Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 28, 2011 —Santa Clara University School of Law congratulates the three winners of the school’s 2011 Centennial Celebration Student Writing Competition, sponsored by Rambus. The competition, which ended earlier this year, challenged law students to write papers on the future ethical challenges lawyers may face practicing in the areas of (i) intellectual property law, (ii) international law, or (iii) public interest law.

First prize was awarded to Michael Brandt, Chicago-Kent College of Law, for his submission Not so Nisus: Mitigating Reputational Effects on Patent Prosecutors that Result from a Finding of Inequitable Conduct, in the area of intellectual property law. As the overall winner, Mr. Brandt received a $2,000 prize.

The $1,000 prize for public interest law was awarded to Monica Macaluso, Santa Clara University School of Law, for her submission A Search for Perfection or the Ability to Access Reproductive Rights: Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis from a Human Rights Perspective.

The $1,000 prize for international law was awarded to Amy Sfara, Temple University Beasley School of Law, for her submission An Analysis of the TRIPS Agreement and Its Implications on the Developing World’s Access to Crucial Pharmaceuticals.

More than 30 distinguished attorneys and law professors served as judges for the competition, including attorneys practicing in private, government, pro bono, and in-house law. Based on the judges’ scores, the top submission in each subject area received a $1,000 prize, and the submission with the highest overall score received an additional $1,000 prize.

“The Centennial Student Writing Competition is one of many events that celebrate the law school’s one hundredth anniversary,” said Donald Polden, dean of Santa Clara Law. “We were excited to have so many students from law schools across the nation participate in the competition. Also, it is a testament to Santa Clara Law’s reputation to have so many distinguished attorneys and legal educators from across the country.”

“Rambus is pleased to sponsor the Centennial Writing Competition,” said Tom Lavelle, senior vice president and general counsel for Rambus. “Ethics in the legal profession is an extremely important topic to me and to the profession. To challenge law students to engage in and analyze practical legal ethical issues that lawyers will face is an excellent way to prepare students for the ethical challenges they may confront in the practice of law. We’re looking forward to the paper presentations and a lively discussion about legal ethics in the fall.”

The three winners will be invited to present their papers at an event in September 2011 co-hosted by the School of Law and SCU's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Lawyers attending the event will be eligible to receive ethics credit toward their CLE requirement.

About Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law, founded in 1911 on the site of California’s odest operating higher-education institution, is dedicated to educating lawyers who lead with a commitment to excellence, ethics, and social justice. One of the nation’s most diverse law schools, Santa Clara Law offers its 1,000 students an academically rigorous program, including graduate degrees in international law and intellectual property law; combined J.D./MBA and J.D./MSIS degrees; and certificates in intellectual property law, international law, and public interest and social justice law. Santa Clara Law is located in the world-class business center of Silicon Valley, and is distinguished nationally for its top-ranked program in intellectual property. For more information, see law.scu.edu.

About Rambus, Inc.
Founded in 1990, Rambus is one of the world's premier technology licensing companies. As a company of inventors, Rambus focuses on the development of technologies that enrich the end-user experience of electronic systems.Its breakthrough innovations and solutions help industry-leading companies bring superior products to market. Rambus licenses both its world-class patent portfolio, as well as its family of leadership and industry-standard solutions. Rambus has offices in California, North Carolina, Ohio, India, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Additional information is available at www.rambus.com.

Media Contacts:
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121

Julia Yaffee | SCU School of Law | jyaffee@scu.edu | 408-554-2706