The IP legal writing class was an excellent way to distinguish myself and my writing as a 1L. I enjoyed the ability to gain fundamental legal writing skills in the context of topics that I was interested in, including copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secret issues. For example, my 1L year, the issues were:
(1) whether a “formula” for making special shoe soles was a trade secret under Illinois law;
(2) whether a human-monkey chimera (an embryo made of both human and monkey cells), or the “Humonkey,” was eligible for patent protection. As you can imagine, these topics made for great conversation topics in later job interviews in the IP field.
We also had the benefit of a Legal Writing professor and Legal Writing tutor who were passionate and knowledgeable about the subject matter that we were writing about, which led to substantive feedback on the merits of our writing. Finally, the IP legal writing section provides an opportunity for 1Ls to gain an early introduction to intellectual property law that is otherwise not available. When I took my IP survey course as a 2L, I felt like I had some extra knowledge, which made the IP survey more enjoyable.
Choosing Loyola Chicago for law school was the best decision I ever made for my professional career. Loyola provides a supportive and collegial environment that allows students to thrive. The students and professors are all extremely intelligent, professional, and involved in the law school, which creates a positive environment where students can learn and grow as lawyers. The faculty at Loyola goes out of the way to provide students with opportunities to gain practical legal skills, for example, by encouraging student participation in journals, moot court teams, and trial teams. At Loyola I was able to serve on the executive board of the Annals of Health Law Journal and participate in two different nationally recognized moot court teams during my 2L and 3L years, an opportunity that I would have been hard pressed to match at any other law school.
Further, through Loyola, I was able to join the Chicago Intellectual Property Colloquium Fellowship (where I was exposed to national scholars publishing articles in the IP field). Loyola also hosts the Patent Law Interview Program, where I interviewed and obtained my first job out of law school in New York City. In sum, I would recommend Loyola to any law student who is looking to learn an incredible amount and enjoy the law school experience.
– Amy
Amy Greywitt received her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago in 2010. She graduated magna cum laude and earned a Health Law Certificate. Amy currently is a Law Clerk to Judge Ronald M. Whyte, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She formally clerked for the Honorable Richard Linn, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which is the highest court to focus on patent cases. In addition, she worked at a New York firm focused exclusively on IP, Fitzpatrick Cella, immediately before clerking with Judge Linn.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would definitely recommend the Intellectual Property Legal Writing section. I applied for the section with a soft science background with the thought that it could further my interest in pursuing IP law. The professor that teaches the section is great. The professor works to help all students, especially with some of the foreign IP concepts. It was interesting learning about a topic that the majority of the 1Ls were not learning about, and I am grateful for having experience in another area of law before my second semester 1L year.
Loyola is a great community; I am most certainly glad that I chose Loyola Law School. Not only is the law school situated in a great part of Chicago, but also every student I met was friendly. 2Ls and 3Ls are eager to give advice. If you’re looking for a great learning environment in a great city, Loyola is the place for you.
Sheila Geraghty, rising 2L
University of Michigan, B.S. Evolutionary Anthropology.