Intellectual Property Attorney Shares Some Insights on Pursuing an LL.M. From Abroad and on being conferred with the Top 50 Emerging IP Players in the world Award

One should opt for further studies once an individual amasses adequate knowledge about the rudiments of law in his/her area of interest or has gained at least a limited amount of experience in the area one needs to specialize in. One should realise that they should aim to build up a sense of intellectual ability and arm themselves with the various techniques of analysis and develop a sense of multi-disciplinary approach in a diverse environment that would in turn help them grow and broaden their perspective. That is what they should yearn to happen and become a part of a university to encounter the best minds engaged in immutable discussions whilst intrigued in understanding not just the theoretical foundations of law and society but also its new and emerging trends.

Prior practical experience along with an LL.M. degree does make it much more smoother and gives you an edge in interviews (largely depends on the policy and outlook of the firm that you’re applying to), however, I tend to believe that if you’ve got the rigour, discipline, right amount of attitude, persistence, certain skill sets that are in demand and the willingness to learn and unlearn – nothing can stop you from achieving your goal.

On another note, in the month of November 2019, I got a call and a follow-up email from one of the conference producers of The Conference Gorilla –

www.theconferencegorilla.com (attended by all major corporations, firms, renowned IP professionals around the world and is soon to be a force to reckon with in the world of IP networking events/conferences) that I have been nominated for the “Top 50 Emerging IP Players” award on the basis of my experience and expertise in the IP industry. This award would be conferred at “The IPR Gorilla” (https://theiprgorilla.com/awardees/) conference to be held in Dubai. I was absolutely elated to be able to receive such a recognition at this juncture of my career considering there are more capable and hardworking professionals out there in the market. However, to my surprise, I was only nominated and not selected for the award. To cut the long story short, in order to receive the award, I had to fill an online nomination form along with submitting documents evidencing my achievements and contributions to the IP landscape here in India. And based on my answers and evaluation of their own astute research team which had conducted a rigorous background check, their awards committee/jury would in turn rate us on different parameters such as the overall impact on the IP industry, spirit of innovation, integration of your product/service with the IP industry etc. It was informed to us that they were expecting roughly 300-400 nominees out of which they will be awarding the top 50 and after the assessment is completed by the awards committee, they will be sharing a detailed scorecard with all the nominees via e-mail.

All nominees were adjudged on 5 parameters, namely:

1. Overall Reach – refers to the total number of experience that have impacted the industry. In addition to the popularity of your experience demand, this parameter is directly proportional to the need the industry.

2. Industry Impact –  This parameter is used to judge the impact of one’s expertise on the IP sector. The awards committee looked into the available information on public platforms as well as information submitted as part of the nomination.

3. Spirit Of Innovation – Industries across the globe are witnessing innovation at breakneck speed in both products and services. Legal and IP sectors in particular, due to its size and outreach, has been slow to catch up, but it’s now leading the innovation charge thanks to the individuals and organisations committed to the effort.

4. Future Readiness – With the fast paced changing of the technology world, the pressure on the IP industry is enormous. It’s quintessential for the plethora of experience/skills in the legal or IP industry being introduced to be ready for the near and distant future.

5. Market Demand – refers to the demand of a current expertise in IP. The jury committee looked into the need of the current expertise at scale in the field of IP.

After careful consideration of my submitted nomination and extensive research, the awards committee rated each applicant on every parameter as enlisted out above to reach the final list of awardees for the first phase of nomination. In conclusion, I was selected on the basis of an aggregate score which made the cut to the Top 50 list.

My Key Take Away – Don’t chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing and work hard. Everything will follow. Your degree is just a piece of paper, your education is seen in your behaviour. Keep a positive mind and find and surround yourself with the people out there who have the same mission as you.

About the Author: 

Yashvardhan RanaYashvardhan Rana is an IP Lawyer with a particular focus on IP prosecution providing legal opinion on the use, adoption of trademarks to be launched by Fortune 500 companies as well as top FMCG’s in India. He also advises on trademark protection strategies, copyright issues and specific assignments relating to Design Law. He is based out of New Delhi and is a member of Bar Council of Delhi, DHCBA, APAA and INTA. In January 2020, he was appointed as an Editor, The Trade Mark Reporter Committee, INTA. He has also authored several articles on Intellectual Property Law and Practice which are published in leading blogs, websites, journals and magazines. He can be reached at yash0843@gmail.com.

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