IPM's Making Waves: Beth S Brinkmann
January 24, 2020, Intellectual Property Magazine
Beth Brinkmann was featured in Intellectual Property Magazine’s “Making Waves” to discuss her career as an intellectual property lawyer.
Ms. Brinkmann told IPM that she entered intellectual property law because the practice was becoming more robust in the U.S. and financially significant to the tech and biotech industry. She later supervised the amicus briefs that the federal government filed in patent cases in the Federal Circuit.
The highlight of her career was appearing before the Supreme Court for the first time. She says, “To find yourself standing at that lectern before the Supreme Court Justices is very powerful personally, appreciating all the hard work that got you there. It’s one of those familiar American stories – you’re just an everyday kid, and you grow up and get to argue in the Supreme Court.” Her first case came when she was working at the Solicitor General’s Office.
Ms. Brinkmann’s most difficult Supreme Court case was the Affordable Care Act case when she worked for the Solicitor General. Her fondest memory was a case involving whether school districts had to fund the cost of nursing care for a student using a ventilator.
She recommends that everyone, especially lawyers, should consider a career in public service. She says, “Those experiences in the government often enable you to look across a wide spectrum of programs and laws. One day you’re doing cutting-edge patent work, the next day you’re handling national security matters, and on yet another day you’re analyzing a major civil rights statute. That is a depth of experience that you carry with you throughout your whole career."
Back
