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Intellectual Property Lawyers are in High Demand

Recent federal patent law reforms have created a need for well-trained intellectual property (IP) law attorneys. The University of San Diego School of Law’s strong and growing intellectual property program provides students with the academic foundation and hands-on training that allows them to hit the ground running in today’s lightning fast, innovation-driven environment.

USD School of Law has built a strong, core academic program led by Lyle L. Jones Professor of Innovation and Competitive Law David McGowan, along with seven full-time faculty members and numerous adjunct professors who bring many years of experience practicing patent law at the highest level.

To help students put their academic training into practice before graduation, the school partnered with CONNECT, regarded as the world's most successful regional program linking inventors and entrepreneurs with the resources they need for success, to create the Technology Entrepreneurship Clinic in 2010. Led by Associate Professor Ted Sichelman, this program provides students with practical, hands-on, real-world legal experience by serving local technology start-ups. In turn, they provide a needed community service by offering pro bono legal work to local start-up companies. Large firms currently participating in the clinic by offering mentorship to student workers include Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch, Goodwin Procter, Knobbe Martens, Wilson Sonsini, Procopio and Strandling Yocca.

Together, these academic and experiential programs comprise USD School of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property Law & Markets. This center trains students in the fundamentals of intellectual property law and the many ways clients use intellectual property rights to compete in real-world markets. USD’s focus on the role of IP rights in markets distinguishes it from other, more traditional IP centers. It provides a forum where lawyers, clients, judges and policymakers can share ideas about IP doctrines and policies, while policy workshops provide opportunities for students and community members to engage in discussions about current IP policy issues.

Additional clinics include the Entertainment, Sports and Intellectual Property Internship Program, which allows students to work in a law department of an entertainment or sports industry company, talent guild or trade association, or in the intellectual property law department of a company or trade association, and the Corporate Counsel Internship Program where students receive academic credit for working in the legal department of a corporation, company or other business entity.

The law school’s intellectual property concentration continues to attract engineers, life scientists and many other professionals who are looking for a way to advance their career and drive innovation.

Students benefit from USD School of Law’s successful history of career placement both regionally and nationally. While in school, students can attend the annual  Intellectual Property Law Careers event, which big IP law firms vie to sponsor to gain access to USD School of Law’s well-trained graduates. This program gives students the opportunity to learn more about careers in intellectual property and how they can leverage their technical or hard science background in the IP marketplace.

USD School of Law's network of alumni practice law in many areas throughout San Diego, nationally and internationally. Among these distinguished alumni are no fewer than 60 judges and two members of the U.S. Congress, including the current Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee David Camp, ´78. In San Diego, nearly a quarter of attorneys who practice intellectual property law are USD School of Law graduates including QUALCOMM Vice Chairman Steve Altman, ’86, and Executive Vice President and Group President Derek Aberle, ‘96.

In addition,  Leonard Armato, '78, chief marketing officer and president of the fitness group at Skechers USA Inc., recently created a scholarship fund to provide financial support and real-world enrichment opportunities to top-notch students pursuing legal careers in sports and entertainment law or as entrepreneurs.

Click here for more information about how you can advance your career with a JD concentration in intellectual property law.

USD School of Law: Leading the Way in Intellectual Property Law Education ™