Intellectual Property Law

Is an engineering or science degree necessary to practice intellectual property law?

I'm a first year law student with a background in web development. I've always been fascinated by online copyright issues and media distribution, so intellectual property seems like a good area to focus on for my second and third years. However, I've heard from a least one person that IP lawyers are pretty much required to have engineering or science degrees. My undergraduate work is in english and philosophy. Does this mean I don't have much of a chance as a copyright attorney?

Public Comments

1. No, I know a few lawyers who have come into that field from the entertainment angle. One in particular worked for a major studio before law school. You really only need to know the tech stuff to a degree. If you are doing patents it would be very useful but IP stuff can cross over into many areas. Job searching might be a little harder but it is not impossible. Don't forget to take everything a third year says with a grain of salt. Many of them a very bitter after being in law school for two plus years. Ask a prof in the field to get a better perspective on what you should do to reach your goals. Good luck.
2. Talk to your career services office...they are professionals who do nothing but place students from your school into jobs..they are your closest experts.