All in a day鈥檚 work for chemical engineering聽grad-turned-lawyer Amy Kramer
Intellectual property attorneys don鈥檛 bask in the spotlight, but they are a company鈥檚 best friend when it comes to protecting IP rights. Instead of taking victory laps for defending against increasingly common infringement cases, intellectual property attorneys are likely buried underneath stacks of documents, poring over every detail to protect their clients鈥� rights. This is the world of engineer-turned-intellectual property lawyer Amy Kramer.
鈥淐hemical engineering is one of the most versatile degrees you can get,鈥� says Kramer. 鈥淵ou can work in large-scale manufacturing, develop household cleaning products, become a brewmaster or work for an oil company.鈥�
You can also become a lawyer.
A 2006 chemical engineering graduate from CU-Boulder, Kramer quickly traded in her beakers and Bunsen burners to earn her 2009 JD鈥攁lso from CU-Boulder鈥攁nd entered the world of patent and trademark law. She is now an associate with Greenberg Traurig LLP, an international multipractice law firm with more than 1,900 attorneys serving clients from 38 offices in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
In her day-to-day work as a lawyer, Kramer battles a fairly recent menace to businesses: 鈥減atent trolls.鈥� Also referred to as 鈥渘on-practicing entities鈥� or 鈥減atent assertion entities,鈥� these corporations are created solely for the purpose of enforcing patent rights and account for more than half of all patent lawsuits.聽
鈥淧eople earn a lot of money not by creating products of their own but by buying patents and suing companies of all sizes鈥攆rom independent coffee shops to multinational technology firms鈥攊n attempts to win a settlement,鈥� says Kramer. 鈥淐ongress has been trying to deal with the issue for a long time.鈥�
Kramer credits her engineering studies for her success as an attorney. It was an elective class that planted the seed for her legal career: Intellectual Property Law for Engineers.
Now entering her sixth year of practice, she specializes in trademark and practice litigation. Thanks to the burgeoning startup and entrepreneurial environment in Colorado, her field is always growing, and she continues to rely on her engineering background as a lawyer.
Kramer serves as co-chair of the Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Board, which hosts events and organizes volunteer opportunities so alumni can stay involved and connected. The board also recognizes the achievements of graduates through the Recent Alumni Award, which is presented at the Engineering Awards Banquet held each spring.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had some great events鈥攆rom hosting a pool party for graduating seniors to renting the rooftop at a Rockies game to facilitating a behind-the-scenes tour of Lockheed Martin. If you鈥檝e graduated from CU-Engineering in the last 10 years, be on the lookout for our events this year鈥攚e鈥檇 love to meet you!鈥