As someone who is familiar with lawyers generally but not IP law, here are some thoughts:
1. You need an engineering type undergrad degree
2. Lawyers do whatever their clients need them to do
3. Generating business (attracting clients) is the key to not having a boss. Not having a boss is generally a prerequisite to doing part time high quality legal work
4. Few if any are successful right out of school at generating business
5. Reputation is a very important component of generating business
6. Success at a big law firm is a common way of building a sterling legal reputation
7. Big law firms aren’t known to have great work-life balances