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SKILL SHARPENER
Arizona State Law Students Show What You Need—and What You Don’t—to Dive into Law and Science [by Erica Winter] Despite what conventional wisdom says, students interested in intellectual property law or other science and technology-based legal fields, do not need advanced degrees in the sciences to get in to law school or to succeed there.
year off. As the 2002 Miss Arizona, she trav-
Law students involved with the Center for
The rapid evolution of technology and the
Study of Law, Science, and Technology at
ability of people to access art of all kinds fire
eled around the state, advocating for greater
the College of Law, Arizona State University
Deneau’s interest in copyright law. Protect-
access to mental health coverage in public
in Tempe, AZ, come from a wide variety of
ing the work of artists while at the same time
heath care. “I was fascinated by the subject,”
academic backgrounds. Some have advanced
allowing them to express themselves without
says Lawless. Upon returning to law school,
science degrees, and some do not.
constantly monitoring possible copyright
she is focusing on mental health law and
infringement “is intriguing to me,” says
public policy in her work towards a health
Deneau.
law certificate.
when she applied to the law school. Now
The work that led Deneau to law school
One current project Lawless has is bringing
pursuing a certificate in intellectual property
had nothing to do with copyrights. While an
in speakers for a conference on neurosci-
law, she says, “You can actually do something
undergraduate, she studied the effect of
ence and criminal responsibility to be held
like this” without an advanced degree in sci-
parents’ divorce on their children. Deneau
April 29 at the science and technology center.
ence or engineering.
was a co-author, with two professors, of a
She is working with Professor Gary March-
Third-year Kindra Deneau had an undergraduate degree in psychology from Arizona State
report showing that divorced men gave more
ant, the center’s Executive Director, to put
Laura Lawless, also in her third year,
money to their children’s college educations
the conference together.
majored in psychopathology at Harvard as
than women did, when incomes were equal-
an undergrad and is working on her heath
ized. The report was considered by legisla-
The conference will feature discussions of
law certificate at Arizona State. Third-year
tors weighing child-support laws in several
immediate and accessible topics, as well as
Amelia Morrow, another Harvard grad, was
states. Seeing her research applied to the
more theoretical questions. One speaker will
a social studies major there and will receive
law sparked her interest in law school, says
discuss how traumatic brain injury affects
her intellectual property certificate upon
Deneau.
establishment of criminal responsibility.
graduation this spring.
Another will look at whether sleepwalkers Morrow’s primary law school interests in
are legally responsible for their actions.
All three women are Center Scholars, a
copyright issues and emerging computer
Also, crime prevention will be examined ethi-
group of 30 law students chosen to advise
technology stem from practical experience
cally through the theoretical idea of a genetic
the science and technology center on its pro-
as well. As an undergraduate, she wrote her
marker showing a predisposition to criminal
grams and who get first choice of research
thesis on the impact of computer technology
behavior.
assistantships and other opportunities at the
on a Boston community organization. After
center.
graduation, she worked for two years for an
The center allows for “a very applied ap-
Internet start-up. Now, Morrow focuses on
proach to both science and law,” says Law-
Deneau credits the high-caliber faculty at
how the law would need to change along with
less, giving both fields equal respect even
Arizona State Law with enabling students to
advances in technology.
when they are characteristically at odds--as
thrive in the legal-scientific arena. Deneau
evidenced by the tension caused by science’s
says Professors Dennis Karjala, who special-
After counseling victims of domestic abuse
constant progress and the law’s desire to
izes in copyright law, and Professor Michael
for a few years, Lawless trained paralegals
slow progress in the interest of examin-
Saks, who is an expert on evidence issues
and worked in New York law firms before
ing implications of scientific advances, she
and also holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, exem-
applying to law school. After her first year
notes.
plify this excellence.
of law school, she won a pageant and took a
PAGE 1
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SKILL SHARPENER
After law school, Deneau will join the firm of Donald W. Hudspeth, P.C., in Phoenix, working with small business clients. Lawless will become an associate with Greenberg Traurig in Phoenix, doing employment and litigation work. Morrow will clerk for Justice Rebecca White Berch of the Arizona Supreme Court and then join Perkins Coie Brown & Bain’s Phoenix office as a litigation associate.
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