Loyola’s Intellectual Property Program has already had a huge impact on my law career. While graduation is still over a year away for me, taking advantage of Loyola’s extensive and diverse electives has provided me with great resources for exploring different legal fields and gaining real-life practical experience. Specifically, my experience with the Intellectual Property (IP) program, has taught me how expansive this particular field of law is.
Since applying to law school, IP has been one of my areas of interest. I love the idea of supporting creativity, innovation, and progress of science and the arts. Prior to attending law school, I worked in New York City’s fashion industry for over three years. It was during this time that I was exposed to some fundamentals of trademark law and licensing; this was my first taste of intellectual property law. Taking IP Legal Writing I and II during my 1L year helped to provide me with a more accurate understanding of these areas and other areas of IP law. I recommend taking one of the many specialized legal writing classes offered here at Loyola, to any incoming 1L. I found it beneficial to enter into my 1L summer with formal training in a specific area of law that interests me, considering all classes except for the specialized legal writing courses are pre-determined for a new law student.
I supplemented the IP legal writing courses with Global Access to Medicine: A Patent Perspective, IP Advocacy Writing, Cyber Law, and Intellectual Property Law, which is a survey course of the main areas of IP law: trade secret, patent, trademark and copyright. The culmination of all of these courses has increased my interest in IP law by showing me how wide-ranging this area of law is, therefore, expanding my post-graduation job possibilities. The IP elective courses showed me how copyright law overlaps with cyber law and IT law. I learned how patenting drugs stimulates the economy and promotes progress within the pharmaceutical industry. I also learned about the differing of opinions towards enforcement of various property rights. I learned how Internet regulatory laws are changing and often times lack the same definition as other Black Letter laws because it’s such a new area of law. I was amazed to read cyber law cases in class that were decided on as early as 2011!
One of the most important things that I have learned during my time in law school is the importance of absorbing as much as you can, allowing you to ask thoughtful questions and to make informed decisions. Loyola’s Intellectual Property program has provided me with a great starting point within many types of law and areas of practice. I intend on pursuing a career in corporate transactional law with an overlap of IP law. I now have knowledge about the type of entities, companies and organizations that interweave these areas. Obtaining specialized knowledge within different fields of law has allowed me to ask thoughtful questions specific to the areas that I have an interest in and in turn, to choose practical experience opportunities that allow me explore these areas even further.
Lacey Asia Williams, J.D. Candidate, 2014