Daphne Singer, a 3L at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL), is successfully leveraging her creative background in screenwriting into a burgeoning career as a legal scholar in intellectual property law.

Singer chose AUWCL because she wanted to study intellectual property law in a top program with a strong focus on trademarks and copyright, which made AUWCL the perfect fit.

“I specifically knew that studying in Washington, D.C., would be a great advantage,” she said.

Singer notes what she likes most about AUWCL is the supportive, collaborative community. Before she even started her first 1L class, Professor Christine Farley had reached out to her to talk about Singer’s interest in IP and has been a mentor ever since.

“I didn’t realize that my letter of intent would be sent to my contracts professor, Christine Farley, who invited me to meet with her before orientation,” she said. “I was terrified, but I ended up finding my greatest mentor”.

Professor Farley later supervised Singer’s upper-level writing requirement, which is now being published in the Richmond Journal of Law and Technology.

“Daphne has been engaging in independent research on IP topics almost from the moment she stepped on campus as a first-year student,” Farley explained. “Her interests and passion for perusing them are certainly deepening her knowledge and preparing her for practice.”

Singer says the most valuable thing she has gained at AUWCL is access to incredible opportunities through courses, study abroad, law review, and alumni connections, as well as the close-knit alumni community that allows her to create new ones. Her academic and professional pursuits have led to several impressive opportunities, showcasing the preparation she received from her AUWCL education.

In October, Singer presented her law review article on jewelry design and trade dress at the prestigious Intellectual Property Law Association annual meeting, noting the distinct honor of being one of only two law students invited to speak. Her upcoming article is also set for publication in the Richmond Journal of Law and Technology.

Singer’s work gained national attention earlier this year when her analysis for the European IPKat blog was cited and linked in The New York Times. She described getting the call for that interview as “the greatest honor I’ve had so far in law school.”

As Singer looks toward her future in IP law, she hopes to shape the future of IP law by combining her love of writing and research with her legal training, whether that’s in government or at a firm. Her advice for anyone questioning law school is to think about what skills you genuinely love using, even if it’s not the most traditional path.

“Just because something hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” Singer shared.