Arizona State Law Students Show What You Need—and What You Don't—to Dive into Law and Science
Article About Arizona State Law Students Show What You Need And What You Do notTo Dive Into Law And Science And Information About Arizona State Law Students, Intellectual Assets, International Intellectual Property Law, Intellectual Property Law Firms, Intellectual Property Law Schools, Intellectual Property Rights, Intellectual Property Lawyers, Intellectual Property Definition.
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Arizona State Law Students Show What You Need—and What You Don’t—to Dive into Law and Science
[by Erica Winter] Despite what conventional wisdom says, students interested in intellectual property law or other science and technology-based legal fields, do not need advanced degrees in the sciences to get in to law school or to succeed there.
Law students involved with the Center for Study of Law, Science, and Technology at the College of Law, Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. Some have advanced science degrees, and some do not. Third-year Kindra Deneau had an undergraduate degree in psychology from Arizona State when she applied to the law school. Now pursuing a certificate in intellectual property law, she says, “You can actually do something like this” without an advanced degree in science or engineering. Laura Lawless, also in her third year, majored in psychopathology at Harvard as an undergrad and is working on her heath law certificate at Arizona State. Third-year Amelia Morrow, another Harvard grad, was a social studies major there and will receive her intellectual property certificate upon graduation this spring.
The rapid evolution of technology and the ability of people to access art of all kinds fire Deneau’s interest in copyright law. Protecting the work of artists while at the same time allowing them to express themselves without constantly monitoring possible copyright infringement “is intriguing to me,” says Deneau. The work that led Deneau to law school had nothing to do with copyrights. While an undergraduate, she studied the effect of parents’ divorce on their children. Deneau was a co-author, with two professors, of a report showing that divorced men gave more money to their children’s college educations than women did, when incomes were equalized. The report was considered by legislators weighing child-support laws in several states. Seeing her research applied to the law sparked her interest in law school, says Deneau. Morrow’s primary law school interests in
year off. As the 2002 Miss Arizona, she traveled around the state, advocating for greater access to mental health coverage in public heath care. “I was fascinated by the subject,” says Lawless. Upon returning to law school, she is focusing on mental health law and public policy in her work towards a health law certificate. One current project Lawless has is bringing in speakers for a conference on neuroscience and criminal responsibility to be held April 29 at the science and technology center. She is working with Professor Gary Marchant, the center’s Executive Director, to put the conference together. The conference will feature discussions of immediate and accessible topics, as well as more theoretical questions. One speaker will discuss how traumatic brain injury affects establishment of criminal responsibility. Another will look at whether sleepwalkers are legally responsible for their actions. Also, crime prevention will be examined ethically through the theoretical idea of a genetic marker showing a predisposition to criminal behavior. The center allows for “a very applied approach to both science and law,” says Lawless, giving both fields equal respect even when they are characteristically at odds--as evidenced by the tension caused by science’s constant progress and the law’s desire to slow progress in the interest of examining implications of scientific advances, she notes.
All three women are Center Scholars, a group of 30 law students chosen to advise the science and technology center on its programs and who get first choice of research assistantships and other opportunities at the center. Deneau credits the high-caliber faculty at Arizona State Law with enabling students to thrive in the legal-scientific arena. Deneau says Professors Dennis Karjala, who specializes in copyright law, and Professor Michael Saks, who is an expert on evidence issues and also holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, exemplify this excellence.
copyright issues and emerging computer technology stem from practical experience as well. As an undergraduate, she wrote her thesis on the impact of computer technology on a Boston community organization. After graduation, she worked for two years for an Internet start-up. Now, Morrow focuses on how the law would need to change along with advances in technology. After counseling victims of domestic abuse for a few years, Lawless trained paralegals and worked in New York law firms before applying to law school. After her first year of law school, she won a pageant and took a
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continued on back
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1.800. 973. 1177
After law school, Deneau will join the firm of Donald W. Hudspeth, P.C., in Phoenix, working with small business clients. Lawless will become an associate with Greenberg Traurig in Phoenix, doing employment and litigation work. Morrow will clerk for Justice Rebecca White Berch of the Arizona Supreme Court and then join Perkins Coie Brown & Bain’s Phoenix office as a litigation associate.
