By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Hamad Mirza is a law student at Wayne State University Law School and a summer associate with Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C. He expects to graduate in December.
He holds a BSc in biomedical engineering, cum laude, from Wayne State and, while attending evening classes at Wayne Law, Mirza previously worked full time as an ergonomics engineer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
At Wayne Law, Mirza served as vice president and treasurer of the Intellectual Property Student Association, 3L evening representative for the Student Bar Association Board of Governors, and junior member of the Wayne Law Mock Trial team. A resident of Troy, Mirza currently is a member of the Michigan Intellectual Property Inn of Court, Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association, Detroit Bar Association, and Tau Beta Pi Honor Society.
What drew you to attend law school? It all started during my product design courses while earning my engineering degree. My team and I worked to develop new designs to solve a real-world user need. I especially enjoyed advocating for my team’s final product at the end of the year design competition. Combining my interest in product innovation and advocacy, I found the field of intellectual property law. IP law allows me to be at the forefront of innovative technologies and still use my advocacy skills to help others.
What have you enjoyed the most as a summer associate? Having the opportunity to learn directly from the partners across many different technology areas. Even with the work from home arrangement, each partner has been so willing to share their breadth of knowledge to help prepare me to be the best attorney. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in client and examiner meetings, draft patent applications, respond to office actions, conduct legal research for ongoing litigation, and even investigate potential trademark infringements.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? It is never too early to network with attorneys and gain hands-on experience working in a law firm.
What’s your proudest moment as a law student? Competing in the final rounds of the Wayne Law In-House Mock Trial Competition. When I was offered a position with the Mock Trial and Moot Court teams, I was faced with a decision to only accept one offer. I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and choose Mock Trial, as I knew close to nothing about how to put on a trial. I was not very good starting out, but through endless preparation and practice, I sure enough improved.
What other career path might you have chosen? I would have continued in the engineering field.
What’s your favorite law-related TV show, movie, and/or book? “Suits!”
What do you do to relax? After a long day, the best way to relax is with a cup of tea and catching up on “Shark Tank.”
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? Keep working hard and remember to have a little fun while you do!
What is something most people don't know about you? I practice yoga and meditation. Just recently, I completed a Foundations of Yoga workshop and learned the benefits of breath work to calm the mind down. Especially after a stressful day, I found yoga and meditation to be an effective way to reground myself.
What’s the best advice you ever received? Have a plan, but learn to be flexible. It’s important to be prepared with a plan, but what’s more important is to be able to quickly adapt and re-route when something unexpected comes up.
What is your motto? Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
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