>Rather, you are judged almost entirely by your resume - the "brand name" of the law school you attended, your GPA, and the "brand name" of the law firms you've

>Rather, you are judged almost entirely by your resume - the "brand name" of the law school you attended, your GPA, and the "brand name" of the law firms you've previously worked at. If your school or previous law firms aren't prestigious enough, you won't even be invited to an interview. Somewhat ironically, I took a brief detour into patent law after my first few years as a SW developer. I had a MSEE plus four years of software experience. I mailed 5 resumes to the biggest law firms in town (Boston). I got five interviews and 2 job offers. Salary was about 5% less than my current salary at the time, but they'd pay for law school and guarantee a job when you finished. There is an "in" but it's fairly unconventional.