Carsten Grellmann chose to attend Michigan State University for its generous scholarship offerings and strong intellectual property curriculum.

Carsten said the aspects of his legal education that prepared him best for practice were his clinical experiences and the practical skills-based patent law courses he took. “At the Housing Law Clinic, I learned to draft legal documents, interact with clients and opposing counsel, and was able to appear in court on several occasions,” he said. “In my patent drafting and licensing courses, I learned practical skills from adjunct faculty that allowed me to perform well in summer internships and in my job after law school.”

He recommends that law students start networking early. “When I was in college and considering a career in the law, I contacted all the patent law firms in town about the possibility of a summer internship. I didn’t get an internship that summer, but I did make contact with an attorney who advised me through the rest of my college career and the law school application process. Eventually, the contact turned into an internship and then a job offer,” he said.