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Laine Gonzalez was enjoying the technical side of her work as a mechanical engineer, but four years in, she wanted to find a different way of utilizing her engineering background. The 1L who is originally from Westfield, Indiana, is IU McKinney's first IP Law Scholar. She is part of the law school's evening division, and works during the day at the IP law firm, Brinks Gilson & Lione as a scientific advisor.

Gonzalez talked about her work with Sanders Hillis, a shareholder at Brinks Gilson & Lione, for the Center for Intellectual Property and Innovation's lunchtime speaker series on January 21. The event took place at Inlow Hall with Professor Xuan-Thao Nguyen, director of the IP Center.

Gonzalez moved to the Detroit area for a job offer after completing her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue University, where she also earned a minor in manufacturing.

"I realized it wasn't quite what I was looking for in a career," Gonzalez said. She recalled hearing a patent attorney with a technical background speak while she was an undergraduate student. The attorney talked about utilizing that technical knowledge in everyday practice. Gonzalez reached out to an in-house patent attorney where she worked to learn more about what that attorney does at their company. "It was a great experience and is what convinced me to pursue a law degree."

At Brinks Gilson & Lione, Gonzalez primarily works on patent prosecution matters. She also works on various other intellectual property matters as they arise.

After completing her legal education, Gonzalez has a goal of working in the area of intellectual property as an IP attorney. She's also interested in contributing in the area of public policy and education as it relates to STEM fields, and hopes to be able to contribute to that from the legal side at some point in the future.