robert a. green christie, parker & hale, llp november 6, 2013 opportunities for engineers in the...

Robert A. Green Christie, Parker & Hale, LLPNovember 6, 2013

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGINEERS

IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION

All technical specialties

Many areas of the law

Valuable attributes General scientific and engineering

knowledge Logical thinking Hard work

Engineering degree is especially helpful in: Intellectual Property (IP) law Environmental law Product liability/Personal injury law Merger & Acquisition law Tax/Energy/Insurance law Testifying as a technical expert witness

PatentsTrade SecretsCopyrights Internet domain names

Securing rights

Evaluating rights

Negotiating rights

Asserting rights (or Defending)

Testifying as expert

IP law is a hot marketAll technologies

B.S. in ME/CE/EE/AE, etc. M.S. or Ph.D. in Biotech Work experience is a “plus”

Large GP Firms or IP BoutiquesSolo Practitioners

Remediation of polluted sites

Responsibility for Injuries/Damage

Examples: Erin Brokovich / PG&E Belmont Learning Center

Where technology is important to business

“IP Due Diligence” process

IP

▪ Patents / Trade Secrets ▪ Copyrights▪ Trademarks ▪ Domain Names▪ Contracts with creators

Tax Whether technology works Tax treatment

Energy Right to use resources (land/sunlight/water) Environmental concerns

(emissions/pipelines) Insurance

Cause of loss

Challenging workRewarding

Satisfaction Financial

DemandingLearning Curve

Thank You

Robert A. Green Christie, Parker & Hale, LLP