Areas of Study
Among the most important and fast-developing areas of legal practice are those concerning technology (especially artificial intelligence), intellectual property (ownership rights in technological innovation), and information/data privacy. You have many opportunities at St. Thomas Law to begin pursuing these fields for your legal career.
Training in law and technology at St. Thomas begins in three 1L courses—Business Basics, Serving Clients Well, and Lawyering Skills—that introduce students to the use of AI in law practice, businesses, and society. Students may then pursue elective courses in AI and the law, coding, and other technology subjects. These courses aim to give students skills to adapt and lead in “the technology of law”: the current and future uses of technology in law and law practice. The courses also introduce students to “the law of technology”—bodies of law that govern and regulate technology—with a special emphasis on ethical governance of technology so as to serve human dignity and welfare.
Among the “laws of technology,” several areas are particularly central at St. Thomas Law. Intellectual property (IP) courses cover the major statutes protecting trademarks, copyrights, patents and trade secrets. Courses also cover related areas of law that may be part of a practice focused on innovation and technology, including information/data privacy, cybersecurity and entrepreneurship.
Through classroom and experiential courses (clinics, externships and national competition teams), students get an introduction to the principles underlying IP and information-privacy law; to practical aspects such as drafting patent and trademark applications, developing cybersecurity policies and handling employee inventions; and to broader issues such as the law's response to new technologies, the interaction of technology and privacy, protecting IP and privacy in other nations and the relationship of IP to social justice and economic development.
Below are examples of some of the courses offered at St. Thomas Law for students interested in pursuing a career in technology law, intellectual property or information privacy.
Technology of Law
Governance/Regulation of Technology
Intellectual Property Law
Information Privacy Law
Professor Berg is a co-author of the book "Patents on Life: Religious, Moral, and Social Justice Aspects of Biotechnology and Intellectual Property" and he has been a leader in writing on the relationship between global intellectual property and religious thought.
Professor Kaal is a futurist, widely recognized for his thought-provoking insights into the future of technology, society and the global economy. He teaches a Decentralization Technology and Policy course, which helps students gain an understanding of the digital asset industry, smart contracting and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).
Professor Matheson teaches and writes in the areas of patent law; intellectual property law; and drug, medical device, and food law and regulation. Prior to teaching at St. Thomas she practiced at Kelley Drye & Warren in Chicago and Carlson Caspers in Minneapolis.
Associate Dean Robak is a leader in law school technology. He helps lead the law school's approach to legal technology education, equipping law students with the technology knowledge and skills they need for law school and their careers.
Among Professor Grenardo's areas of expertise is sports law. He has published articles regarding the NCAA Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy.
Professor Bowman is a senior associate attorney at Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. where she supports clients on data privacy, data use and ownership, and data security issues. She is both a Certified Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP).
Professor Wheaton teaches Privacy and Data Protection. He is the Director of Global Privacy and HIPAA Privacy Officer at LivaNova, PLC, a medical technology company.
Professor Mark Lanterman is the Chief Technology Officer of Minneapolis-based Computer Forensic Services. Before entering the private sector, Mark was a member of the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Taskforce. He has more than 30 years of security and forensic experience and has testified in more than 2,000 cases.
Experiential Learning
Accelerate your professional development and substantive understanding of IP law in a legal externship or clinic. Students at St. Thomas may also volunteer to conduct limited searches of prior art for the Inventor Assistance Program of Legal Corps, which offers help to low-income inventors.
The Trademark Clinic counsels clients regarding trademark matters and drafts and files trademark applications, responses to PTO actions and other related documents.
Gain IP experience through an externship with one of the major corporations or companies that make up the dynamic Twin Cities business community.
Jason Lorfing ’06 J.D. and Scott Pederson ’11 J.D. at Brooks, Cameron, & Huebsch PLLC; Kory Kotrba ’09 J.D. at Seager, Tufte, & Wickhem, LLP; and Nathan Gallus ’12 J.D. at Schwegman, Lundberg, and Woessner.
Mentor Externship Program
Each law student is matched with a mentor who complements their interests and professional goals, such as IP law. Our mentors allow students to engage in legal work, professional networking and meaningful reflection.
St. Thomas Law annually participates in three national IP student competitions: the Giles Sutherland Rich IP Moot Court, the Saul Lefkowitz Trademark Moot Court and USPTO National Patent Application Drafting Competition. Each is offered as a credit-earning course for 2Ls and 3Ls. The competitions introduce students to current issues in IP law and help them build their written and oral advocacy and drafting skills.
St. Thomas teams have advanced to the national round of the Rich IP Moot Court competition each year since 2018. In 2020, St. Thomas Law students took first place in the Patent Application Drafting Competition.
Minnesota is home to 17 Fortune 500 corporations, including Target, Best Buy, Cargill, General Mills, 3M and UnitedHealth Group—many of them with headquarters in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul or the surrounding suburbs. The Twin Cities has the most Fortune 500 companies per capita of any U.S. metro area. Major industries in Minnesota include medical devices, manufacturing, renewable energy, technology, finance and engineering.
Clubs & Organizations
The St. Thomas Student Intellectual Property Law Association (SIPLA) connects students with the IP and data protection and privacy communities through direct engagement with attorneys working in patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, data protection and privacy.
Further, SIPLA works to educate students in IP and data protection and privacy by supporting IP competitions, promoting classes and building relationships between St. Thomas Law and in the greater legal community.