Suffolk University Law School announced that Karen Katz has joined the Law School as director of its Intellectual Property Programs.  

Katz brings a background in legal service business development, strategy, business processes, automation and interactive training. 

“I joined Suffolk to help build upon its excellent reputation for intellectual property education, innovation and practicality,” Katz said.

Suffolk Law’s comprehensive programs in intellectual property provide law students with hands-on experience while fostering creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Its Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Clinic (IPEC) provides free legal services to clients with limited resources, assisting with issues related to new and emerging businesses. Its IP concentration provides a combination of hands-on, skill-focused learning and traditional classroom teaching and is one of the largest and most developed of its kind in the country. Suffolk Law has produced more alumni who are patent law partners in Boston-area law firms than any other law school. The IP programs also are a hub for technical specialists, including students with doctoral degrees in science and engineering, who are attracted to the programs’ flexibility and career advancement opportunities.

The Law School’s Intellectual Property programs have been consistently ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News and World Report. Katz plans to further develop the IP programs’ outreach and support of students, alumni and the practitioner community. The position was created due to the philanthropic support of a number of successful Suffolk Law alumni who specialize in IP.

“We are excited that Karen has joined our team.  Her expertise, entrepreneurial background and long-standing relationships within the New England legal community are great assets for Suffolk’s IP programs,” said Suffolk Law Dean Andrew Perlman.  

A builder and catalyst, Katz expanded the reach of companies and law firms internationally for much of her career. Katz practiced law at Crowell & Moring and Hale and Dorr and taught at Boston University School of Law. She was part of Law Corps Legal Staffing, one of the first legal temp companies, and part of Korn/Ferry’s Legal Center of Expertise. She was a business development executive with DLA Piper, Mintz Levin, Burns & Levinson and Law Practice Consultants. 

She also is the author of the comic Attorney Man, and her writing has appeared in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the Product Liability Law Journal and other publications. She is a developer of training curricula, including the T-Shirt MBA and presentation simulations for attorneys.