Prof. Ashley Dobbs' Headshot

Navigating the Business Law Curriculum: Intellectual Property & Transactional Law Clinic

March 16, 2023

The Richmond Law & Business Forum is highlighting course offerings related to business law. This post discusses the Intellectual Property & Transactional Law Clinic.

The Intellectual Property & Transactional (IPT) Clinic provides transactional legal services to start-ups, small businesses, non-profit organizations, and individual creators of intellectual property. Students in the IPT Clinic work directly with clients, under the supervision of Prof. Ashley Dobbs, a practicing attorney licensed in VA and DC, and Director of Intellectual Property and Transactional Law Clinic.

This clinic is a great opportunity for students to learn and develop a variety of transferrable skills, such as:

  • Interviewing and client counseling
  • Entity selection and formation
  • Public speaking and presentations
  • Strategic planning
  • Advising clients on intellectual property and business law issues
  • Contract drafting
  • Negotiation of contracts and other agreements
  • Research and writing of legal memoranda and client communications
  • Preparation of trademark and copyright registration applications
  • Preparation of entity governance documents

If you are interested in any kind of transactional practice – tax, labor & employment, real estate, mergers & acquisitions, business law of any sort, you should try the IPT Clinic. The IPT Clinic is an excellent opportunity for students who are sure that they want to practice IP law after graduation, AND it is equally beneficial to any student.  The core skills you learn are wholly transferable to other areas of the law: interviewing, counseling, strategic planning, writing, researching, interacting with clients and government agencies. Although students will work with IP matters, the IPT Clinic provides a learning opportunity to even those who are not deeply familiar with IP.

If students are interested in applying, they should reach out to Professor Dobbs.  Applications to the IPT Clinic are due before course registration, and Students should then fill out the online application, including their resume, and set up an interview with Director of the Clinic, Professor Dobbs, to further explore the student’s interest in and fit with the Clinic as well as address any questions the student has about the Clinic. Students will know whether they’re accepted to the Clinic about 2-3 weeks following application. Importantly, students will know whether they’ve been accepted prior to class registration for the next academic session.

Professor Dobbs also recorded several short videos about the IPT Clinic that you can find here.  If you have any questions after reviewing these materials, please email Professor Dobbs.