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1. 800. 973.1177
Arizona State Law Students Show What You Need—and What You Don’t—to Dive into Law and Science
[by Erica Winter] Despite what conventional wisdom says, students interested in intellectual property law or other science and technology-based legal fields, do not need advanced degrees in the sciences to get in to law school or to succeed there.
Law students involved with the Center for Study of Law, Science, and Technology at the College of Law, Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. Some have advanced science degrees, and some do not. Third-year Kindra Deneau had an undergraduate degree in psychology from Arizona State when she applied to the law school. Now pursuing a certificate in intellectual property law, she says, “You can actually do something like this” without an advanced degree in science or engineering. Laura Lawless, also in her third year, majored in psychopathology at Harvard as an undergrad and is working on her heath law certificate at Arizona State. Third-year Amelia Morrow, another Harvard grad, was a social studies major there and will receive her intellectual property certificate upon graduation this spring.
The rapid evolution of technology and the ability of people to access art of all kinds fire Deneau’s interest in copyright law. Protecting the work of artists while at the same time allowing them to express themselves without constantly monitoring possible copyright infringement “is intriguing to me,” says Deneau. The work that led Deneau to law school had nothing to do with copyrights. While an undergraduate, she studied the effect of parents’ divorce on their children. Deneau was a co-author, with two professors, of a report showing that divorced men gave more money to their children’s college educations than women did, when incomes were equalized. The report was considered by legislators weighing child-support laws in several states. Seeing her research applied to the law sparked her interest in law school, says Deneau. Morrow’s primary law school interests in
year off. As the 2002 Miss Arizona, she traveled around the state, advocating for greater access to mental health coverage in public heath care. “I was fascinated by the subject,” says Lawless. Upon returning to law school, she is focusing on mental health law and public policy in her work towards a health law certificate. One current project Lawless has is bringing in speakers for a conference on neuroscience and criminal responsibility to be held April 29 at the science and technology center. She is working with Professor Gary Marchant, the center’s Executive Director, to put the conference together. The conference will feature discussions of immediate and accessible topics, as well as more theoretical questions. One speaker will discuss how traumatic brain injury affects establishment of criminal responsibility. Another will look at whether sleepwalkers are legally responsible for their actions. Also, crime prevention will be examined ethically through the theoretical idea of a genetic marker showing a predisposition to criminal behavior. The center allows for “a very applied approach to both science and law,” says Lawless, giving both fields equal respect even when they are characteristically at odds--as evidenced by the tension caused by science’s constant progress and the law’s desire to slow progress in the interest of examining implications of scientific advances, she notes.
All three women are Center Scholars, a group of 30 law students chosen to advise the science and technology center on its programs and who get first choice of research assistantships and other opportunities at the center. Deneau credits the high-caliber faculty at Arizona State Law with enabling students to thrive in the legal-scientific arena. Deneau says Professors Dennis Karjala, who specializes in copyright law, and Professor Michael Saks, who is an expert on evidence issues and also holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, exemplify this excellence.
copyright issues and emerging computer technology stem from practical experience as well. As an undergraduate, she wrote her thesis on the impact of computer technology on a Boston community organization. After graduation, she worked for two years for an Internet start-up. Now, Morrow focuses on how the law would need to change along with advances in technology. After counseling victims of domestic abuse for a few years, Lawless trained paralegals and worked in New York law firms before applying to law school. After her first year of law school, she won a pageant and took a
PAGE 1
continued on back
SKILL SHARPENER
1.800. 973. 1177
After law school, Deneau will join the firm of Donald W. Hudspeth, P.C., in Phoenix, working with small business clients. Lawless will become an associate with Greenberg Traurig in Phoenix, doing employment and litigation work. Morrow will clerk for Justice Rebecca White Berch of the Arizona Supreme Court and then join Perkins Coie Brown & Bain’s Phoenix office as a litigation associate.
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