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On Wednesday, January 12, the College and
University Law Section will be sponsoring Stanford
v. Roche: What Rights Does a University Have to the Inventions of
Its Faculty? Guests will listen to knowledgeable
panelists discussing the implications of this case and practical
considerations with respect to university communications and
agreements with faculty regarding research and inventions. The
nature of this event got BBA Week curious which inventions members
of the Bar value most, so we are asking:
"If you could claim credit for any one
invention in history, what would it be? "
If you would like to respond to a future Voices of
the Bar, make sure you send a headshot, and
contact Eric Fullerton at efullerton@bostonbar.org. |
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Sharon Lincoln – Foley Hoag
"The
piano. I love listening to, as well as playing, the
piano. From Mozart concertos to the honky tonk songs in
Elton John and Leon Russell's latest album 'The Union', the
sound of the piano has a depth, soul and versatility that adds
to the beauty of this world. And more beauty is a very
good thing."
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Thomas A. Mackie - Mackie Shea O'Brien,
PC
"I would like to have been responsible, along
with former Vice President Al Gore, for inventing the
internet. It has revolutionized business, politics,
health care and all aspects of life world-wide. New
forms of social media are cropping up that have expanded our
opportunities to communicate with a wide array of friends and
colleagues. Coupled with technological advances, the
internet is the single most important advancement of our
era. "
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Sarah Cooleybeck – Foley Hoag
"The
heart-lung bypass machine that opened up the possibility of
coronary bypass surgery. The development of this surgery has
so dramatically changed medical outcomes during the course of
my lifetime, and directly added decades to the lives of loved
ones."
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Peter Harrington – Bowditch &
Dewey
"Gatorade. Mostly because me and my family
drink so much of the stuff. I figure that, even if I
negotiated a terrible deal on royalties with the manufacturer,
I certainly would have retained the right to produce it for my
own family's consumption and would have saved many thousands
of dollars over the years. Also, I like that a good chunk of
the royalties goes to support student scholarships and
academic and research buildings, even if it's at the
University of Florida. As a loyal graduate of Holy Cross and
UConn Law School, I'd make sure some royalties went to those
schools, and of course I would have to rename that wonderful
product either Crusaderaid or Huskyaid."
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Galen Gilbert – Gilbert &
O'Bryan
"The invention of zero in numbering
systems is the invention I like the most. Without zero
we would still be counting with Roman numerals. With it
we have ecstatic celebrations every time the calendar year
show zeros." |
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Sasha Rao - Massachusetts Superior Court Law
Fellow
"I would like to have been responsible for
the invention of soap. Being associated with cleanliness
worldwide and across generations is appealing. More
importantly, this simple product has prevented countless
epidemics, improved public health around the world, and made
riding the T far more pleasant."
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David B. Wilson - Hirsch Roberts Weinstein
LLP
"If fire is already taken . . . I would say
air conditioning because it has given comfort to so many in
the world and quietly revolutionized the economy of the
southern half of the USA. As a lawyer if you’ve ever
been in on the weekend trying to write that brief when the AC
is not on . . . you know what I mean!"
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Avi Lev –Davis, Malm & D'Agostine
"The casebook method of studying law.
Although it's often criticized as a great time-waster, you
have to admit that for lawyers, the casebook method continues
to have a profound influence -- at least as much influence as
the Internet (which is also a great time-waster)."
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