Intellectual property law sits at the center of today’s innovation economy. From protecting patents and trademarks to navigating copyright, trade secrets and emerging technologies, IP lawyers help creators, entrepreneurs and companies safeguard their ideas.
Law schools are responding by expanding clinics, technology-focused programs and interdisciplinary initiatives that give students practical experience working with inventors, artists and startups. The programs highlighted here show how students are preparing to practice at the intersection of law, business and technology.
The following law schools earned a place on our Intellectual Property Law Honor Roll, recognized for the strength of their programs. Following the list, you’ll find the latest developments and news from intellectual property law programs at these various law schools.
Top law schools for intellectual property law
University of San Francisco School of Law has expanded and renamed its intellectual property clinic as the CREATE (Creative Rights, Entrepreneurship, Access, Technology and Enterprise) Law Clinic, marking the program’s 25th anniversary and its growing scope of projects. The clinic provides students with hands-on experience across a wide range of IP and innovation matters, including trademark and patent prosecution through the USPTO Law School Clinic Certification Program.
New initiatives include Artists’ Rights Workshops that help creatives understand and protect their intellectual property in the evolving AI landscape, and a biotech freedom-to-operate project in which students analyze whether startups can bring products to market without infringing existing patents. Student clinicians also assist with copyright protection, privacy compliance, contract drafting and negotiation and intellectual property disputes.
Northeastern University School of Law’s Intellectual Property Law Clinic provided services to more than 50 clients across the Northeastern entrepreneurial ecosystem and small businesses throughout New England. Sixteen student attorneys devoted more than 4,000 hours to client work, conducting clearance searches for more than 40 proposed trademarks, filing 25 federal trademark applications and securing 22 registrations. Students also obtained copyright registrations, drafted nondisclosure agreements and advised clients on trade secrets, copyright fair use and international trademark protection. The clinic further supports startup companies through Northeastern University’s Roux Institute in Portland, Maine.
DePaul University College of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology (CIPLIT) recently launched a Technology & Data Protection Initiative in partnership with DePaul’s Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media and the Driehaus College of Business. The interdisciplinary program expands opportunities for law students to engage with emerging issues in data protection, privacy and cybersecurity while connecting the legal, technology and business communities.
Through the initiative, upper-level law students may enroll in select computing and technology courses for J.D. credit without a prior technical background. The program also features a Tech-Law Boot Camp Series that brings practitioners and scholars to campus to discuss current issues in cybersecurity and data governance. CIPLIT also co-sponsors the annual Cyber Risk Conference with the two partner colleges. This year’s conference, “Corporate Leadership in a New Era of Threats,” examined the evolving cyber threat landscape, with panels on corporate governance, regulatory developments and cyber insurance strategies.
University of San Diego School of Law offers more than 20 courses focused on intellectual property along with a J.D./LL.M. concentration in Intellectual Property and Technology Law. Students gain hands-on experience through the USPTO-certified Entrepreneurship Clinic and specialized externships in intellectual property, corporate technology and corporate counsel practice.
The law school also launched the Society for Discourse on Artificial Intelligence (USD.AI) in 2025 under the supervision of Professor Orly Lobel. The initiative gives students insight into emerging AI technologies, evolving regulations and the growing role of AI tools in legal practice.
Santa Clara University School of Law received a $5 million gift from alumna Madhumita “Mita” Datta, J.D. ’16, to support the High Tech Law Institute, which will be renamed the Datta Center for High Tech Law. The endowment will expand programs focused on the intersection of law, technology and business, areas that have defined the institute since its founding in 1998.
The institute offers courses and initiatives in areas such as privacy, intellectual property, entrepreneurship and sports law while connecting students with Silicon Valley’s legal and technology communities. The gift is intended to strengthen opportunities for students interested in technology-driven legal careers.
Texas A&M University School of Law offers strong programs in patent, trademark and copyright law, along with entrepreneurship-focused legal training. Through a partnership with Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, the Trademark and Copyright Clinic has recently worked on projects involving music and film, giving students hands-on experience advising creative professionals.
Student interest in entertainment law is also growing with the recent formation of the Society for Entertainment and Art Law, a student organization focused on the legal issues shaping the arts, media and entertainment industries.
Methodology
preLaw magazine grades law schools based on the breadth of their curricular offerings. Scores are weighted as follows: 30% for a concentration, 24% for a clinic, 12% for a center, 12% for an externship, 9% for a journal, 8% for a student group, 5% for a certificate and added value for additional offerings.
