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WBD Attorneys Kate Johnson and Jace Williams Guest Lecture at a Recent Class
Womble Bond Dickinson Partner Brendan O’Dea has built a thriving practice advising clients on patent applications, patentability, non-infringement and other issues related to mechanical and electromechanical patents. But in addition to being a lawyer and an engineer, O’Dea also is an educator, teaching a course on patent prosecution at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
It’s an ambitious undertaking, but he has the support of his colleagues in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Atlanta office. For example, WBD attorneys Kate Johnson and Jace Williams served as guest lecturers for an April 2023 class.
The Patent Prosecution for Engineers course meets two days per week for 75 minutes at a time. Students primarily are undergraduates from Georgia Tech’s School of Engineering, although a few Public Policy and School of Business students have taken it as well.
Retired WBD Partner Lou Isaf taught the course for years. When he retired in 2020, he wanted the class to continue, so O’Dea and other IP attorneys in the Atlanta office stepped up to help. In addition to O’Dea, Johnson and Williams, Partner Andy Claerbout and former WBD attorney Aaron Reinhardt (now IP Counsel at Reliance World Corporation) have assisted with the class.
“I learn a lot as well,” O’Dea said. “You look at patent issues a different way when you teach. It’s been fun for me.”
