Chicago-Kent College of Law Viewbook - (Page 34) On Doing Deals Stephen Johnson ’84 Stephen Johnson studied genetics at Cambridge University in England and law at the College of Law in London before enrolling at Chicago-Kent. He is listed in Euromoney’s “Guide to the World’s Leading Patent Law Experts” and Chambers USA’s “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. ” What I most enjoy is doing complicated deals involving biotechnology. It’s an international business. This past year I worked on a complex option to license a new therapy for heart conditions, and for a financial firm on acquiring royalties from licensors of biotechnology patents. These agreements require a lawyer to have an appreciation of science, an appreciation for business and finance, and an appreciation for the limitations of intellectual property law that may affect the structuring of agreements. One course in particular at Chicago-Kent has remained with me. It was taught by Professor David Gerber. I’ve used his framework over the years for analyzing difficult antitrust issues in collaborations among competitors. I would say it’s perhaps the single most valuable piece of teaching I’ve ever received. I get occasional contacts from students who are interested in international careers, and I’m happy to talk with them. My advice is always to develop a set of solid legal skills first, and look for international opportunities second. My goal at the outset was to work on technology agreements, but really I’ve always pursued what interested me. I count myself very fortunate to have ended up with the career I’ve had.
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