USC Offers JD Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Technology

New certificate to focus on legal and business issues faced by emerging companies in the technology and startup space

-By Gilien Silsby

USC Gould School of Law is the nation’s first top 20 law school to offer a JD certificate in entrepreneurship and technology law, providing students with a powerful edge as they pursue transactional law careers in startup, venture capital and technology markets. 

“Los Angeles has become one of the largest tech areas in the country so this seemed only natural for us,” said USC Gould Dean Andrew Guzman. “Yahoo!, YouTube and Google have opened offices here, and startups like SnapChat are now here.  A major theme of the certificate is the convergence of tech and content, making this a logical extension of our well-known capacities in media and entertainment.”

Courses in the Technology and Entrepreneurship Law Certificate will focus on transactional skills through simulated negotiation, drafting and other active learning exercises.

The Technology and Entrepreneurship Law Certificate, offered in fall 2016, will focus on legal and business issues faced by emerging companies in the technology and startup space, said Prof. Jonathan Barnett, director of the law school's Media, Entertainment and Technology Law Program. 

“Rather than traditional lectures from the podium, we push students to learn through doing, including individual and collaborative projects.  The idea is to mimic the experience of a junior associate right in the classroom,” Barnett said.

Legal practitioners with decades of experience in technology, patents, emerging companies and venture capital practice areas will teach skills-oriented classes that challenge students to apply both legal concepts and strategic thinking to address real-world business problems.

The courses will focus on transactional skills through simulated negotiation, drafting and other active learning exercises.

For example, the Technology Transactions workshop simulates the negotiation and preparation of an IP licensing transaction from term sheet through final agreement. In the Patent Litigation workshop, students file briefs in a hypothetical patent infringement litigation and defend those briefs in mock judicial proceedings.  In the Startup Law Workshop, students navigate the complex legal agreements that constitute the lifecycle of an emerging company.    In the Patent Prosecution Workshop, students are guided through the mechanics of handling a patent application, simulating the process through mock correspondence and interviews with a patent examiner.

In addition to the Technology and Entrepreneurship Law certificate, students can simultaneously pursue USC Gould’s existing certificates in Business Law and Media and Entertainment Law.  

USC Gould School of Law is a private top 20 law school with a reputation for academic excellence and world-class faculty.  USC Gould is known for its diverse and collegial student body, its leadership in clinical education, and its tight-knit alumni network.  Located in Los Angeles, one of the nation’s top legal markets and a hub for major law and entertainment firms, the school is a dynamic laboratory for legal training.