Students succeed at the 2018 PA Bar Intellectual Property Law Section writing contest

Lara M. Ruggerio ’18 earned second place for her paper, “Devil’s Advocate: An Examination into the Representation of Disfavored Plaintiffs in District Court Patent Proceedings.”

Villanova’s Intellectual Property concentration and its emphasis on strong legal writing recently helped Lara M. Ruggerio ’18 to earn second place in the 2018 Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section writing contest for her paper, “Devil’s Advocate: An Examination into the Representation of Disfavored Plaintiffs in District Court Patent Proceedings.” Chandel Boozer ’18 took third place for her article, “Does Artificial Intelligence Embody Humanity? A Look into the Copyrightability of Artificial Intelligence-Created Works.” Seth Fenster ’18 earned an honorable mention for his submission.

The contest, established in 2004, provides an opportunity for law students to “express in writing their insight and knowledge in the areas of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets or trade dress.” It is open to all second- and third-year law students enrolled in law schools in Pennsylvania. The winner’s original creation is selected by judges based on content, quality and relevancy.

As Villanova students, Ruggerio and Boozer completed the Intellectual Property concentration, which allows a focused course of study and experience for students interested in intellectual property practice.  “I chose to pursue the Intellectual Property concentration, because of the  extensive coursework, experiential learning opportunities and networking opportunities within the local IP community,” Ruggerio said. “In my Advanced Intellectual Property and Cyber Law class, I was able to dive deeply into my paper topic. Professor Michael Risch was instrumental in fostering my interest and guiding me through the process of writing and submission.”

Since 2013, Villanova Law has had three first place winners, five second place and two third place finishers, as well as two honorable mentions at the competition.

The curriculum at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law includes five semesters of writing instruction—providing students with a solid foundation in legal writing, analysis and research that prepares them to meet the intense demands of the legal industry.