Summer Job Diary – Guess Gig Perfect Fit for 2L Seeking IP Experience
Olivia Young ’20 is spending her summer at the Los Angeles headquarters of the iconic fashion label Guess, Inc. Young landed the coveted position after just one year of law school. Previously, she served as a legal assistant at a boutique law firm and as a researcher at the Tribal Law & Policy Institute.
Q: How did you land your summer job?
A: I landed my internship a week or two before spring finals began after applying to internships in entertainment and other creative fields for months. This opportunity arose after someone suggested I contact Professor Jay Dougherty, the head of Loyola’s Entertainment & Media Law Institute, for help. I sent him an email, and he invited me to a lunchtime talk he was hosting alongside Entertainment Law Practicum Director Barbara Rubin where they would be discussing techniques for landing summer positions. Professor Dougherty told me about an internship his former student had with Guess, Inc. in its Los Angeles headquarters. I couldn’t imagine anything better. Not only was it an opportunity to work in-house, which has always been my long-term goal, it was a chance to work in the fashion industry on projects that interested and excited me. I reached out to the alum and scheduled an interview. Shortly thereafter, I was offered the position.
Q: What is the most interesting part of your job?
A: Other than the work itself, which I find fascinating, I have loved the variety of people and projects with which I have interacted. Working for such a large company and being surrounded not only by incredible attorneys, but by professionals working in advertising, design and other departments, has been incredibly interesting and informative.
Q: What new legal skill have you acquired during your summer job?
A: I have learned a great deal about drafting and editing contracts: what to look for when reviewing them, to which sections you should pay close attention and what language should generally always be included. I have also spent time learning about trademarks, trademark opposition and have been working on navigating the United States Patent and Trademark Office website to find trademarked designs. Searching for design codes on the USPTO website seems straightforward but isn’t. You should try it if you don’t believe me!
Q: What has been your most challenging assignment thus far?
A: I am currently working on a project involving licensing agreements. Upon beginning this project, I had little understanding of what types of information these agreements contained or how licensing generally worked. Thankfully, one of the amazing attorneys with whom I work has spent a great deal of time helping me understand the essential portions of these agreements and their impact on both Guess and the licensee.
Q: What bit of legal knowledge have you been able to display?
A: The information I learned in my Contracts course this past year has been extremely useful. Frequently, I am given agreements to review. Without my knowledge of the parol evidence rule and merger clauses, there would be a great deal of context lost on me. I have also been able to utilize information I learned in my elective spring semester, Innovation Law. This has primarily been useful in understanding the language and context behind non-disclosure agreements, a topic covered in the course.
Q: How has Loyola helped you map your career path?
A: Loyola has helped me more than I could have anticipated. Coming from a large public school, I did not know what to expect. I had various internships but had no idea what career path I wanted to pursue. Overall, I felt a bit overwhelmed. However, this school and the resources it has provided me have never left me feeling alone or incapable. My career counselor, Career Development Office Associate Director Jolene Horn, would meet with me as frequently as every week to help me perfect my resume, to encourage me to work more diligently on tailoring my cover letters, to give me honest and critical feedback on interviewing, and perhaps most importantly, to give me hope and courage to keep trying even when I needed motivation.
The same goes for my first-year writing professor, Gary Craig. I have never met a professor who cares so much about the success of his or her students in school and in life. He never ceases to make himself available and has given me some of the most valuable advice I have ever received, encouraging me to reach out to other professors working in fields of interest to me, notifying me of opportunities in which I may be interested and helping me talk through my plans for the future. I cannot imagine this past year without the help of these individuals and the entire Loyola Law School community.
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