Any use in the industry for a CE / Lawyer?

[proletariat]

I'm thinking about going to night school (no "dark side" puns please) to become a lawyer. I have thought about it a long time, and think I would enjoy it more than an MBA or masters in engineering.

Does anyone see any particular marketability for a PE in civil coupled with a JD?

The only things I could come up with are construction litigation, defense of professionals in civil/criminal cases, or patents. Help me think of other areas that might have a use for this combination please.

 

[MintJulep]

Contracts, expert witness, negotiations.

 

[ccor]

I recently considered this myself. My decision was to go the way of the masters though, much less time and effort (also much, much less payoff). Your prospects for environmental law, or water law are very good if they interest you. Of couse, water law isn't big everywhere, yet.

 

[proletariat]

There is also land use / HOA agreement drafting / developer's agent in disputes.

 

[MikeHalloran]

You'll do a _lot_ better, marketing yourself as a lawyer who happens to also be a PE. But, don't worry about that now.

Law school will broaden your world view, and change the way you think, about everything.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[DRC1]

Cotracts, esp. for corperations & utilities. All the PE/JD construction laywers I know are at the top of construction law group at their firms. Couple a PE/JD with field experience that you can relate to a client and you are golden.

 

[casseopeia]

The 'If-it-were-Me' suggestion: Attorney with a PE working for a firm that specializes in construction defect litigation for the defense. Your client base is primarily insurance companies with fairly deep pockets and decent fees. The work is the most even-tempered I've seen. Just about everyone gets along, on both sides. It's not as emotionally charged as other areas like land-use, eminent domain and construction accidents.

But MikeHalloran is right. It's too soon to worry about that. Get through law school and see what you have a passion for.

Who knows, maybe you will find a niche in working a with eminent domain cases, either as a government attorney taking land away from individual land owners or in defending land owners against governmental agencies.



"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"

 

[jimbo]

A classmate is an attorney (civil engineer).
He is a patent attorney, and makes more money than anyone. He also seems to enjoy that life.


Buy a dictionary, keep it nearby and USE it. Webster's New World Dictionary of American English is recommended, and Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

 

[proletariat]

Who knows, maybe you will find a niche in working a with eminent domain cases, either as a government attorney taking land away from individual land owners or in defending land owners against governmental agencies.

I couldn't work for the MAN taking land away, and I would feel bad about charging Mrs. I'm-a-widow-lived-in-this-house-for-40-years-and-I-live-on-social-security anything. I would be a broke imminent domain lawyer.

 

[rcooper]

I have only met one Chartered Engineer/Lawyer. He was far better off than any other Chartered Engineer I have met. He worked for/against construction companies in disputes where his engineering knowledge allowed him to understand the arguments better than a normal lawyer.

He was a lawyer first and engineer second.