New Rutgers Law Grads Receive IP Clinic Awards
Nicole Ryu ’24 and Francis G. Tiongson ’24 are the latest recipients of the Intellectual Property Law Clinic Award, which recognizes their exceptional proficiency in the clinical practice of intellectual property law and acknowledges their excellent leadership and teamwork with fellow clinic students.
“Both Nicole Ryu and Francis Tiongson distinguished themselves from fellow clinical law students by demonstrating a remarkable level of knowledge of intellectual property law and outstanding proficiency in serving the various needs of the clients assigned to them,” says John Kettle, director of the Intellectual Property Law Clinic. “They also went consistently above and beyond in assisting their fellow colleagues in the clinic, despite their own extraordinary demands in attending to their respective client matters.” In addition to gaining recognition and the ability to distinguish themselves on the job market, each student received a $500 award.
Ryu, a West Orange, New Jersey native and first-generation law school grad, calls working in the IP clinic “one of the most significant experiences [she] had in law school.” She not only relished collaborating with clients and classmates (“rare in a normal classroom setting,” she adds), but valued working directly with the creators, inventors, and entrepreneurs served by the clinic. Her proudest moment was finishing a draft patent application—a task that was initially intimidating, but one that illustrated the value of working with real clients. “It’s one thing to know the theory of IP ownership rights; it’s a whole other beast to apply those rights practically,” agrees Tiongson. “I enjoyed contemplating the big picture and how to best protect a client’s interests.”
Tiongson, a Bound Brook, New Jersey native, will begin his career as an associate at Fox Rothschild LLP in Morristown, New Jersey, and Ryu has accepted a position as associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. “I am glad to be a co-winner of this award with my friend, Nicole, and I know we will do amazing things in our careers,” Tiongson says.
