Message from the Managing Director, Nikki D. Pope JD ’04
We’ve reached the end of another exciting semester! The fun began with a lively panel discussion about the use of DNA genealogy data to solve cold criminal cases and ended with our annual HTLI graduate brunch!
In between those popular events were programs for students, workshops for practicing attorneys, development of new courses, collaborations with specialty bar associations and other organizations, launching new programs and relaunching old programs. Whew! Our team has been busy building on past successes and laying the foundation for the future of the High Tech Law Institute.
New benefactors partnered with us to build programs that will help change the face of the legal profession. Santa Clara Law is committed to making meaningful change in the lives of our students, our alumni, our profession, and our community. The High Tech Law Institute is doing our part to support these efforts by partnering with our benefactor law firms and companies to provide meaningful experiences for our students that will expand their opportunities to practice law when they graduate and increase diversity in tech law practice. We are reviewing the Engineering to Patent Attorney (EPAP) Program with key benefactors and advisory board members. We hope to unveil the new program in 2020.
Congratulations to the 73 students who are candidates for a High Tech Law Certificate and the 5 who are candidates for a Privacy Law Certificate. It is no easy feat to complete the qualifications for these programs. Well done!
It’s been a great year. We maintained our 4th place US News specialty ranking for IP Law. We’re doing more to engage members of our community. Some of you have offered comments and suggestions for programs and courses. Some of these ideas are reflected in the programs and events we sponsored and the changes we are making to our curriculum. Keep those ideas coming. It’s been great reconnecting with classmates and I hope to see more of you, not just Class of 2004, at upcoming events. If you haven’t seen Charney Hall, consider this your invitation to stop by for a coffee and a chat.
Professor Tyler Ochoa
Spring 2019 Program Highlights
Spring was a busy semester for HTLI, our students, and our faculty. We hosted a number of events in Charney Hall and other locations on campus. In January, with the help of Professor Tyler Ochoa, we celebrated Public Domain Day. For the first time in over 20 years, copyrighted works entered the public domain. Professor Ochoa introduced the Santa Clara University Laptop Orchestra’s (SCLOrk) performance of a musical history of the Copyright Act. After the performance in Recital Hall, Professor Ochoa took questions from a very inquisitive audience. HTLI also hosted the Ninth Annual Internet Law Works-in-Progress conference, where over 60 Internet law professors from around the country presented their scholarly work for peer review and questions. The workshop was followed by dinner and the much anticipated Game Night, featuring HAL of Justice, a custom role-playing game where Artificial Intelligence has taken over the justice system and petitioners seek adjudication of their issues. Read more about HTLI’s spring 2019 events here.
Student and Alumni Highlights
L to R: Cody Casper, Mide Oladipupo, Nazia Chandiwalla, Adriana Rodriguez, Jeremy Evans, Nina Huynh, Cosette Cornwell, Cynthia Yuan, and Robert Quiles.
Santa Clara Law Student Organizations were also busy this semester hosting national organizations like ChIPs and local organizations like the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, and founding a new student club, Internet Law Student Organization. The Sports & Entertainment Law Society held their annual spring break field trip to Los Angeles. The group met with SCU Law alumni from SAG-AFTRA, RYOT Studios, and Creative Artists Agency and heard first-hand how tough it is to break into the entertainment and sports industry as lawyers.Read more about the activities of law student organizations and SCU Law alumni here.
Faculty News and Research
In addition to their teaching and mentoring responsibilities, our full-time and adjunct faculty found time to advance their scholarly research projects and participate in academic and policy discussions on a variety of IP and technology topics. Our faculty are at the forefront on issues like liability in autonomous vehicles, the use of emojis in court cases, patent law reform, using AI to create new works, the electricity gap on Native American reservations, gamification of legal knowledge, using AI to advance criminal justice reform, and SEC policies related to cryptocurrency. Read more about the scholarly work of our high tech law faculty here.
Coming in Fall 2019
In addition to continuing our Breakfast Bytes and High Tech Tuesdays speaker series, we will host a number of conferences and events. Be sure to check your inbox for announcements. If you were forwarded this newsletter and would like to be on our mailing list, please email us at HTLI@scu.edu and we’ll add you!
September – Winston & Strawn brings the Disruptive Technologies Symposium to Charney Hall.
October – Criminal Justice & Technology Symposium, co-sponsored with Bannan Forum of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education at Santa Clara University.
November – Antitrust and the Big Tech Companies
Benefactors
Our Benefactors have been an integral part of our initiatives this year. From sponsoring speakers to participating in the In-House Counsel Institute and other conferences, Benefactors are helping us identify the changes happening in the law and the legal profession and suggest programs we can develop for our students, alumni, and members of our broader tech law community. If you’re interested in becoming a Benefactor or learning more about the program, please contact us at HTLI@scu.edu.
Cartoon Caption Contest
Our cartoon for the caption contest was created by Dina Goldman, soon to be an 8th grader and already a phenomenal young artist. We hope you enjoy her work and we look forward to your submissions. The rules of the caption contest are here, and you can suggest a caption here. True to the entrepreneurial spirit of our community, Dina is the sole proprietor of her first company, painting pet portraits. Learn more about Dina’s portrait business here.
Do you crack them up in the break room at the office? Is your secret dream job writing jokes for Trevor Noah? Well, here’s is your chance to show everyone how clever you are and win a prize. The only thing missing from this cartoon is a witty caption. Now’s your chance to impress your friends and family. Complete this cartoon with the perfect caption and submit your masterpiece here no later than July 31, 2019. Our judges will choose the winning caption. The winner will receive a framed print of the cartoon with the winning caption in place and the cartoon with the winning caption will be featured in the next issue of this newsletter and on our website.
High Tech Law Institute
Santa Clara University School of Law
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95053
