bio degree + Law degree?

Come to San Francisco and work in bioethics, medical research, life sciences.

There are loads of biotech firms developing products that need legal/compliance review. They are recruiting people with science and legal backgrounds all the time.

That was my path, though I never applied to med school, deciding to make the switch to law school from pre-med in my junior year.

You can go to law school with any undergrad degree and I think a science background is far better than any "pre-law" or poly sci curriculum. One of my colleagues has as Masters in genetics to boot.

Don't limit yourself to only practicing in certain areas because of your undergrad degree. You may or may not use it depending on the areas of interest you develop in law school, although it would open up patent law opportunities for you not available to those without a science background.

I've got two biology degrees (undergraduate and master's) and a law degree. I'm working as an environmental lawyer, but I have also worked in other kinds of law in the past and you can certainly practice any kind of law coming out of law school with a science background.

You should clone lawyers.

You should seriously consider a career in patent law. There is a shortage of patent lawyers, including those in the bio-medical field. But be aware, that patent law really does mean that you will practice law - with of its headaches, emphasis on procedure, and - I mean this in a value neutral way - working with structures and institutions that value property rights over people. But it is still an interesting career, and there is no more fascinating "chess" game than that of assembling claims in patent prosecution.

I was also going to say environmental law or environmental policy. That area is only going to get more and more important.

-I know, 'cause I'm a non-practicing biologist turned NEPA geek-

got a couple of friends from undergrad with science degs who failed to get into med school, ultimately became patent attorneys(both in the bay area). they've got long hours and put in some hard work. seem to enjoy it and make more than our friends in medicine who didn't subspecialize and stuck to fam. practice/internal medicine.

AK-49 wrote:

I was also going to say environmental law or environmental policy. That area is only going to get more and more important.

-I know, 'cause I'm a non-practicing biologist turned NEPA geek-

Thanks for the responses everyone. What type of work do you for the EPA? How did you get started?

I don't actually work for EPA, but must ultimately answer to them. NEPA stands for National Environmental Policy Act--this is the law that requires federal agencies to analyze the impacts of their actions. Most well known to the public are the environmental impact statements (e.g., for dams, or highways, or major actions like that), but much more frequently you see smaller-scale environmental assessments or records of environmental consideration (basically an official memo).I got involved with this because I couldn't find a decent long-term job as a scientist, and I got tired of skipping from job to job every 1-3 years. Anyway, with a good science background and a few graduate level environmental science courses, plus law....you could go places and be very employable with agencies, law firms, or environmental consulting firms.

mvre wrote:

AK-49 wrote:

I was also going to say environmental law or environmental policy. That area is only going to get more and more important.

-I know, 'cause I'm a non-practicing biologist turned NEPA geek-

Thanks for the responses everyone. What type of work do you for the EPA? How did you get started?

so i'm an environmental science major with around a 3.5 GPA who's looking at law school (no lsat yet). does anyone know if law school admission officers will take my major into account when looking at my application? A science major (at least at my university) is much more difficult then a political science/pre-law degree but i'm worried that because i don't have a 3.8 I won't be accepted. I'm gonna be pissed if I could've improved my chances of being accepted by taking an easier undergraduate route...

I have a bio degree and a law degree and I practice general litigation in SF. There's a lot of patent law out here, so that's the bulk of my practice right now.

Don't go into this thinking it'll be a lot of science every day. You have to like the law independently for this career to satisfy you. I suppose that might be different in patent prosecution, but if you end up with a transactional or litigation practice, science won't be a major component of what you do on a day to day basis.

Also, med school/residency might suck, but being a lawyer is also difficult. You can make a lot of money at a young age, but the hours are rough, and they don't get much better with time. My (uninformed) sense is that once you make it through residency in medicine, your life gets a lot better. The partners at my firm make ludicrous amounts of money, but work just as hard as their employees, if not harder.

If you're interested in law, you might want to work as a paralegal or patent agent prior to applying to law school. Then you can judge if the practice of law is right for you.

Thanks again for the advice. I understand that being a lawyer is not a stroll in the park everyday, but medicine seems to be an exceptionally tough road (especially since I'm already 25). Basically, I guess living in the real world for a while has made me less idealistic. I've realized that you really do need money (among other things) to live comfortably, and the thought of slaving away 80-90 hrs per week for what equates to minimum wage until my mid 30's just doesn't seem worth it to me anymore, no matter how much I'd enjoy the work. I know lawyers work hard, but it seems as though they are well compensated for it.

Pharmacy

mvre - medicine is a tough road - but so is law. What it comes down to is really liking what you do. If you don't like the law, it won't be worth the hours and commitment - ditto for medicine. What thing that irks me about the law (and I have a computer law and technology practice) is that so much of the thinking is deductive, and despite an ongoing emphasis on being creative and finding solutions for clients (which most of us take seriously), the practice of law still a deductive, rules based exercise. Medicine, at least in theory, particularly on the research end, but also in the day to day diagnosis of patients, does involve inductive thinking, although I am certain there are plenty of physicians that would related that the modern regulatory and insurance environment sucks every last ounce of joy out of practice. But in the end, know what you are getting into.

I've got a biomechanical engineering degree and am working on the law degree right now. I think its a great way to go...at least I'm looking to go IP and work the biotech end of patents.

Pharmacist wrote:

Pharmacy

Much easier way to earn a comfortable living than practicing law, that's for sure.

My next door neighbor is a store manager for one of the nations largest chain of pharmacies. He told me the pay structure once for their pharmacists and it was incredible.

mvre wrote:

I understand that being a lawyer is not a stroll in the park everyday, but medicine seems to be an exceptionally tough road (especially since I'm already 25). Basically, I guess living in the real world for a while has made me less idealistic. I've realized that you really do need money (among other things) to live comfortably, and the thought of slaving away 80-90 hrs per week for what equates to minimum wage until my mid 30's just doesn't seem worth it to me anymore, no matter how much I'd enjoy the work. I know lawyers work hard, but it seems as though they are well compensated for it.

heck, maybe you should take another look at medicine - just at the financial side.

it's a much different world today then it was even just a few years ago. first of all, there is an 80-hour work week. and no, this isn't a "wink and nod" 80 hours - hospitals are held to it and penalized severely if they are found to be violating it (do a google search for johns hopkins and 80 hour work week to see.)

and you won't be living in poverty as a resident. most big city resident programs have PGY-1 (interns) start around $45,000. that ain't a ton of money, but it's certainly not pennies either - you'll be able to eat.

and as mentioned above, medicine gets better every single year you do it. the more experience you get, the easier it is to see more patients, the more money you make.

but, again, as mentioned above, if you're looking for an "easy" way to make some money and lead a good life, don't go looking for law and medicine, or even pharmacy. be a pharm rep - sounds like you've got a good background already. (but you'll have to live with yourself every day.)

You would benefit more from work experience then multiple degrees.