorney, and then you can sit for the bar). If you intend on working as an attorney in the US, I would encourage you to contact the bar association for the state where you're interested in practicing to see if you would be eligible to do so.

Secondly, IP attorneys in the United States generally need to pass a second bar (in addition to the state bar), namely a bar exam specifically centered on IP issues. There are additional requirements in order to even be allowed to sit for this bar, one of them being that your undergraduate degree needs to be in the field of Science (which you would have). Without successfully passing the IP bar exam, you are limited to copyright law within the field of IP law (in order words, you would not be authorized to practice patent law, etc).

Lastly, assuming you both become a bar member in a State of the US, and pass the IP bar exam, your skills would be in much demand and handsomly paid for as well!

Best of luck!