American Chemical Society AMA: I’m Paul Dietze, special counsel for
Haynes & Boone, LLP, here to discuss a career in patent law. AMA!
Abstract
Hello, everyone! I am Paul Dietze, and I’m here to chat with you about a
career in patent law. A little bit about me: I’ve always liked science.
When I was a kid, I had a chemistry set, I had a microscope, and I had
one of those van de Graaff generators that you crank and make static
electricity. I went to Queens College at the City University of New
York, and that was a wonderful place. I got my undergraduate degree in
chemistry from there. I worked a 40 hour week all through college, in an
ice cream store. I never borrowed a dime to go to college. I paid for it
as I went. I got a job as an analytical chemist within a year after I
graduated college. I remember the job market was not real good when I
graduated in 1976. I got a job at a flavor and fragrance company in
Manhattan, Fritzsche, Dodge & Olcott. I went to NYU at night for my
master’s in chemistry. I liked school much better than I liked the job,
so I applied to the Ph.D. program and got accepted. I really enjoyed the
teaching part, and I decided I wanted to teach. When I graduated I was
offered a teaching position at a small liberal arts college in Indiana,
Earlham College. I taught there for two years. I missed doing research,
so I did a postdoc in the lab of William P. Jencks at Brandeis
University. In 1987, I got a position as an assistant professor at the
University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In 1993, I was not offered a
tenure position, and I was always interested in law, so I applied for
law school. At the same time, I applied for a job at the FDA to be a
review chemist in the division of oncologic drug products anticancer
drugs. I loved law school. I looked forward each day to getting out of
work to go to school. Today, as a special counsel for Haynes and Boone,
LLP, I provide counseling to clients in the generic pharmaceutical
industry. I get to use my chemistry, and I get to use my law degree.
It’s really a perfect blend of everything. If I had to do it all over
again, I’d do it exactly the same way. I’m here to answer any questions
you have about a career in patent law or how to use your chemistry
degree for a nontraditional career. I’ll be online at 11:00am EDT to
begin answering your questions! For more on nontraditional careers in
chemistry, check out C&EN’s new Career Ladder series in the first issue
of every month in C&EN. My Career Ladder profile appears in the
inaugural June 6th issue of Career Ladder in C&EN. For a C&EN article
on how to get a career in patent law, see: A Patently Satisfying Career
updated links 08:35 EDT -acs Thank you for your questions. I have
enjoyed chatting with you. –Paul