Category: Loyola Spotlight

Loyola Spotlight

Trademarking His Tune: Connor Druhan’s Journey from Jazz to Intellectual Property Law

Connor Druhan currently works as a trademark examining attorney at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Connor is a recent graduate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he focused his studies on Intellectual Property (IP) law. Before law school, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and English from DePaul University. He realized through coursework in both of his majors at … Continue reading Trademarking His Tune: Connor Druhan’s Journey from Jazz to Intellectual Property Law

Griffin Topel
Loyola Spotlight

An Interview with Austin Holler

Austin Holler graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2019. Following graduation, he joined Rakoczy Molino Mazzochi Siwik, LLP as an intellectual property (IP) associate and later moved to K&L Gates, where he now handles patent and trade secret litigation matters across multiple industries. I had the privilege to interview Austin and gain advice for both current and prospective law students.

Continue reading “An Interview with Austin Holler”

Amy Olyaei
Loyola Spotlight

Self-Exploration and Navigating a Career in Intellectual Property: An Interview with Lema Khorshid

No two career paths are exactly the same, especially in the legal field. Lema Khorshid, founding partner of Fuksa Khorshid Law Firm, is no exception to this and has paved a remarkable career for herself. Lema graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2000 with dual degrees in Finance and Marketing, as well as a concentration in International Business and Italian. Lema then received … Continue reading Self-Exploration and Navigating a Career in Intellectual Property: An Interview with Lema Khorshid

Alexandra Gordon
Loyola Spotlight

Navigating FemTech and Patents: An Interview with Giordana Mahn

Giordana Mahn is a patent prosecutor who has focused her career on working with female inventors, including ones who have founded companies. Prior to law school, she obtained a mechanical engineering degree from University of Michigan in 2009. During her time at Michigan, Giordana decided to take a patent law seminar that changed the trajectory of her career and set her sights on intellectual property … Continue reading Navigating FemTech and Patents: An Interview with Giordana Mahn

Katelyn Sears
Loyola Spotlight

From Engineering to Entrepreneurship: An Interview with Alisha Feustel

Alisha Feustel is a founding partner at Akona IP who focuses on all aspects of intellectual property law, especially patent prosecution (the writing, filing, and handling of patent applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office) and patent portfolio management (the strategic handling of one’s patent assets). She works closely with clients in a variety of technologies, including semiconductor device packaging, biomedical devices, computer memory and storage technologies, and many others.

Continue reading “From Engineering to Entrepreneurship: An Interview with Alisha Feustel”

Emily Moll
Loyola Spotlight

From Petri Dishes to Prime: An Interview with Eric Liu

Eric Liu is a class of 2019 Loyola U. Chicago School of Law graduate who pursued IP law immediately upon graduation. He has a background in Biomedical Engineering that he built upon by working at Cardinal Health and the U.S. Patent Office. During law school, he worked as a Judicial Extern for the Northern District of Illinois. Following graduation, Eric worked as an IP Associate … Continue reading From Petri Dishes to Prime: An Interview with Eric Liu

Dasha Ignatova
Loyola Spotlight

Aperture to Advocacy: An Interview with Professor Marci Walker

Arts advocate. Pro bono leader. Entertainment lawyer.

Professor Marci Walker has accomplished so much in her journey serving and advocating for those in the creative fields. In conversation with her, I could immediately tell how passionate she was about her work. Ever since she was young, she has been fostering her love of the arts. Now, she has made a career out of teaching and helping others pursue their passions.

Continue reading “Aperture to Advocacy: An Interview with Professor Marci Walker”

Ashton Yeh
Loyola Spotlight

An International Approach to Intellectual Property: An Interview with Katie Staba

Katie Staba is a partner at K&L Gates in the Technology Transactions and Data Protection practice group at the firm’s Chicago office. Her practice focuses on complex global transactions and counseling relating to digital media planning and buying, advertising and marketing, claim substantiation, software licensing, She counsels clients on intellectual property issues in mergers, acquisitions and investments, unfair competition and trade secrets and competitive intelligence.

Continue reading “An International Approach to Intellectual Property: An Interview with Katie Staba”

Corinne Macnichol
Loyola Spotlight

A Journey from the Lab to the Office: An Interview with Brad Loren

Brad Loren is an associate at McAndrews Held and Malloy Ltd. (McAndrews).
Prior to attending law school, Brad attended the University of Iowa where he earned a B.A. in Chemistry and Political Science. After earning his undergraduate degrees, Brad attended Purdue University where he earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. Brad’s Ph.D. research focused on pharmaceutical development, specifically organic synthesis and drug delivery. After earning his Ph.D., Brad attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he graduated cum laude in 2021. Continue reading “A Journey from the Lab to the Office: An Interview with Brad Loren”

Manuel Franco Pech
Loyola Spotlight

A Jack of All Trade(marks, patents & copyrights)s: An Interview with Monika Malek

Monika Malek is an associate in Vedder Price’s Chicago office and a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property (IP) group. She maintains a broad practice spanning trademark, copyright and patent litigation, prosecution (writing and filing a patent), enforcement (monitoring for potential infringement or enforcing an owner’s rights) and portfolio management (advising on business strategies associated with a patent). Prior to joining Vedder Price, she was an associate at a boutique law firm where she worked closely with clients on litigation and transactional matters involving a wide range of IP issues. She earned her law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and her undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. While in law school, she was awarded Loyola’s Laura Terlizzi Scholarship, given to a female student intending to practice intellectual property law, and three CALI Awards for the highest grade in Copyright, IP Advocacy, and IP Colloquium. She also researched issues related to drug patents in domestic and international contexts as a research assistant to Professor Ho.
Continue reading “A Jack of All Trade(marks, patents & copyrights)s: An Interview with Monika Malek”

Sophia Gunzburg