Last night, I attended the Baker Botts New York Alumni Event. It was a privilege to spend more than a decade practicing patent law in the firm's Manhattan office with so many talented professionals.
It's always meaningful to reconnect with colleagues who shaped so much of my career. So much of what I do today at Patrick IP Law—from strategic thinking to technical precision—was forged in that environment.
Since leaving Big Law to start my own practice, I've gained an even deeper appreciation for different sides of the legal world: the rigor and scale of large institutions, and the agility and creativity of founder-led practice. Events like this remind me how valuable it is to stay connected to the roots of your professional journey, even as you build something new.
It was exciting to see so many familiar faces and reflect on how the practice of law has evolved—now more than ever with the acceleration of AI. (Hopefully Baker Botts or others can post their photos from the event as I didn't take my own!) Great to see Julie Albert, Gary Butter, Lauren Emerson, Matthew Engel, Eric Faragi, Justine Gozzi, Xanadu Halkias, Ph.D., J.D., CIPP/E, Ari Jaffess, Steve Kenny, Michael Knierim, Yakov Kozlenko, Eric Lin, Patrick McClay, Carolyn Pirraglia, Ph.D., Paul Ragusa, Ashwat Rishi, Michael Ritter, Neil Sirota, Edward Tempesta, Jennifer Tempesta, Martin Toulouse, and many others!