{"id":665,"date":"2020-04-14T16:02:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T16:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/?p=665"},"modified":"2024-07-16T03:09:04","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T03:09:04","slug":"interview-with-christian-morgan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/interview-with-christian-morgan\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the Most of Loyola\u2019s Opportunities:  How Christian Morgan (JD \u201917) Found a Future in IP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-666 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/morgan-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Christian Morgan \" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/morgan-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/morgan-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/morgan.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/christian-morgan-2653a3167\/\">Christian Morgan<\/a> is an associate attorney at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.norvellip.com\/\">Norvell IP, LLC<\/a> in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from University of Nebraska\u2014Lincoln with high distinction in 2014, he came to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/\">Loyola University Chicago School of Law<\/a> where he discovered a future in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/academics\/centersinstitutesandprograms\/intellectualpropertylawprogram\/\">intellectual property law<\/a>.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>At Loyola, he was a published author and editor for both the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/academics\/journals-publications\/internationallawreview\/index.cfm\">International Law Review<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/academics\/journals-publications\/annalsofhealthlaw\/index.cfm\">Annals of Health Law<\/a> review, as well as a <a href=\"http:\/\/chicagoip.com\/colloquium-fellows\/\">Chicago IP Colloquium Fellow<\/a> and a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/studentlife\/organizations\/lalsa.html\">Latino Law Student Society<\/a>. He also externed for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/faculty\/facultyandadministrationprofiles\/ellis-sara-l.shtml\">Honorable Sara L. Ellis<\/a> and with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mintel.com\/\">Mintel<\/a> Group\u2019s in-house IP practice. In addition, he was a research assistant for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/faculty\/facultyandadministrationprofiles\/ho-cynthia.shtml\">Professor Cynthia Ho<\/a>. He provided research on \u00a0international agreements relating to intellectual property rights including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wto.org\/english\/tratop_e\/trips_e\/trips_e.htm\">Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights<\/a> (TRIPS), which applies to all countries that are part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wto.org\/english\/thewto_e\/thewto_e.htm\">World Trade Organization<\/a> (a major agreement that most countries are part of) as well as <a href=\"http:\/\/ccsi.columbia.edu\/2019\/06\/03\/primer-international-investment-treaties-and-investor-state-dispute-settlement\/\">investor-state disputes<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/patentlyo.com\/patent\/2015\/03\/million-limiting-canceling.html\">involving IP<\/a> (where a foreign company can sue a country under some international agreements).<\/p>\n<p>After graduating cum laude in 2017, Christian joined Norvell IP, where he was also a summer associate. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.norvellip.com\/index.php\/attorney-and-professional-bios\/christian-s-morgan\/\">practice areas<\/a> include intellectual property enforcement and litigation, trademark and copyright prosecution, domain name disputes, and IP licensing and acquisition agreements. He also is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago Law School, teaching Advanced Legal Writing for Intellectual Property Litigation and Enforcement.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why did you choose <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/admission\/letsgetstartedjd\/\"><strong>Loyola<\/strong><\/a><strong> for law school? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I chose Loyola because of the people. I did not have any connections to Loyola or Chicago prior to coming to law school, so it was important to me to visit the school before making a decision. Loyola, more than the other schools I visited, felt like the right fit for me, and I met so many welcoming, nice people, including those in the admissions office and other students I met on my tour.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why did you decide to take coursework in IP? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was interested in the subject matter generally, but didn\u2019t really know what it was until after I took a few classes. My initial interest came from my 1L property class where we briefly discussed some intellectual property issues. My second semester 1L elective course <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/media\/lucedu\/lawschoolannouncements\/Ho%20-%20Global%20Access%20-%202020%20Syllabus%201.0.pdf\">Global Access to Medicine<\/a> provided more background and from there my interest in IP kept building as I took more classes and gained more practical experience in that area of the law.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>What coursework did you take related to IP? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I took just about all of the IP classes Loyola has to offer: Global Access to Medicine Patent Perspective (Prof. Ho); Intellectual Property (a survey course taught by Prof. Ho); Trademark Seminar (Prof. Norton); Copyright (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/faculty\/facultyandadministrationprofiles\/sag-matthew.shtml\">Prof. Sag<\/a>); IP Colloquium (Prof. Ho); and Advanced IP Writing (which I now teach with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kara-smith-b41a02b7\/\">Kara Smith<\/a>). I also took Cyberlaw (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/faculty\/facultyandadministrationprofiles\/das-atanu.shtml\">Prof. Das<\/a>), which touched on a lot of IP issues, and my externship with Mintel Group had an IP focus. Also, although <em>International Law Review<\/em> and <em>Health Law Review <\/em>are not strictly IP-related, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/media\/lucedu\/law\/centers\/healthlaw\/pdfs\/advancedirective\/pdfs\/issue15\/Morgan%20formatted.pdf\">my articles<\/a> looked at IP issues. Last, I was Prof. Ho\u2019s research assistant.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Did you participate in any IP events as a student? