Julia Kottmeier

Brief Background

I am originally from California. I attended Portland State University for both undergraduate and graduate school. I was a research scientist for a couple of years after graduate school, and have been a patent agent the last 12 years working at law firms in both Oregon and Southern California.

List up to three activities (school-related or not) that you are involved in. Why are they most important to you?

1. Intellectual Property Student Organization (IPSO)
   This year I served as vice president on the board for IPSO. We hosted a webinar event on the USIPA Increasing Diversity in Innovation Program, which is a program for companies to internally research and improve participation of underrepresented groups in the inventorship process. Working with IPSO has been a great opportunity to support and explore areas of intellectual property law that fall outside of my normal patent practice in a law firm and my classwork.
2. Working at Klarquist
   I currently work as a patent agent at Klarquist Sparkman, LLP in the mechanical engineering group and I am on the firm’s DEI committee and am involved in developing DEI initiatives for associates and patent agents. Working at Klarquist has been a great experience. As one of the top intellectual property law firms in the Pacific Northwest, the networking and skills that I am gaining on the job are an invaluable pairing to my legal education at Lewis & Clark.
3. Pilates and Barre
   Amongst all the hard work that requires a lot of sitting still, the activities that keeps me sane are pilates, barre, and dancing. Each involves precision, creativity, and strength, which are all good qualities for an A-type law student!

What is your favorite class that you’ve taken at Lewis & Clark? Why?

Torts with Professor Drummonds kept the late-night class interesting with dramatic reenactments of the cases. Makes the facts much easier to remember!

Tell us about a meaningful Lewis & Clark academic experience that happened outside of the classroom.

Increasing Diversity in Innovation Webinar through IPSO
Working on the IPSO event was definitely the most meaningful legal experience I’ve had outside the classroom while at Lewis & Clark. How to promote diversity in inventorship is at the forefront of issues for in-house counsel at large companies. I’m grateful that Lewis & Clark provided a platform to bring awareness of the Increasing Diversity in Innovation program to the Oregon intellectual property legal community.

What made you decide to go to law school?

Ability to grow in my field and move into leadership positions.
As a patent agent, I have gotten to work on complex inventions and patent portfolio management, but the position is limited in ability to move into other areas of IP law and into firm leadership. I’m looking forward to increased opportunities that are available to me by becoming a patent attorney.

Ability to serve.
While working at a prior firm in California, I worked on pro bono projects related to business and IP for minority affinity business associations in a broader group that focused on addressing racial inequality through various legal fields. In this group, I had the opportunity to witness the immense power that attorneys have for service. I’m interested in collaborating on pro bono work related to IP as an attorney.

Why did you choose to attend Lewis & Clark?

• Supportive professors that will help if you have direction and interest in a specific intersection of legal fields
• Supportive student body and an unconditional scholarship offer
• Beautiful campus nestled in the woods that is quiet and calm, a perfect place for learning

Do you have any bits of advice for students making their final law school choices?

Consider what is the right learning environment for you and what you need for support so that you can thrive in one of the most challenging experiences of your life that also holds the greatest opportunities for growth.

What was the hardest thing about adjusting to law school?

• Time management and workload
• The level of preparedness and presence required for each class

What is your top 10 list about L&C and/or Portland/Oregon?

1. The tranquility of the trees
2. The supportiveness of Klarquist and the local legal community
3. Skiing at Mount Hood Meadows
4. Hiking in Forest Park with my dogs
5. Sweating it out at Barre3
6. Meditation at The Grotto
7. Eating farm-to-table food
8. Paddle boarding and kayaking
9. Dispersed camping
10. Going to see live music at Edgefield

Intellectual Property Law