Hi there,
I've been programming for several years now. I also am skilled in english and enjoy the subject of law. I recognize its high pay and job security.
If i were to study software engineering and then law: 1) is this an unusual combination? 2) do companies need individuals with this kind of qualification? 3) what kind of tasks would i be completing with such qualifications?
any help would be greatly appreciated,
thanks
x-ecutioner
".NET Rocks!" just featured a very similar topic today. See:
http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=478
John Petersen is interviewed. He has been a long time programmer and eventually graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree. He faced a few problems while trying to get a start out after graduating but has seemed to do fairly well. The podcast is worth listening to.
I don't think it's such an odd combo. I know a few programmers who have law degrees. There are all sorts of things you can do with a specialization like this, not the least of which is practice the same sort of law you would if you were a poli-sci major :), you can also use your technical expertise to work on patent law for technical things (or any contract where the subject matter is technical).
There are certainly many engineer/lawyers who work in patent law. They are respected because they understand the technical aspects to the patents. Also if you were looking for a lawyer I would certainly find it easy to build a repoire with someone who is an engineer.
1) No, it is not an unusual combination. Patent law is an extremely lucrative career path that you can take with both engineering and law degrees. Patent attorneys can charge upwards of $450 an hour for their services.
2) It can be a very in-demand job, but usually I think you work on your own, with tech and manufacturing companies as your clients.
3) Sorry, I don't know the details of this one. But I know you have to figure out technical feasibility of a patent, and do the normal patent research involved.
I have studied Computer Science and then Law. I find this combination very useful in many aspects. In particular, I am an entrepreneur and starting my own business. Both studies are helpful in this endeavour. I also trying to be more active in lobbying for more sensible laws in regards to technology. Again knowledge in both faculties are very helpful.
I've worked for attorneys as an in-house developer, it is really one of the best combinations you could have. Essentially, they would watch legislation and upcoming bills that would be passed in parliament like legal eagles and create systems based on that. It's very lucrative and I want to say at the same time, almost unfair!
A good example is (I live in South Africa so this might not apply your country as such) that a bill was passed called BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) that forces companies to adjust their racial quota to "reflect overall population make-up". The system we then immediately started developing was an integrated rating and supplier search system. Companies could get BEE Certified with a few mouse clicks.
Another example is an act called RICA over here. The legislation forces anyone with a PAYG (pay as you go) SIM to register with their relevant service providers, providing personal information (ID, DOB, Firtname, Lastname etc) or risk having their SIM suspended. Guess how interesting that can get with a couple of hundred million to serve.
Yet another example... cough... TMI!
I studied law, information systems and computer science, and have switched between coding, IT management, and now work as a lawyer in Big Law. The biggest law firms all have dedicated Technology Law departments (often linked to telecommunications, media and/or intellectual property specialists). You might also want to do patent work, but I have done some and (a) I hate patents; and (b) I find patent work tedious.
Your combination of skills would be put to good use. You know that feeling you get when you control a code base. You look over the code and think - it's beautiful. I wouldn't change a thing. The exact same thing (sometimes) happens with IT contracts.
Oh, and you will probably be required to negotiate contracts where big multinationals are "moving work" to India and China. This is way harder to do in practice than you might first think.
My advice. Do what you love. Passion builds businesses. And you only live once(ish) ...
There's certainly a market for it. You could do technical consulting for law firms or legal consulting for tech firms. Or you could program legal applications.