The Co-op
Experience
September 2007
Patent Law
Co-op gets an
“Outstanding”
by
Lindsay Wood ‘08
“Outstanding”
is the
word I would use to describe my summer working at Day Casebeer Madrid
&
Batchelder, LLP, a boutique law firm involved with high tech patent
litigation. Throughout my co-op, I worked
alongside some
of the most talented and creative lawyers in this exciting area of law. I was given the same assignments as first,
second, and third year associates, completing claim construction
charts,
summarizing patent prosecution history for software patents, and
attending
interviews of expert witnesses.
The open door policy at
DCMB gave me the chance to learn from many of the top patent litigators. I participated in a cross examination
workshop where I learned key techniques from some of our partners and
from
experienced professors and litigators. I was given one week to prepare
two
sessions of cross examination where each session was videotaped and
analyzed by
the partners and instructors. Once
critiqued, I repeated the session to use and practice the techniques I
had just
learned. I also presented at an
all-attorney
meeting on a topic of my choice. My
presentation, “Name Your Price: The Sale of Trademarked Keywords in
Online
Advertising,” explored whether a search engine’s sale of trademarked
keywords
to a company’s competitors constitutes trademark infringement under the
Lanham
Act.
One of my
biggest
challenges was reporting directly to partners for all my assignments,
which can
be very intimidating at first. However,
I was able to learn a great deal from the experience of the partners,
who provided
great feedback and were willing to take the time to clarify an
assignment or
give helpful tips. The wonderful
associates with whom I worked were open and honest when questions arose
and
were always more than happy to help with an assignment or point me in
the right
direction. A major advantage in working
at a boutique is that everyone contributes to each project, from the
partners
to the summer associates to the secretaries. This
collegial atmosphere encourages everyone
to work hard and to
produce the best work product possible for our clients.
Our
summer activities helped form bonds not only between the summer
associates, but
also between the summers and the associates and partners.
From the annual softball game to dinner at
the founding partners’ houses, I have developed connections that I hope
to
maintain throughout my career. Finally,
my experiences at DCMB, working with the attorneys and attending fun
summer
outings, have helped me determine what I hope to do after graduation!
Co-op Experience
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