Throughout the semester, the MSL students were invited to a series of events that exposed them to different career options. Here are a few of the panels that provided guidance, advice, and inspiration to those who are getting ready to graduate:
Challenge & Opportunities in IP Management
Panelists included Erwin Cruz(MSL ’17), IP Strategy & Management, W.W. Grainger, Inc; Rekha Hanu, Executive Director, Chief IP Council, Akorn Pharmaceuticals; Frank Kozak, Patent Counsel, HERE Maps; and Benjamin Rellinger, PhD, Technical Advisor, McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP. There is a video of the discussion for those interested in the field.
Unbinding Precedent: Trendsetters Who Are Transforming Legal Practice With Technology
Moderated by Dean Daniel B. Rodriguez, the panel included Andrew Baker of Lex Predict, Nicholas Long of Reed Smith LLP, Pamela Morgan of Third Key Solutions, and R. Amani Smathers of DWT De Novo. The event offered a dynamic discussion on new career paths in legal innovation including bitcoin firms, tech-focused summer associate programs, legal data analytics services, and software development. At the end of the session, each guest offered one piece of advice to students:
- Amani:” You can start building a brand while in law school through Twitter or blogs. Use the law school events as opportunities to network.”
- Nicholas: “Embrace change.This profession is in constant flux.”
- Andrew: “Invest in skills that are complementary to the practice of law.”
- Pamela: “Don’t be afraid to speak. Take the opportunity to speak somewhere and take the opportunity to write. It doesn’t have to be in a journal.”
Tech transfer & Intellectual Property Networking Lunch
The MSL program partnered with the NU Postdoctoral Forum to present a lunch networking program, focused on careers in IP & Tech Transfer. The panelists included Tom Denison, Co-founder and President of SmartHealth Activator; Gwendolyn Humphreys, Invention Manager at Northwestern University’s Innovation and New Ventures Office; and Andrei S. Halavaty, technical advisor with Rakoczy Molino. They gave insights into their own career paths, the way they positioned themselves in the job market, and the current trends in patents.
