The University of Texas - Intellectual Property Law Society
About Us
Founded in 1991, the Intellectual Property Law Society at The University of Texas School of Law is dedicated to informing and assisting students interested in the practice of intellectual property law—the law of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. Upon its inception, the IPLS brought in four adjunct professors to teach the Law School's first ever IP classes. A year later the members of the IPLS founded the Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal, the official journal of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.
The society hosts regular talks by attorneys covering both the practice of IP law and current issues facing the field. These talks, plus the annual reception held with the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association, provide excellent opportunities for law students to network with potential employers. In addition, the society coordinates talks about career options and the US Patent and Trademark Office examination.
For interested members, the IPLS distributes a resume directory to the Texas offices of firms with a substantial IP practice. The society also compiles a database of such firms, centralizing contact information and, for firms hiring for their patent practice, preferred technical backgrounds. This database allows students to effortlessly build a targeted mail merge, connecting mutually interested students and firms.
Firms interested in being listed in the database should go here. Students interested in accessing the database must be paid members; to become a member go here.
UT students who are not part of the Law School may join, though the IPLS reserves the right to limit enrollment. In practice, this has never been an issue. Such students may also be interested in Beta Alpha Rho and College of Liberal Arts Pre-Law Services. The society is unaware of any dedicated pre-law programs in either the College of Natural Sciences or College of Engineering, though students with such technical backgrounds are ideally suited to practice patent law.
Contact IPLS
Email
ipls@law.utexas.edu
You may also contact any of the officers individually. Please see the Officers page for their email addresses.
Mailing Address
Intellectual Property Law Society
727 E. Dean Keeton St.
Austin, TX 78705
Phone (shared with the Texas IP Law Journal)
(512) 471-5151