Masters of Law in Intellectual Property Admission Statement

I decided to post my Intellectual Property LL.M admission statement because I am proud of both the work I have put into it and the way it encapsulates my enthusiasm for these areas. Most law schools requested that I detail (1) Who I am, (2) Why I am interested in Intellectual Property and (3) What I plan to do with an LL.M degree. I tried to hit the high points of all three.

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There is a school of thought which believes, "work is not meant to be enjoyed, if people enjoyed their jobs, it would not be called work." I have always found this statement to be suspect, especially as it pertains to the work of an attorney. Simply put, I love both the practice of law and the acquisition of legal knowledge. The ability to protect and provide for both the people and things one truly loves, through application of the law, has always been an important pursuit of mine. Thus, I was happy when I first got my feet wet in Law & Justice studies as an undergraduate at the College of New Jersey. I was also happy in attending Villanova School of Law, finding myself entirely immersed in the law.

It was not until my third and final year at Villanova that the Honorable Judge Renee Cohn-Jubelirer, of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, greatly influenced my understandings of the law and happiness. She stated: “No matter what you end up doing after law school, the most important thing is that you are truly happy in the area you have chosen. I sincerely love and enjoy my work, and I wish the same for all of you in the future.” Her words inspired me to scour the legal landscape for the areas which truly gave me an inner glow. It was that same year in which I discovered Intellectual Property and Internet Law.

My adoration of these areas was almost immediate. My attraction to Intellectual Property derives my own innate creativity as well as my love and respect for the creative works of others. As long as I can remember, I have dedicated much effort towards cultivating skills in art, music, and literature; I was selling self authored and illustrated “comic books” at the age of 10, I play the soprano and alto saxophones, and I currently author a blog on Intellectual Property and Internet Law topics in my spare time. Moreover, I am and forever will be a lifelong fan of popular culture. I am a wealth of knowledge on the topics of television, consumer brands, movies, music, sports, video games, literature, and fashion. Allegories from creative works such as Aesop's Fables or Machiavelli's The Prince have helped shape the way that I live my life. And learning about creative innovations, such as the evolution of rock and roll and rockabillly from blues and country, has taught me to “think outside of the box.”

Likewise, my love of Internet Law derives from the boundless opportunities it holds for creative young attorneys who have grown up with and have a strong passion for the Internet. I am inspired by the insightful analogies being used to impact this area of the law, e.g. whether Domain Names are more like street addresses to bricks and mortar storefronts or like billboard advertisements on a highway. It is the development and advocacy of these creative analogies which is shaping the future of Internet Law, and I sincerely wish to help influence that future.

In law school it was the thrill of a lifetime to have my perpetual enthusiasm for creative works and technology collide with a practical application of Intellectual Property and Internet law. However, I am ready and yearning to learn and experience more. I have been introduced to the tip of an Intellectual Property Law iceberg and I am ecstatic at the opportunity to explore further under the mentorship of leaders in the field. With an LL.M degree in Intellectual Property I will have gained a set of highly specialized tools with which I can better navigate a course towards becoming an Intellectual Property and Internet guru. In other words, I will be fully equipped to succeed in and contribute to the future of the areas of law where I am truly happy.