The Drake Legal Clinic celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, marking a half-century of service to the community and the education of law students. To commemorate this milestone, Drake Law School will hold a celebratory banquet on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Drake University Olmsted Center, Parents Hall. The evening will begin with a reception at 6 p.m.; dinner and a program will follow at 7 p.m.

The 50th Anniversary banquet will celebrate the evolution of Drake’s Clinic from humble beginnings to its current stature: six subject-matter clinics housed in the state-of-the-art Neal and Bea Smith Law Center representing hundreds of clients each year. The celebration will recognize the faculty, staff, donors, alumni, and community partners who have played a part in that success. In addition, the Clinic will look toward the future, as it continues to adapt to changes in pedagogy and practice.

The Law School will also recognize recent foundational donors who have supported the Clinic’s operations in the past and put the program on a firm foundation for the future. Among those recognized will be J. Locke, LW’48, and Harriet Macomber, whose estate gift of $3.25 million will support Drake’s Entrepreneurial and Transactional Clinic. Additionally, Karen Shaff, LW’79, and Steven Jayne, LW’78, pledged $1 million to endow the Law School’s Refugee Clinic. Rose Vasquez, LW’85, recently provided key sponsorship of the Civil Practice Clinic. Gifts such as these, along with many others, have allowed the Drake Legal Clinic to provide free legal help to low-income citizens for the last 50 years.

The Drake Legal Clinic is often described as a “win-win” because it provides a high-quality educational experiences for students while performing critical legal services for the community. Professor Suzan Pritchett, Director of Clinical and Experiential Programs, agreed with this sentiment, stating, “Our students get the opportunity to practice before they become licensed attorneys. The community gets the resource of quality legal representation for free. We have many clients who get exceptional legal representation that they otherwise wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the Clinic and its students.”

Pritchett attributes the preparedness of Drake Law graduates to the work that is done in the Clinic. “At the Drake Legal Clinic, students get to experience the law in action. Unlike in the classroom, they get to witness where the law intersects with real people and real cases, work directly with clients, go to court. They get to really live it,” Pritchett said. “While having the guidance of supervising attorneys – our clinical faculty- and the support of their fellow students, they get to have the experience of practicing law before graduation while still being a law student. There is no better way to learn the skills you need to succeed as a lawyer.”

The banquet will feature keynote speaker Jane Aiken, University Distinguished Professor at Wake Forest Law. Professor Aiken previously served as Dean of Wake Forest Law, after serving as Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Public Service at Georgetown. A leading scholar in the field of clinical legal education, Professor Aiken will provide a national perspective on this work. The celebration banquet will take place as Drake plays host to the Midwest Clinical Legal Education Conference, which will see legal educators from numerous schools come together to discuss current issues in experiential education.

Sponsorship opportunities for the 50th Anniversary celebration are available. Contact Theresa Howard theresa.howard@drake.edu for more information.

Tickets for the banquet are $35 each and are available at eventbrite.com/e/drake-legal-clinic-50th-anniversary-celebration-banquet-registration-400305433327.

About Drake Legal Clinic

For 50 years, the Drake Legal Clinic has provided real-life experience opportunities for second- and third-year law students. The Clinic provides numerous clinical programs such as the Children’s Rights Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, Civil Clinic, Entrepreneurial and Transactional Clinic, Refugee Clinic, and a Wrongful Convictions Clinic. The Clinic takes clients from the surrounding community and offers high-quality legal representation for those who may not otherwise have access to legal assistance. Learn more about the Drake Legal Clinic.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

Drake University Law School is pleased to announce that they will be hosting alumnus David Berdan, LW’95, General Counsel at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Berdan will present “Key Initiatives and What Else is New in Patents and Trademarks at USPTO” on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. at Drake University Law School. A reception will follow at 6 p.m. This event is open and free to the public.

David Berdan was appointed General Counsel for the USPTO in 2020. The USPTO is the federal agency responsible for granting patents and registering trademarks.  In addition, the agency advises the President and other agencies on policy related to intellectual property protection and promotion domestically and internationally.  As General Counsel, Berdan serves as the principal legal advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. Berdan also supervises the Office of General Counsel and its three component offices: the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of General Law, and the Office of Enrollment and Discipline.

Berdan graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He is a combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm and is the recipient of numerous military awards, including a Bronze Star. He worked for two years as an engineer and then chose to attend law school at Drake University. Since then, he has held a variety of notable legal positions, including Patent Counsel at Corning, Inc., Vice President and Intellectual Property Counsel at The Coleman Company, Chief Counsel Intellectual Property at INVISTA, Vice President Legal and Deputy General Counsel at International Game Technology, and, most recently, as General Counsel and Compliance Officer of Gaming Arts. He also worked in private law practice for seven years.

While at Drake Law, Berdan was an exceptional student with a passion for Intellectual Property Law. He was a founding member and president of the Drake Intellectual Property Law Society.  Professor Edmund J. Sease, LA’64, LW’67, an intellectual property law expert and one of Berdan’s former law professors, said, “Berdan was a driven and disciplined student in my classes during his time at Drake Law School. These traits followed him in his successes as a remarkable professional in Intellectual Property Law. I am proud to count him among our distinguished graduates.”

To learn more about Intellectual Property Law and Berdan’s impressive professional experience, register for free here. CLE credit for this event has been applied for and is pending approval.

About Drake IP Certificate Program

Drake University Law School offers a certificate in Intellectual Property and has the advantage of many prominent adjunct professors to help enrich the curriculum. Drake Law School recently announced a new distinguished professor position in Intellectual Property Law called the Edmund J. Sease Faculty Research Scholar. This position honors Sease’s service as an adjunct professor at Drake Law School for the past 44 years. This distinguished faculty position contributes to the recruitment of new faculty and helping to hire some of the best candidates to teach students. Learn more about the Intellectual Property Law Certificate at Drake Law School.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

Governor Robert D. Ray, the 11^th President of Drake University and 38^th Governor of Iowa, left a legacy that positively impacts people around the world. Best known for his humanitarian efforts and transformation of state government, Governor Ray’s commitment to character development, civility, and ethical leadership lives on through the work of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University.

Monday, Sept. 26, is Governor Robert D. Ray Day in Iowa. Here are a few ways you can celebrate Governor Ray Day on Sept. 26:

• Stop by the Ray Promenade (east of Collier-Scripps Hall) between 2:30–4 p.m. to pick up some ice cream.
• Join the 20-minute storytelling tour on the commissioned art and historical political comics displayed at The Ray Center. The tour will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the lower level of Collier-Scripps Hall.
• Attend the Iowa PBS premiere of Governors of Iowa: Robert D. Ray at 7 p.m. at Sheslow Auditorium. RSVP.

Learn more about Governor Robert D. Ray’s life and legacy.

— Megan Wesselink, Robert D. & Billie Ray Center