Canadian Lawyer

46 J U N E 2 0 1 6 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m you want to know about copyright and trademarks,' all in isolation. Students would leave with a complete incapacity to do anything." The goal, according to Gold, is to teach students in a way that they'll become not only progressive, smarter, more globally aware lawyers, but other professionals as well. Instead of resisting change, IP lawyers will be cutting edge. They will know how to think outside the box. And they will know what is going on with IP around the world. "People practising today who are progres- sive are few and far between. The bottom line is they are increasingly out of touch with the bottom line. Their own practices are hurting them." Focus on the consumer Amy M. Fong graduated from law school at the University of Victoria in 2005 and is an associate and registered patent and trademark agent at Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP in Vancouver. Her patent practice focuses on technologies in the computer, electrical, and mechanical fields. "There was a limited number of IP courses available at my law school at the time, and I took all two of them," says Wong. "You can't be a functional IP lawyer after simply read- ing the prescribed textbooks and listening to the lectures in a couple of classes." Regarding the future of IP education, Fong agrees with Gold's notions that IP cannot be taught in isolation and that there is a need for a more international approach. "In addition to teaching the fundamental legal principles that are applicable here and now, it is important for law schools to continue to cultivate a passion for learning about the law as it changes, and to study the interface between the law and evolving technologies," says Wong. "To be able to protect and advise on their clients' IP inter- ests now and in the future, lawyers need to stay on top of legal developments both in Canada as well as abroad, given that clients are increasingly going outside their own country's borders to do business." She says when she was in law school, "it was academically based, mixed with some more progressive methods of teaching such as co-operative education placements as well as exchange programs at other univer- sities." Moving forward, she says, "The legal curriculum could benefit from incorporat- ing practical case studies that arise com- monly during practice and to explore how they might play out in different countries." But law schools shouldn't have to teach you everything, she notes, but give you the relevant skills and knowledge that you need to enter the workforce and establish a career. IP lawyers and predicting the future Not surprisingly, technology is another concept that comes up often when dis- cussing the future of IP education. Gold says despite the rapid advancements in technology, changes are not difficult to predict and they are not fundamentally different in nature than they were a dec- ade ago. "IP lawyers are particularly bad at predicting what will happen. They find it difficult to see what the future will look like and so they have been reactionary rather than proactive." This is one problem that law schools should address now so that those graduating in the future will be Bright minds protecting bright ideas since 1893. Committed & accomplished members of the Canadian innovation & legal communities. Toronto • Ottawa • Mississauga ridoutmaybee.com Untitled-4 1 2016-05-12 2:05 PM

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