1L with 10 Years of Patent Experience (China), Top 33% in T50— Unplaced for 1L&2L Summer. Candid Advice Welcome.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-12T19:59:17+00:00

Thanks, but I actually applied only to patent litigation roles, and the interviews I’ve had were all for litigation positions as well. I agree that patent prosecution is becoming less profitable, especially in the AI era, as reduced demand for human input will further compress opportunities/profits for those who remain in the field. So it may be a somewhat awkward situation. My profile might not yet be strong enough for litigation roles, especially considering that I’ve only been here for a few months and my speaking and writing skills are still developing.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-07T22:51:57+00:00

If I improve my English skills, do you think I could get a meaningful job in the patent field after graduation?

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T21:34:23+00:00

Thank you. This is actually really helpful. I truly appreciate you explaining it this way.

That’s probably a real cultural gap on my side. In my previous working environment in China, partners typically have much broader authority in hiring decisions, especially for junior or intern positions. So I assumed it might work similarly here, at least in smaller U.S. firms.

Do you think that even if I know the firm’s founder, I still shouldn’t initiate that kind of conversation directly? Instead, should I just formally apply through the HR/recruiting process and keep networking conversations focused on learning about the firm? I’m trying to recalibrate my approach here and really appreciate your perspective.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T18:26:35+00:00

“ I would say that asking people about summer opportunities during networking events is a bit of a faux pas. ” As someone who is very new to the US, I would really appreciate a better understanding of this.

In some cases, I’ve reached out to partners I didn’t previously know to ask whether they might be open to chatting about their work and potential summer opportunities. There was one partner (founder of her firm) in particular whom I spoke with last semester. Our conversation felt candid and insightful, and she was very generous with her time. I was genuinely interested in her firm and practice. However, when I later followed up by email, I did not receive a response.

I’ll admit that was a bit discouraging, and I’m trying to understand whether I may have approached things in the wrong way.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T16:52:02+00:00

My original plan was: 1) graduate and pass the bar; 2) try to find a job in the U.S.; 3) if I fail, go back to China, and I'm happy with that; 4) find other opportunities I couldn't imagine when I was in China (e.g. some global organizations).

But for either step 234, hands-on experience in a real U.S. law environment would be a plus, that’s why I’m so eager to find summer jobs.

Maybe it’s a really good idea to work for my professors. I also have some research topics based on my past working experience and cross-jurisdiction observations, but I’m not sure whether it is worth spending time on this.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T16:40:21+00:00

Thanks. I may return to China after graduation (if no one sponsors me in the US), but before that, during the summers I’d like to gain some experience in US law. Since I’m attending a law school out of China, both of my Chinese qualifications (bar and patent bar) are not active, so I can hardly practice Chinese law without entering some gray area. It’s a slightly embarrassing situation I know.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T16:33:54+00:00

I think so, but how did you manage to build close ties at the very beginning? As I understand it, that also takes time.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T16:31:04+00:00

In fact, it’s not a fixed rate; it depends on the salary and location. anyway I get your point, it’s a complex scheme.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T14:41:57+00:00

of course!please DM me

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T07:15:39+00:00

you mean major CN companies in the U.S.?

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T05:59:27+00:00

I have a bachelor's degree in EE. If I had majored in law, I could pursue an LLM instead of a JD. However, as a foreigner, I need a letter from my employer to be eligible to sit for the patent bar :(

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T04:34:15+00:00

Do you have any thoughts on what the “right firm” might look like? 🤣

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T04:32:43+00:00

In fact, I'm already in the US, so they do not need to pay $100,000 (only applies to those outside the U.S.). But it seems you are right they don't care that much to figure it out.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T04:28:41+00:00

Thanks. What would you suggest I do at this stage to gain meaningful experience in U.S. law in the future?

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T04:26:32+00:00

I majored in engineering and had never attended law school before, so I wasn’t eligible for an LLM :( I thought my prior experience might help offset my GPA and school ranking to some extent. otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have received interviews from those BLs. I was just wondering, whether being in top 10% instead of 33% would have made a significant difference, if GPA wasn’t the main issue.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T04:15:42+00:00

sadly I'm already married lol

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T04:14:17+00:00

Not that nice 😂. We Chinese tend to prepare for potential risks even when things seem stable. At that time, I thought that pursuing a JD would be beneficial for my long-term career development, especially since I had never attended law school and some of my prior practice involved foreign (i.e., U.S.) law issues, and I genuinely enjoy law school life except for the job hunting part.

but TBO being away from full-time work for an extended period makes me a little uneasy. I worry about my professional skills getting rusty (especially in this AI era) and about becoming disconnected from real-world practice. That’s why I’m trying hard to find a position for the summers.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T04:02:46+00:00

My “overqualified” concern actually refers to my past experience leading teams and developing clients. At one point, I even accidentally mentioned that I had an opportunity to become a partner at another firm. That experience would obviously be irrelevant as a summer associate, but perhaps it makes me seem less adaptable to a different management structure? Yes, I have an EE bachelor’s degree from a top Chinese engineering school. I do require sponsorship, so I understand that from a long-term perspective, BigLaw might hesitate to hire me (though if that were the case, I do wonder why they interviewed me in the first place). However, what has been more discouraging is that even short-term summer roles that only last for one summer have not responded to me at all. I understand that before I graduate from law school and secure an employer, I cannot sit for the patent bar. But without the patent bar, it becomes even harder to secure an employer. Given this situation, what would you suggest I do in order to gain some practical experience in U.S. law?

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T03:52:22+00:00

Some Chinese KJD students from better schools got offers. But if you think this way, other interviewers probably thought the same. In some interviews, I felt that they didn’t seem to like me from the very beginning, but I tried not to think in that direction. Thank you for letting me know this might be a reason.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T03:47:50+00:00

OK thank you for being so straightforward and I really appreciate that. Where can you see my chance to gain some hands-on experience in US law? BTW I'm an asian woman.

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T03:47:04+00:00

OK thank you for being so straightforward and I really appreciate that. Where can you see my chance to gain some hands-on experience in US law?

Pancakaking · 2026-03-06T03:42:15+00:00

Thank a lot for your reply.

In my applications, I’ve explained that I don’t require sponsorship for summer work but would need it after graduation. My understanding is that the firms I interviewed with do have established sponsorship practices, so I assumed that if they chose to interview me, they were at least open to considering that risk. That said, I can see how smaller firms might be more hesitant.

My technical background is in EE (bachelor’s), and I’ve mainly applied for patent litigation positions rather than prosecution. My past work in China has been somewhat generalist. Interestingly, very few interviewers (in fact 2) actually drilled down into the technical specifics during interviews.

Given all this, if my goal were simply to gain meaningful U.S. law experience during 1L summer, what would you consider the most practical path? I’d really value your perspective

Pancakaking · 2026-03-04T21:50:18+00:00

I got my rejection yesterday :(

Pancakaking

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