(270b) Using My Chemical Engineering Degree as a Patent Attorney

My name is Michael Stephenson, and I am an intellectual property attorney at the law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before going to law school, I attended the University of Pittsburgh and received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering in 2018. Until my senior year of undergrad, I fully intended on pursuing a traditional career as a practicing engineer. However, while working as a summer intern as a chemical engineering student, I started to have doubts regarding the career path that was best for me. I discussed my dilemma with a professor, and he mentioned that patent law may not only be a potential career path for engineers, but is often times a successful one. I took his advice and jumped straight into law school after receiving my engineering degree, and I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2021.
After getting my law degree, I got a job at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney practicing intellectual property law. The vast majority of my practice involves patent prosecution, which generally relates to the process of obtaining patent rights. I get to utilize my chemical engineering knowledge on an everyday basis, as I have regular meetings with inventors to discuss their innovations and how they may be best protected.
During my presentation, I’ll give you a more detailed description of how I got where I am now. I’ll then provide more detail on what exactly I do at Buchanan and how I continue to use my chemical engineering degree in a non-traditional manner.