Benjamin P. Liu passed away on December 2, 2014 at the age of 38. Professor Liu was active in intellectual property courses and programs at The John Marshall Law School and in the Chicago area.
Benjamin Liu graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry and cellular biology in 1998. He then worked for Eli Lilly & Co. as an Associate Chemist conducting drug discovery research. He went on to gain a certificate in Japanese at Waseda University in Tokyo, and law at the UCLA School of Law.
In 2004, he began practicing IP law for Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York. He went on to work in private practice in Chicago before he began teaching at the law school in 2011. While at John Marshall, he served as the director of the Chinese Intellectual Property Resource Center, and as a professor for specialized IP courses on patent drafting, patent prosecution, border IP enforcement and Chinese IP. He also authored legal scholarship on pharmaceutical patents, Chinese IP issues and international patent development. While in Chicago, Professor Liu was extremely active in the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC), where he served on the Law School Outreach committee.
Professor Liu was passionate about teaching, and brought his professional experience to the classroom and to students. He had frequent office hours in the school cafe and highly encouraged students to meet with any number of topics, including interview tips and career planning. He was crucial to the founding of the Intellectual Property Law Society, and attended every meeting during the first semester. The school added the following words: "Ben was a remarkable scholar, a much beloved teacher, and a kind and thoughtful colleague. The school is struggling to come to terms with this deep loss. Ben will be missed by his John Marshall family, as well as his wife Chelsea, and two young sons Avery and Derek, upon whom he doted."
Benjamin Liu graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry and cellular biology in 1998. He then worked for Eli Lilly & Co. as an Associate Chemist conducting drug discovery research. He went on to gain a certificate in Japanese at Waseda University in Tokyo, and law at the UCLA School of Law.
In 2004, he began practicing IP law for Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York. He went on to work in private practice in Chicago before he began teaching at the law school in 2011. While at John Marshall, he served as the director of the Chinese Intellectual Property Resource Center, and as a professor for specialized IP courses on patent drafting, patent prosecution, border IP enforcement and Chinese IP. He also authored legal scholarship on pharmaceutical patents, Chinese IP issues and international patent development. While in Chicago, Professor Liu was extremely active in the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC), where he served on the Law School Outreach committee.
Professor Liu was passionate about teaching, and brought his professional experience to the classroom and to students. He had frequent office hours in the school cafe and highly encouraged students to meet with any number of topics, including interview tips and career planning. He was crucial to the founding of the Intellectual Property Law Society, and attended every meeting during the first semester. The school added the following words: "Ben was a remarkable scholar, a much beloved teacher, and a kind and thoughtful colleague. The school is struggling to come to terms with this deep loss. Ben will be missed by his John Marshall family, as well as his wife Chelsea, and two young sons Avery and Derek, upon whom he doted."