Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2014 - (Page 18)

a Practice Five Lawyers and the THE REASONS BRIGHT YOUNG PEOPLE CHOOSE A CAREER IN LAW are as varied as the areas in which they practice-something we quickly learned when we asked these five attorneys what drew them to the law. But whether they found their calling while studying in an engineering program or participating in a mock trial, they all discovered that practicing law offers both intellectual challenge and personal fulfillment. by Shaun Lee In college, I worked on my college's undergraduate science research journal. As part of the editorial team, I helped transform student research papers full of dense, technical jargon into articles that could be understood by college freshmen. Often, we first had to learn about the underlying subject. Then we'd write a primer to give readers the necessary background, design illustrations of abstract concepts, and explain what was exciting about the research. As it turns out, much of my work as a patent lawyer is almost identical to the work I did on that journal. Through patents, the government encourages inventors to tell the world about their inventions-in particular, how to make and use their new and useful ideas. In exchange, the government gives these inventors a monopoly on using those inventions for a limited amount of time. As a patent lawyer, I spend a lot of time talking with researchers and inventors. As in college, I often start with very dense, jargonfilled papers and try to turn them into patent applications that clearly explain the invention. I use all the same techniques of providing background knowledge, drawing figures to clarify the concept, and identifying the most interesting parts of the invention to focus on. I also have to teach inventors about patent law. I brainstorm with them on ways or environments in which their key insight 18 imagine could be made or used. I press them to figure out what parts of their work are old in order to figure out the kernel of novelty. Sometimes, I have to push the inventors to flesh out what they're describing to me, ask them to invent a little more, or suggest that they protect their ideas in other ways (such as by keeping their techniques a trade secret, like the recipe for Coca-Cola). After the patent is filed, examiners at the patent office review the application to make sure that the "claims" that define the scope of the patent don't cover things that have already been done ("prior art"). If an application is rejected, I work with the inventors to pick apart the examiner's arguments, editing the claims to avoid prior art, and arguing the differences between our claims and the prior art. It's fun to be the bridge between the highly technical worlds of engineering and law. It's an interesting and very different sort of puzzle than you might be used to, but every bit as satisfying to solve. Shaun Lee's favorite CTY class was, by far, Crafting the Essay, and he still wishes he could write as well as he did that summer of 1997. He studied electrical and computer engineering at Caltech and later attended UCLA School of Law. Shaun now works in the greater Los Angeles area as an associate at Christie, Parker & Hale LLP. Jan/Feb 2014 THINKSTOCK Patent Law

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2014

Big Picture
In My Own Words
Legal Discovery
Order in the Court
Think, Debate, Change the World
Voice of the Students
What Young Inventors Need to Know about Patents
A Practice and a Passion
The Science of Crime Detection
The Medical Examiner Is In
Selected Opportunities and Resources
Wild in the City
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2014