The Pierce advantage: world class IP resources with a 35 year proven record of thousands of successful global alumni
At the beginning, it's all about possibilities. At the end of the day, it's about results.
November 2009 : The Financial Times names Pierce Law now the US's foremost institute for the study of intellectual property law.
Potential students and others interested in the sustained and demonstrable success of the global intellectual property Pierce Law community want to see results. They want to see the facts, statistics and stories that go beyond the empty generalities of other law school websites and marketing literature compiled and presented in a thoughtful manner. This provides a matrix to measure law school IP education beyond general law school rankings.
Welcome to this new and innovative area of the Pierce Law Web called IP @ Pierce Law. The goal is to provide the data in one area all of the resources that have resulted in the success of thousands of global intellectual property, commerce and technology (IPCT) alums. This data answers the endless debate, “Which is the best school for a future IP attorney: a law school with the higher general ranking program or a law school with the top IP ranking and a proven track record of success educating global IP legal professionals?”
Success speaks: take the word of a current Pierce Law IP student
“I want to thank Franklin Pierce Law Center and all of the faculty and professors for a wonderful 1L year. It was a little stressful at times, but it is starting to pay off. Thanks to additional support from Career Services, I was a summer associate at Darby & Darby, P.C. (Seattle, WA office). While I was at Darby I did patent prosecution work and had other IP litigation assignments. The highlight for the summer occurred today. During the summer I co-authored an article regarding the rights of publicity for deceased celebrities. The article was published in today's issue of BNA's Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal. The summer was such an amazing experience, and to top if off with the publication of an article as a 1L. At the moment I am very ecstatic. I feel very fortunate and owe it all to Franklin Pierce Law Center and the knowledge provided by the excellent professors. I look forward to this semester, but can't wait for next summer. Thanks again.” —Karl Hefter
Karl's success is the norm of Pierce Law students. Our longstanding global reputation and worldwide alumni network open doors for Pierce Law IP students.
Pierce Law Mission: the promise
Pierce Law strives to provide its students with the best possible legal education. Pierce Law is a community of scholars, oriented towards the practice of law, who teach, learn and empower others to contribute productively to a global legal system. Students from around the world with diverse experiences engage in active, practice-based learning in small, cooperative and interactive learning environments. While traditional areas of law and emerging specialties are taught, the intellectual property law curriculum, one of the broadest in the country, is continually emphasized and improved. Graduates are highly capable, confident professionals who will serve clients, employers and the public with integrity and excellence.
Delivering on the promise: facts show 35 years of successful global IP alumni
Proving the Pierce Law advantage: making the case
An extraordinary curriculum
- One of the most extensive collection of IP courses in the world
- Dozens of courses offered up to three times per year
- Courses that integrate all areas of IP law and practice
- Courses on domestic, foreign, comparative and international IP
- Courses dealing with developing nations and traditional knowledge
- Courses on electronic commerce and emerging information technologies
- Interdisciplinary courses at the interface of law and science, business, economics
- supportive courses for an average of over fifty chemists, biologists and biomedical engineers including specialty training in patent courses and clinics
- Thrity-five years of practice based education: the first patent practice program in the world
- Practical education including three IP clinics covering all areas of IP and externships in firm, corporate, government and court settings
- Courses that promote scholarship including papers of publishable quality, law review articles and amicus briefs
- Credit for numerous IP moot court competitions
- Conferences, seminars, symposia, institutes supplement formal classes
A diverse faculty with a passion for teaching
- One of the largest full time resident IP Faculties in the world
- Dozens of globally renowned adjunct faculty
- Some IP Faculty with teaching experience over three decades
- the IP Faculty are experienced academics, scholars, IP prosecutors, litigators, corporate lawyers, counselors and information professionals
- Five IP Faculty are members of the United States Patent Bar
- Four IP Faculty practiced trademark law in IP law firms
- Our IP Faculty members have prosecuted IP, litigated IP and managed IP
- One IP Faculty member was an examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- One IP Faculty member is a well known author practicing in a national patent law firm
- One IP Faculty member was corporate counsel at a giant pharmaceutical department
- One IP Faculty member was inducted into the prestigious IP Hall of Fame
- One IP Faculty member received the Jefferson Medal - “‘The United States’ highest honor in intellectual property” - for “extraordinary contributions to the U.S. intellectual property law system”
- One IP Faculty member was IP counsel for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- One IP Faculty member was past President of the Association of University Technology Transfer Managers
- One IP Faculty member is a prolific author and founder of the IP Professors discussion list
- One IP Faculty member is a longstanding member of the Advisory Board of the prestigious IP case reporting service “The United States Patents Quarterly” which has been a anchor resource in print, online and part of the premium legal research services Lexis and Westlaw
- Most IP Faculty members travel the globe teaching other IP lawyers, professionals and academics
- One IP Faculty member, a Cornell Ph.D. biotechnology graduate and prolific author, was the principle investigator in the world famous “golden rice” freedom to operate patent landscape analysis
- One IP Faculty member is a pioneering innovator in IP research tools and strategies, writing and teaching in the field of patent informatics
Beyond the model of teaching and legal scholarship, IP faculty engage in a wide range of global activities
- Participating in conferences, symposium, continuing legal education, government, NGO and many other IP related events
- Leaders in global and domestic professional associations
- Acting as expert witnesses
- Acting as arbitrators
- Authoring content in a wide range of formats including articles, casebooks, treatises, reports, websites and blogs.
The pride and joy of Pierce Law: thousands of successful IP alumni around the world
Accomplished alumni in most countries of the world:
- in most major U.S. IP law firms
- in corporations of all sizes
- in thousands of mid-sized and small IP firms
- happily practicing in their own firms
- in government agencies
- in non-governmental organizations
- as business professionals
- as consultants
- as professors
Extensive IP resources
- The only academic IP Library in the Western Hemisphere
- The only full time IP Librarian with advanced degrees in law and IP
- Award winning IP Mall website, blogs and IP Professor discussion list
- The oldest IP law review in the U.S.
- IP Advisory Council members who are top know experts in their field
- Regular visiting scholars that enrich the IP environment
- Strategic global alliances with institutions who send students that enhance the classroom and community environment
A strong law school makes for a strong IP education
One of the things that first drew me to Franklin Pierce was the warm welcome I received the moment I walked through the doors. From the first day of orientation through the graduation procession, everyone at Pierce made an effort to make me feel welcome and fortunate to be a part of the Pierce Family. --Gaelan Flannery Class of 2009
To be a good IP lawyer you must first and foremost be a well educated lawyer. Pierce Law has long been considered to provide an excellent legal education with an orientation on dedication to teaching and one on one interaction with students. Pierce Law is a small innovative law school, is committed to developing students who enjoy challenging dialogue from the first moments of orientation, embrace practice-based learning, grow through the collegiality of a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, and stand ready to join the ranks of alumni who are global leaders in intellectual property, general practice, social justice
and commerce and technology.
- A close-knit learning environment
- An intensive, practice-based experience
- Global reach and impact
- Strengths and specialties
