
STUDENT AND ALUMNI PROFILES Jonathan ChouHometown:Ambler, Pennsylvania (outside Philadelphia) Class Year:JD 2009 Prior Education:Princeton University (2004) A.B. Molecular Biology Professional experience prior to Law School:Research scientist- cancer research for a startup biotechnology company What I Am Hoping to Do with My Law Degree:Firm lawyer working at the intersection of intellectual property and venture capital. My Best Experience at Penn Law:Coming back to Philadelphia in early August before the start of second year of law school and having it really hit that I finished my first year. Professor Who Influenced Me Most:Stephen Burbank (Civil Procedure) - while he was very intimidating, he was also great at reminding me to treat law school as if it were a job. Law school is considerably easier if you think of it that way. My Favorite Course:Introduction to Intellectual Property (Polk Wagner) - not only was the class both educational and interesting, it was also an opportunity for me to figure out if I were even interested in intellectual property law. Being someone with a technical/scientific background, one of the popular questions I always hear is, "are you going to be an intellectual property lawyer?" Penn Law is known for its collegial environment. Why is collegiality important to a legal education? How has it affected your legal education?There is a misconceived notion that the field of law is necessarily contentious. By extended logic, law schools ought to train future lawyers to be prepared for this by fostering an ultra-competitive environment. However, it is easy to forget that the legal community is not that large - most people find that they will work with and against the same attorneys over and over again. Thus, it makes little sense to NOT foster positive working relationships. In my opinion, Penn Law's collegial environment helps students maintain this broader (and in my mind, healthier) perspective. My Favorite Philadelphia Moment:Too many to keep track - I'm a Philadelphia area native and have lived in the area my whole life. What I'm Most Proud Of:Being able to maintain perspective and not letting the pressures of law school stress me out much. My Extracurricular Activities at Penn Law:Iron Chef Club What I Did For Public Service:Poll Monitor, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund My Favorite Place or Activity on the University Campus:Throwing around a frisbee anywhere there is green space, shooting billiards at Houston Hall |
Copyright © 2007 University of Pennsylvania Law School · 3400 Chestnut Street · Philadelphia, PA 19104 |