As the new president of the Maryland Intellectual Property Law Student Association (MIPSA), William Andrews ’27 brings both enthusiasm and experience to the role. Now in his second year at Maryland Carey Law, he has already begun to carve out a path in the field of intellectual property through coursework, networking, and leadership. In this interview, he reflects on his journey through law school so far, what drew him to IP law, and his goals for MIPSA in the year ahead. 

 

What inspired you to get involved with the MIPSA, and what led you to take on the role of president?  

 I joined MIPSA as a 1L so I could make connections with peers of mine that were also interested in pursuing a career in intellectual property law. Intellectual property is a niche area of law, and I wanted to make friends with those that had an interest in pursuing the same area of law as I was. I was interested in becoming president of this MPISA so I could bring my vision and ideas to make the organization thrive . 

 

What types of events or programming has MIPSA hosted in the past that have been especially meaningful or impactful to you? 

"While MIPSA didn’t host the event, one of the most meaningful experiences for me as a MIPSA member was attending the IP Law Program’s Alumni event in D.C. at Steptoe. It was my favorite event of my 1L year, and it was truly awesome to hang out with such an incredible group of Maryland Carey alumni that have had great success in the IP space. Getting to share time with them was incredible, and I made lasting connections by attending that event.

 

What are you hoping to take away from this year as president, both personally and professionally? 

 I hope to gain fulfillment from being president of this organization. I want to look back and be able to say that I had a positive impact on all of our wonderful members of MIPSA and that the work that we do as an organization left a positive impression on their law school careers. Being the president of an organization is challenging, but I have always found great joy in taking on the challenge of leading an organization.

 

What are plans for MIPSA this coming year?     

 This year, I want to increase the value of the member experience. I intend on doing this by increasing the face-to-face networking events for all of our members to network with intellectual property professionals, and professionals that are in intellectual property adjacent areas. There are many facets to the intellectual property sector that I never knew existed until this summer, and I intend on structuring our events to increase our members knowledge on the many avenues one can take when pursuing a career in intellectual property law.

 

What areas of intellectual property law are you personally most interested in, and why? 

 As a Chemistry major, I was set to go to medical school. For several reasons, I jumped ship from that path and decided to go to law school. With my technical background, I have an inherent interest in Patent law and find great fascination in patent litigation. I have spent half of my summer in the patent litigation group of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff and have done some of the most intellectually enticing work that I have ever done. It can be very in the weeds, but I think it is the most fascinating area of law.

 

Any advice for new students? 

I remember being terrified going into my first year of law school. My biggest piece of advice for incoming students is that everything is going to work out. I remember getting that advice and instantly rolling my eyes, but as I sit back going into my second year, everything absolutely worked out fine. As stressful and miserable as the first year can be, I encourage incoming law students to use that phrase as their guiding light when things get hard.