MSL students were recently treated to a panel focused on careers in intellectual property; the panel was sponsored by the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC). Associate Dean and Professor David Schwartz, an IPLAC member, helped organize the panel and moderated the session. The panel featured the following IP professionals:
- Anthoula Pomrening, Intellectual Property Counsel, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
- Natasha Sansone, Patent Agent, Tempus, Inc.
- Ritu Chander, A.S., Founder, Helix Patent Services
The discussion began with each panelist sharing how they leveraged their technical STEM training to position themselves for a career in IP. The conversation focused on the panelists’ personal experiences and their advice for students planning to take the patent bar exam or pursue IP jobs post-graduation. Two themes were repeated throughout: the importance of leveraging both the MSL and a student’s technical background when seeking jobs, and also, the power of networking.
Anthoula Pomrening advised students to leverage their technical expertise and their MSL backgrounds when searching for positions and to target companies carefully. She also emphasized that students with technical backgrounds can look beyond their particular technical training when searching for jobs. She noted that the MSL uniquely positions graduates for careers in IP. More advice: “Definitely get involved and build your network. Also, don’t neglect your network from other graduate programs and also your undergraduate days because those are valuable networks as well.”
Natasha Sansone also highlighted the importance of networking and noted that a company often already has a person in mind when they post a position – one goal of networking is to be one of those candidates that the company already has in mind. She noted that IPLAC is a great platform for networking, and another great organization for folks interested in IP is Women in Bio. Other panelists mentioned additional organizations like Chicago Women in IP, the Intellectual Property Owners Association, and the International Trademark Association (INTA), among others.
Ritu Chander shared her experience working with an amazing boss and mentor early in her career at William Wrigley Jr. Company, encouraging students to recognize these rare opportunities to continue to learn from their networks and build on their education post-graduation.
A very special thank you to Professor David Schwartz, Anthoula Pomrening, Natasha Sansone, and Ritu Chander for participating on this panel and sharing their expertise with MSL students.
