Automation Alley names Cooley Law professor Entrepreneur of the Year

 William Coughlin, adjunct professor for Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law (GPIPL), has been recognized as Automation Alley’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.” He was presented the award during the Automation Alley Award Gala on Sept. 13.


Coughlin has taught at Cooley since 2003, teaching graduate-level courses, including Trade Secret Law and eCommerce Law. He also serves as chair on the advisory committee for Cooley’s Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law. He is president and CEO for Ford Global Technologies, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company, and is responsible for managing all intellectual property matters on a global basis. 

Coughlin commented that, “Entrepreneurs need to either create or leverage intellectual property in order to build and protect business success. And teaching Intellectual Property Law for a decade now at Cooley has provided me with deeper insights into how intellectual property can really help businesses thrive more than most aspiring entrepreneurs will ever see. An award like this should inspire students of the law that entrepreneurial thinking is not just something for others to do. Lawyers can be, and in many situations need to be, entrepreneurial to help both their clients and their communities.”

Coughlin received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his Juris Doctor from Detroit College of Law. Before joining Ford, he was president of DaimlerChrysler Intellectual Capital Corporation and the Director of IP-Legal for DaimlerChrysler worldwide. Prior to this corporate experience, Coughlin was a principal at Harness, Dickey & Pierce P.L.C. 

Professor David C. Berry, co-director of Cooley’s GPIPL, stated that, “Cooley’s Intellectual Property Law curriculum is based on the premise that high-quality, practical legal instruction, delivered using innovative methods, is the best way to prepare lawyers to practice in rapidly changing fields of law, such as intellectual property. Bill Coughlin brings to his classes the same insights and innovative spirit that Automation Alley cited in recognizing him as Entrepreneur of the Year.” 

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