Where do you work?
I am currently a term clerk for a Federal Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of Illinois. Clerking is challenging, but a lot of fun. We see all types of cases and a myriad of legal issues. I am excited to begin as an associate at Winston & Strawn, LLP after my judicial clerkship ends this fall.
How did you get your jobs?
I participated in on campus interviewing at the beginning of my 2L year and I received a summer associate offer at Winston & Strawn. I worked at Winston & Strawn as a summer associate in 2012, and accepted an offer to work there as an associate following graduation. I was offered my judicial clerkship after my graduation in January 2013, so I deferred my start at Winston & Strawn to clerk. I found that my experience working as a law clerk at a litigation firm through law school made me more marketable to employers and made the learning curve going from law school to practice much shorter.
Describe your experience attending Loyola as someone without a technical background that was interested in “soft” IP
Before attending Loyola, I worked as a paralegal at a business law firm in my hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. I particularly enjoyed copyright and trademark issues that arose for our corporate clients, so I looked for a law school that offered a strong intellectual property curriculum. Loyola was a great fit because it offers unique IP opportunities and is located in a high-demand legal market.
When I began law school, I was hesitant about patent litigation because I did not have a science background. However, Loyola’s IP professors encouraged me, and all students, to consider all types of IP, regardless of their backgrounds. For instance, the first year IP legal writing course exposes students to copyright, trademark, and patent litigation problems. My second year IP advocacy course focused on a patent litigation issue. And the IP survey class covered all types of IP. Loyola offers other advanced courses in “soft” IP, like the trademark law seminar focused on trademark opinion drafting. Thanks to the support from my professors, I enjoyed working on patent litigation projects at Winston and as a clerk. I look forward to working in that area, and on other IP and complex commercial litigation matters, in the future.
Why Loyola?
The Loyola community is really unique, reflecting the Jesuit traditions of service to others and values-based leadership. The students and faculty truly care about each other. The deans and professors take a genuine interest in the students and their professional and personal goals. Additionally, Loyola offers a wide variety of interesting classes taught by engaging professors. I especially enjoyed the practicum courses taught by practicing attorneys. As part of the trial advocacy certificate program, the trial advocacy classes provide students with invaluable hands-on learning and give students practical litigation skills to help them hit the ground running after graduation.
Which class at Loyola best prepared you to get into IP?
I took a wide variety of IP classes at Loyola. The most useful class was the challenging 1L IP legal writing course. Our professor had high expectations of us and held us to those standards. In the process, she taught us how to think and write critically. All of the other courses built on that foundation.
Did you have a favorite class in Law School?
Yes. I really enjoyed my civil procedure class with Professor Ho. That’s a good thing, given my job clerking for a federal judge!
What is your favorite Loyola Law School memory?
I enjoy studying abroad, and I participated in 3 of Loyola’s study abroad programs, including Rome, Italy, Strasbourg, France, and London, England. The study abroad programs provided me with unique and interesting experiences. I enjoyed taking a 2-week long separation of powers course in Rome taught by United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. My favorite experience was attending lectures at the ancient Middle Temple in London and watching barristers argue criminal cases at the Old Bailey.
Loren G. Rene
JD ’13, Certificate in Trial Advocacy
Judicial Clerk, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Questions for Attorney Rene? Email law-admissions [at] luc [dot] edu and we can put you in touch.