A Place of Great Opportunity ISSUE NO
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THE ALUMNI/AE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SCHOOL OF LAW a place of great opportunity ISSUE NO. 84 SPRING 2006 PORTLAND, MAINE WWW.MAINELAWALUM.ORG Visit Friends · Make Business Contacts Share News · Mentor Others The best part… it’s all a click away: www.mainelawalum.org profile: Update your online profile, news: Read about what’s happening post photos and submit class notes. in the Maine Law community. Our alumni/ae, students and faculty are doing amazing and interesting “The network of Maine alumni/ae practicing across the country is things. impressive. I use the website’s online directory as a resource to find events: Save your stamp and register attorneys in other states. To locate counsel for a Michigan case, the website for the Road Race, Annual Dinner, gave me the names of Maine graduates practicing there, and one of them Fall Reception, reunions and regional alumni/ae events online. referred me to a lawyer we retained. To find counsel in northern Virginia for an estate, the website gave me the names of the alumni/ae there, and with donations: Make your Annual Fund gift using your credit card and those contacts, I got several recommendations for probate counsel.” receive instant confirmation of your larry mullen, ’81 andover, ma gift. Want to make a gift in the future? Set up a pledge and your own personal payment schedule. directory: Reconnect with old job postings: Search and view job friends or make a referral to another postings by category. Looking for a Maine Law alumnus/a. The directory new associate at your firm? Post the allows you to search by name, city, opening online and reach hundreds state, legal specialty and much more. of qualified candidates instantly. Introducing... Email Forwarding for Life First Time User? How it works — I Create an email address on your www.mainelawalum.org profile page: I Go to www.mainelawalum.org. [email protected]. I Click “First Time Login” on the left I Give the address to friends and family. corner of the page. I Messages sent to your [email protected] address will automatically forward to the “preferred email” address listed on your profile page. I Enter your last name and select your profile. Benefits — I Enter your ID Number listed above I If you change jobs or internet providers, simply change your “preferred your name on the address label. email” address on the system. I Update your profile and get busy I Your [email protected] account will forward your messages to the reconnecting! new email address, no matter how many times it changes… during your lifetime! FROM THE DEAN this issue of the maine law magazine features the Law School’s Contents multifaceted program in law and technology, signaling an important Feature: Taking an element of our trajectory. Maine Innovative Approach ............ 2 Law’s take on technology reflects commitment to engagement on mul- Around Campus..................... 10 tiple levels. The Center for Law & Faculty Notes: Professor Innovation, including the Maine Orlando Delogu ................... 16 Patent Program, continues to provide Focus on Alums: counsel to inventors and entrepre- J. Trevor Hughes ’95 ............ 20 neurs and to participate in policy Class News.............................. 22 development around technology and economic development. The Center Alumni Events........................ 28 serves as a resource, as well, for the scientific research community and event. At the end of this academic year, Orlando Delogu plans to retire facilitates commercial applications. 2005–06 Alumni Association after forty years at Maine Law. As Portland emerges as a world-class Board of Directors marine science city, we see powerful Happily, he will continue to be an active participant in the life of the Officers synergy with coastal institutions Timothy H. Norton ’88, President Law School, with emeritus status such as the Gulf of Maine Research Michael K. Martin ’89, Vice President Institute and with an array of univer- and continuing presence. Orlando is Janet Vivar Britton ’98, Secretary sity participants. an institution here and, to our Elizabeth Eddy Griffin ’92, Treasurer benefit, will remain so. Our students are playing an expanding Directors We look forward to welcoming another Miles F. Archer ’00 role in this exciting activity, as they John F. Bisson ’93 generation of stellar scholars and participate in our newly established Michael R. Bosse ’96 teachers. Chris Knott will join our fac- clinical program in intellectual proper- Rachel L. Bouchard ’96 ty. Based at the Center for Law & ulty as of July and, as Director of the M. Thomasine Burke ’90 Innovation, this intellectual property Law Library, will keep us at the cut- Eugene C. Coughlin III ’70 clinic enables students to pursue ting edge of information technology. Ronald J. Cullenberg ’71 patent law projects and gain hands-on Laura Underkuffler