Miami Law Students Certified to Appear Before USPTO

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Summary: Miami Law received a formal certification for its Startup Practicum to be able to appear before the USPTO.

Only a select few are allowed to appear directly before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Now Miami Law can count themselves as one of the select few.

  

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Starting this month, Miami Law students participating in the Larry Hoffman – Greenberg Traurig Startup Practicum can help their clients by going their extra step. The students work with clients in forming business entities, drafting contracts and negotiating transactions. Before the school gained certification, the students couldn’t finish the job by getting patents and trademarks for their clients. Now they can appear directly before the USPTO on behalf of their clients to aid in securing their intellectual property.

The USPTO granted approval to the Startup Practicum, giving the students the ability to learn more about the process of trademark and patent applications. The USPTO Law School Clinic Certification program gives law students participating in their law school’s clinic program the ability to practice intellectual property law under the guidance of a clinic supervisor.

The students are able to draft and file patent applications and trademark applications for the clinic’s clients. They will able be able to answer Office Actions and communicate with patent examiners and trademark examining attorneys regarding the applications they file.

There are 26 law schools in the country that have received a formal certification. Miami Law is one of the schools and the only one in Florida to be able to do both trademark and patents with the USPTO. Miami Law launched their Startup Practicum in 2016 to get students working with startup clients with the organization, financing, and more that come with starting a new venture. In the programs first year, they gave over 2,650 hours of work for 42 clients on a total of 76 matters, according to the National Jurist. The students have also been a part of the closure of $3 million in investments for clients.

The National Jurist reported that one of the students “even traveled to Colorado with a client to negotiate and draft an agreement.” Another student has already been offered a full time position with a client they worked with.

Professor Dan Ravicher is leading the Startup Practicum. As a registered patent attorney and entrepreneur, he has over twenty years of experience working with startup companies and investors in the prosecution, licensing, and litigation of patents and other intellectual property related software copyrights. He said, “Startups with patents get more funding at higher valuations than those that do not. This is why helping get intellectual property protection is one of the most important things our students do for our clients.”

Ravicher, along with adjunct professions Jaime Vining, Amy Foust and Dan Barsky and local IP attorneys, will oversee the students as they appear before the USPTO.

There are other perks beyond just experience that the Startup Practicum gets from being certified. They can request a priority on two patent applications a year, giving two applications a return of months instead of years. As Ravicher explained, “By being certified by the USPTO, Miami Law students in the Startup Practicum will now be able to gain direct experience drafting and filing patent and trademark applications, answering formal office actions made by the USPTO, and communicating with patent examiners and trademark examining attorneys. This is an unparalleled opportunity that will provide our students at Miami Law practical legal experience they can’t otherwise get while also helping our clients seek and secure the intellectual property rights that are critical to their businesses and organizations.”

Do you think this kind of experience will set these students up for greater success and job opportunities? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

To learn more about Miami Law, read these articles:

• University of Miami Law to Defer Incoming Students
• University of Miami Law School Offers Deferrals to Incoming 1Ls
• Miami Law Student Takes on the TSA

Source: National Jurist

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org