Contact Information

Program in Intellectual Property Law

Prof. Edward Lee, Director
565 W. Adams St., Room 729
Chicago, IL 60661
elee@kentlaw.iit.edu
(312) 906-5212

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J.D. Certificate Program in Intellectual Property Law

Instituted more than 20 years ago, IIT Chicago-Kent's Intellectual Property Law program is one of the strongest in the country. Chicago-Kent was the first U.S. law school to offer a graduate LL.M. program in the study of international Intellectual Property Law, which continues to draw students from Asia, Europe, South America and the United States. As the importance of IP law has expanded, the Chicago-Kent IP program has kept pace, reflecting and anticipating the ever-changing nature and challenges of the contemporary IP field. Whether your interests lie in scientific and technological innovation, branding and advertising, or entertainment, music and the arts, Chicago-Kent's Program in Intellectual Property Law is committed to training the top IP attorneys of the future.

Students may take IP courses starting in their second year and may elect to pursue the Certificate in Intellectual Property Law, which requires 20 credit hours of course work related to IP law. The Certificate culminates in the practical "Capstone Experience," in which students apply their knowledge to a problem-solving simulation or an actual case. Students who plan to practice patent law typically have a background in science, computer science and/or engineering. Those interested in copyright and trademark law come from a variety of backgrounds. Many students continue working while they attend law school.

Students can broaden their knowledge of the field even further by participating in the student-run Intellectual Property Law Society, IP-oriented moot court competitions, national IP writing competitions, the annual Supreme Court Intellectual Property Review Conference, the Chicago Intellectual Property Colloquium (hosted by Chicago-Kent), and the student-run Journal of Intellectual Property.

Many graduates of Chicago-Kent's Intellectual Property Law program work in IP firms and corporate law departments throughout the Chicago area and around the country, including D.C. and Silicon Valley. Employers range from large general practice firms like Kirkland & Ellis to IP firms such as Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione as well as high-tech corporations like Motorola.