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/2019\/11\/30\/intro-to-ip-through-ip-speed-mentoring\/\">Speed mentoring events<\/a>\u2014they were and are a great way to practice <a href=\"https:\/\/abaforlawstudents.com\/2018\/08\/01\/5-essential-networking-tips-for-law-students\/\">networking skills<\/a> and to learn about the practice of IP from current attorneys.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you get to your current job?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was a mixture of factors due to unique circumstances for me. My dad passed away while I was in law school, right around the time for applying for <a href=\"https:\/\/abaforlawstudents.com\/2018\/07\/01\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-oci-on-campus-interviewing\/\">OCI (on-campus interviewing)<\/a>, so OCI wasn\u2019t on my mind and I missed the boat for the traditional OCI process. However, Loyola was super flexible in other regards and I felt very supported\u2014another reason I\u2019m glad I chose Loyola.<\/p>\n<p>Although I missed OCI, a summer associate position at my current firm opened up later, and Professor Ho sent me the posting. She recommended that I apply for it and she also connected me to a Loyola alum that was working here at the time. I wouldn\u2019t have seen the job post if it wasn\u2019t for Prof. Ho, and the Loyola alum provided valuable insight to the firm that helped during my interviews.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>What does your current legal practice look like? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lots of writing. Everything from drafting litigation papers (<a href=\"https:\/\/injury.findlaw.com\/accident-injury-law\/starting-a-lawsuit-initial-court-papers.html\">legal documents such as a complaint<\/a>, a variety of motions, documents related to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nolo.com\/legal-encyclopedia\/formal-discovery-gathering-evidence-lawsuit-29764.html\">discovery<\/a>, etc.) to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lexology.com\/library\/detail.aspx?g=024e65a7-317c-4cba-b208-4c11d6428be5\">demand letters<\/a>, settlement agreements, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutter.com\/ip-law-bulletin\/the-abcs-of-licensing-intellectual-property\">license or acquisition agreements<\/a>, legal opinions, and emails to clients and foreign counsel. Research is also a big part of that, especially when it comes to drafting a motion or other kind of litigation-related document.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>What extracurricular activity do you think has had the biggest impact on your career? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Externing for a judge and the law reviews. Really anything where you have your writing critically reviewed is crucial. Also, although not an extracurricular, I would encourage students to take Federal Litigation Practice with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luc.edu\/law\/faculty\/facultyandadministrationprofiles\/kendall-virginia-m.shtml\">Judge Virginia Kendall<\/a> (a Loyola alum). She had a lot of great practical advice, and it is a beneficial class if you want to get into litigation.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>If you could go back and give one piece of advice to yourself as a 1L, what would it be? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Trust the process. The school really gives students the framework to be successful, so take advantage of as many opportunities and extracurriculars as possible. I\u2019d also say relax and enjoy it because it only gets more hectic after graduation.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Christian\u2019s Five Favorites: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Favorite law school class?<\/strong> \u00a0I\u2019ll go with a non-IP class: Estates<\/li>\n<li><strong>Favorite restaurant?<\/strong> \u00a0To order in: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opartthai.com\/ssl\/index.php\">Opart Thai<\/a> \u2013 the Tiger Cry is great.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Favorite vacation spot?<\/strong> \u00a0I have a special place in my heart for anywhere in South America. Honorable mention: Korea.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Favorite book\/movie\/TV show?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Book: <em style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> comes to mind, but I am sure there are a few others.<br \/>\n<\/span>Movie: <em style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Children of Men<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">\u2014wonderfully shot.<br \/>\n<\/span>TV Show: <em style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Curb Your Enthusiasm<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> and <\/span><em style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Peep Show<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> are up there.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Favorite way to spend a day off? <\/strong>\u00a0Currently, I\u2019d say planning my wedding with my fianc\u00e9, though I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d consider that a day off.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-351 \" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_5214-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Becky Bavlsik\" width=\"195\" height=\"195\" \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>B<\/em><em>ecky Bavlsik<br \/>\nAssistant Blogger<br \/>\nLoyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D. 2021<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christian Morgan is an associate attorney at Norvell IP, LLC in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from University of Nebraska\u2014Lincoln with high distinction in 2014, he came to Loyola University Chicago School of Law where he discovered a future in intellectual property law. <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/interview-with-christian-morgan\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Making the Most of Loyola\u2019s Opportunities:  How Christian Morgan (JD \u201917) Found a Future in IP<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":4338,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[60,138,149,168,179,218],"class_list":["post-665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-loyola-spotlight","tag-chicago","tag-intellectual-property","tag-ip","tag-law-school","tag-loyola","tag-norvell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=665"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4341,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665\/revisions\/4341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/ipbytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}