of Duke University, Thomas G. Diebold ’92 experience in transactional matters. a renowned property law scholar and Alfred C. Frawley III ’76 Students are supervised by Center an energetic colleague, will be a vis- James B. Haddow ’86 Katherine R. Knox ’04 Director Rita Heimes and Patent iting professor in Fall 2006. Melissa Mark G. Lavoie ’78 Program Director Leonard Agneta. Powers, an environmental law expert at Lewis & Clark Law School in Nancy Savage Marcus ’91 Elaine M. Michaud ’93 Faculty members Tom Ward, Christine Oregon, will be a visiting professor in Anne E. O’Donovan ’91 Galbraith, and Jeff Maine are publish- Spring 2007. And, a number of alum- Michael J. Quinn ’88 ing their innovative interdisciplinary ni/ae and friends in the judiciary and Ronald W. Schneider Jr. ’96 work in intellectual property law, practicing bar will teach in our Susan M. Schultz ’89 making the link between intellectual emerging bridge course program, Heather Seasonwein Walker ’01 property and commerce. And, Maine bridging practice and theory in short Ryan S. Stinneford ’88 Law alumni/ae are well situated in a courses for our students. John R. Veilleux ’99 range of careers at the cutting edge Ex Officio: of technology law and play a critical Thank you all for your interest, for Peter Pitegoff, Dean role in mentoring, modeling, and your support, and for your engage- Professor Melvyn Zarr, placement for our students. ment with the Law School. Maine Faculty Representative Law is on the move. Julia Wyman ’07, SBA Representative As we embrace new directions and John C. Gundersdorf, Director of Alumni wider engagement for the Law Relations & Development School, let me also mark a watershed Allison Leslie Bowman, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations & Development MAINE LAW · SPRING 2006 1 FEATURE From Idea… to Invention The Center for Law & Innovation One Inventor’s Success Story Barrie Lee Johnson likes gourmet coffee, but not the rocket fuel favored two years ago zachariah conover Patentability opinions typically cost by her husband, Gordon. Camping— had a good idea: create a backup $1,500 or more in lawyers’ fees, when packing light is important— technology for the Global Positioning enough to give fledgling inventors meant caffeine conflicts. Johnson System, the satellite-based radio- pause, if not stop them cold. The cost frequently found herself sipping navigation system known as GPS. to CrossRate? Absolutely nothing. Gordon’s pumped-up java or resorting Armed with an MBA from Drexel Moreover, CrossRate used the Maine to an unsatisfying mug of instant. University, Conover brought his plan Patent Program’s opinion to leverage So she set out to find an easy-to- home to Maine as CrossRate two Maine Technology Institute pack single-cup coffee steeper— Technology LLC. grants, one for market research, the and failed. “I decided I would have other for product development. Conover was so impressed with the to make one myself,” she says. “The Center for Law students’ work that he and Center Johnson, who lives in Raymond, and Innovation is a tremendous Director Rita Heimes created an developed the Cup-pour-ri, a varia- resource. It’s a great program internship at CrossRate for Andre “Andrew” Belousov ’06. Belousov is tion on the tea strainer. The plastic that is helping a lot of people.” tablespoon is equipped with top and conducting deeper industry research — zachariah conover, and writing the company’s draft bottom screens; the top swivels open founder, president and ceo, patent application in advance of to scoop coffee. Initially Johnson did crossrate technology llc hiring a patent attorney. “Besides his not believe the friend who told her patent experience, Andrew has an she could get free advice on market- “GPS is vulnerable to intentional and undergraduate degree in computer ing her product through the unintentional disruption,” Conover, science and electrical engineering,” the former U.S. Coast Guard officer, University of Maine School of Law. Conover raves. “He’s got good, explains. He took his good idea – a And once she was convinced, she practical knowledge. He knows what receiver integrating GPS with hesitated to make an appointment. is going on. The Center for Law and another navigational system called “They’re not going to want to sit Innovation is a tremendous resource. eLoran—to Maine Law’s Center for down with a do-it-yourselfer,” she It’s a great program that is helping a Law and Innovation, where Maine thought. “They’ll think I’m crazy.” lot of people.” Patent Program lawyers and Law When Johnson did finally visit the School externs surveyed the One good idea really does lead to intellectual property landscape to Center for Law and Innovation—and another – or, in the case of the Center determine whether the concept was its Maine Patent Program—she was for Law and Innovation, many others. patentable. “The answer was yes The Center was the good idea of the more than pleasantly surprised.