The innovative three-week IP Practicum intersession (from late May through early June) provides students a realistic opportunity to explore the role of intellectual property law in clients focusing on technology, entertainment, and sports. Student "summer associates" receive assignments from experienced faculty partners, who supervise and review their work, work with legal writing coaches, and attend regular Continuing Legal Education-style (CLE) classes on all aspects of IP law and practice.
This program is open to all law students who have completed one year of law school, as well as law school graduates seeking experiential intellectual property practice training.
Work product students can expect to generate include some or all of the following:
- Legal Research Memorandums
- Formal Search Reports
- Infringement Complaints
- Office Action Responses
- Opinion Letters to Clients
- Motions for Summary Judgment
- Licensing Agreements
- Trademark Applications
- Trademark Search Analysis and Clearance Memorandums
- Responses to Notice of Opposition
- Madrid Protocol Applications
- Cease and Desist Letters
Student summer associates learn the best sources for trademark research, how to conduct conference calls with clients and opposing counsel, how to create portfolios, how to work with supervisors and peers, and how to manage time given multiple assignments. In addition to attending the CLE lectures and orientation, each student is required to complete an average of 36 “billable” hours of client work each week, tracked through time sheets to be filled out and turned in on a weekly basis. Events include roundtable discussions, meetings with partners, and hearings on motions for summary judgment, and an afternoon in the courtroom and chambers of a judge with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
A student who recently completed the IP Practicum, Michelle Ribaudo, commented that the course “provides an invaluable experience to law students who strive to focus their legal career on intellectual property. The skills and experience I gained while participating in the IP Practicum have been transferrable to my current law firm position and have ultimately allowed me to excel as a law clerk.”
The TJSL IP Practicum provides opportunities to learn the valuable tools necessary for a successful practice start. Space is limited, but all students who have completed their first year of study are welcome to enroll.
Read the news story covering the success of the IP Practicum Program.