Oh, the places you’ll go!
Every year, Ultra Vires asks graduating 3Ls and 4Ls to share their after-law school plans comparing what they said in their personal statement to their actual plans. This year, we heard from a surprising number of IP lawyers. Our 3L sources say that while the IP lawyers may not be representative of the Class of 2019, the contrast between their planned post-law school life and actual post-law school life probably is.
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The social worker
“Throughout my work as a social worker I witnessed the impacts that the legal system had on the quotidian lives of communities that are socially or economically marginal. Whilst social work has provided me with a trove of tools for front-line practice, I am keenly aware of a legal education’s ability to vastly broaden and deepen the impact I could have on issues of social inequality. This awareness defines my goal to centre my study of law on socially and economically marginalized communities.”
This student will by articling at a full-service firm on Bay Street, where he will be representing clients who can afford those services.
The quantum electrodynamics student
“I am interested in Intellectual Property Law. My academic background equips me to understand the topics discussed in academic research papers; accordingly, I am well-versed in the relevant theoretical background and am able to understand the basis behind various technologies. This technical background enables me to understand the difficult topics at hand when I address clients’ intellectual property issues. For example, suppose that a client comes to me with concerns about a new technology that has been developed in the field of quantum electrodynamics; if it infringes upon their patent, I will already have an understanding of the theory and technology at hand. I will be able to more objectively compare the technologies and patents in question, and provide the client with comprehensive advice regarding any possibility of patent infringement.”
This student will be articling at a full-service firm on Bay Street with an IP litigation group, although he personally aims to never use the phrase “quantum electrodynamics” ever again. He has also become less fond of the semicolon.
The biomedical PhD
“I am very interested in specializing in intellectual property or patent law. With a biomedical-based PhD and a JD, I would be able to understand both the scientific and legal jargon. I would be able to understand the importance of the work the scientists are doing, and how to determine if the work is novel by searching the literature and looking at what other researchers are doing. I would also be able to know what legal approaches to take to protect their work and make sure they get credit for it, which is not something scientists would be able to do on their own. This combination of specialized knowledge interests me, and I’m excited to pursue this career option. I have also successfully passed my comprehensive exams, which demonstrates that I can learn a dense amount of material in a short amount of time. Outside of the lab, I am a recreational runner.”
This student has realized that she wants to marry rich instead of practicing law. She continues to learn dense amounts of material in a short amount of time (also known as procrastinating). She will be articling at an IP firm. She is uncertain if she will meet a rich man there. She continues to run and she will be competing in the Boston Marathon.
The computer programming hobbyist
“I hope to focus on IP law during my time at the University of Toronto, with the plan of working for a local firm as a patent lawyer after graduation. One area of particular interest for me is software patents. My hobby of computer programming has led me to discover the furious controversy surrounding these patents (like Apple’s ‘multi-touch’ patents) and I became fascinated by how so-called ‘patent trolls’ abused the patent system. I hope to be able to fight against these companies and support the proper use of the patent system to encourage innovation.”
This student is currently taking Patents and it is perhaps his least favourite class of law school yet. He has no intention of ever working in patent law or anything IP related. He will be articling with an insurance company and hopes to eventually find work in insurance defense litigation. He never actually cared about patent trolls.
The public interest student
“I am applying to U of T law because I want to be a Crown attorney [sic]. Whether international sanctions regimes or labour laws, I want to help fight these threats. I know that the work can be challenging, but the past few years have shown me that these are precisely the kind of challenges I enjoy most. Whether as historian, intelligence analyst, or journalist, I am happiest when piecing together the facts to make an airtight argument. U of T Law is uniquely appealing because of its strength in corporate law. Eventually, I would like to work in financial regulation, ideally at the Ontario Securities Commission, as these are some of the most complex cases, and because misbehaviour without readily identifiable victims too often goes unreported, unaddressed, and unrectified.”
This student will be working at a Biglaw firm in New York, probably in the field on white collar defence. He admits that he wanted to work in New York even as he wrote the personal statement. He remains optimistic that he will work in Canadian public service one day.
The poet
“Although seemingly disparate fields, literature and education are essentially shaped by attempts to understand our lives, our interactions, and the rules that govern them. Both are thoroughly ‘human’ fields, which—like law—require interpreters. Law governs every structure in life, dictating our actions. Like law, education impacts everyone, and like education, law is a building block of our society. Yet analogous to how a terse William Carlos Williams poem can elicit diverse responses from each individual, interpretations often vary. How can such differences be bridged in a complimentary way, if they even should be bridged? Law satisfies this intellectual curiosity I found to be so intriguing in English and Education, along with the concrete application to authentic human experience… With skills I gained in the past, I believe I have the potential to integrate into various fields of law in regional and global contexts. For a possible career in educational law, for instance, my background would be advantageous in understanding how schools and boards function as complex, intertwined institutions.”
This student never pursued a joint MA in English as she had originally planned. After finishing teachers’ college, she realized that she hated education and did not want to work with kids. She will be articling at a full-service firm on Bay Street.”
The human rights advocate
“I have a strong interest in the complex issues of Indigenous rights and the sensitive conversations surrounding indigenous enfranchisement. With a strong legal education, I hope to gain the tools and knowledge required to accomplish more substantial work in this field, both in terms of legislation and individual cases. The University of Toronto with its outstanding reputation and commitment to public interest would afford me the opportunity to attain those goals. Furthermore, I am attracted to U of T for its International Human Rights Program, as it offers a hands-on learning experience in the field that I am most passionate about. Just last year, one icy-cold Montreal evening while I walked from the library, my friend turned to me and asked, ‘Why do you spend so much time working? Why don’t you come out with us more often?’ My answer: ‘I just really love studying and learning.”
This student continues to be interested in human rights. Throughout law school, she was involved with the International Human Rights Program. She will be working in New York at a Biglaw firm. She continues to love studying and learning.
Another human rights advocate
“I know now that I want to play a role in the advancement of human rights, particularly for the most vulnerable members of the population … I believe that the best means for me to continue making a difference, to go on having a positive impact on the lives of people who are oppressed, abused, impoverished, or otherwise suffering, is by the study and practice of law.
While I intend to keep an open mind about where the study of law may lead me, I also believe a sense of direction is valuable. If all goes well, I will spend the first part of my career practicing law in Canada, either at a firm that specializes in my areas of interest or at one that commits considerable resources to pro bono services. Working as an in-house counsel at a women’s shelter could also be very fulfilling. Eventually, when I am ready for a change, I hope to make a transition to the field of international human rights. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights are just a few of the organizations I dream about being a part of one day. More realistically, I would be happy doing legal research for a smaller non-governmental organization based in Canada that focuses on human rights advocacy.”
This student will be graduating with a JD/MPP. She will be articling at the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. She still considers herself an idealist with a bleeding heart. She fully intends to get back into international human rights law after articling. She was heavily involved with the IHRP throughout law school. She also interned with the Human Rights Watch last summer and wants to return to that eventually.
She recognizes that it may take a couple of decades to repay her debt but she maintains that that is the price U of T Law charges for low-income students if they want top-notch legal education but are not willing to work on Bay Street.
