Is patent law saturated? How competitive is the field?Should I work for a corporation or law firm for entry?

I have a BSEE from great school and MSEE from a good school. I am currently working as an engineer at a large corporation. I am interested in going to law school part time to become a patent lawyer. I'm fascinated with new technologies, I'm an above average writer, and I am growing weary of corporate life of an engineer. Is patent law a good field? How hard is it to get a job? What type of hours would one typically work?

Thanks!Is patent law saturated? How competitive is the field?Should I work for a corporation or law firm for entry?
It's a great field. Law school isn't easy, but if you have a technical background and can do fairly well in law school, you can earn a great living and make a very satisfying career of it. And patent lawyers can find jobs much, much easier than the English-Lit majors and higher paying ones at that.



Typically, you are best served starting off in a law firm. A large prestigious law firm is nice to have on your resume for the future. You will work very hard long hours and compete fiercely with others. But, the name recognition is very valuable.



If you aren't the kind that likes to be ultra-competitive, there are many patent law firms out there that pay as well as the large prestige firms. You will work fewer hours and be in a less competitive environment. The name recognition won't be as great, but that may not matter to you.



After you've done some time in the law firms, corporations will become more interested. Although some corps hire straight out of law school, it's not terribly common. Companies want trained professionals and don't usually like to train lawyers in the fundamentals.



Life in a corporation is nice. Even fewer hours and less competition should you choose to go that route. If you really want to succeed, then the hours may not be much less. I put in 11.5 hour days, five days a week. In a law form, I would also be working weekends and longer hours.



Corporations typically can't and won' pay as much as law firms. But, if you stick with it and get lucky, you may rise to the level of General Counsel or Chief IP counsel. In a large company that could bring you very close to the same level of salary as a law firm partner.



In your case, I would look into going to work as a patent agent at a law firm and having the firm pay for you to go to law school. That's the best way of doing it if you really only want to do the part time thing. With an EE degree you should have no problem.