Associate, Wyatt, Gerber &
O'Rourke
President, Foundation for Glacier and Environmental
Research
Protecting the Environment and Intellectual Property
Rights to Patents, Trademarks
When Douglas C. Wyatt, St. John's Law Class of '98, isn't
climbing over "an organized mountain of paperwork" associated with
his intellectual property practice on Park Avenue, he can
occasionally be found studying polar ice-melt with the Juneau Ice
Field Research Program. This program, part of the Foundation
for Glacier and Environmental Research, is the longest continuous
study of any glacier system in the world having been founded in
1946.
Mr. Wyatt, the Foundation's President, noted that the Juneau Ice
Field Research Program has been the subject of over 1,000 reports
and publications and received mention in over 70 M.S. and Ph.D.
dissertations. The geographic location, and the high
elevation, of the Juneau Ice Field make it a unique laboratory for
the subject of climate change. Research done on the glacier
may serve as an indicator of the occurrence of disastrous droughts
and floods, the hydrological needs of agriculture, present and
future energy requirements, air pollution problems, as well as, the
potential effects of global warming. All of which impact
policy decisions involving the environment and global
commerce. Technology allows Mr. Wyatt to "stay connected" and
serve as the Foundation's President despite the fact that his
office is almost 4,000 miles from the ice field. Mr. Wyatt became
interested in this scientific initiative as an extension of his
love for backpacking and mountain climbing. Unfortunately,
there is little time for both pastimes due to the growth of his
intellectual property law practice.
Recognizing that applied knowledge and creativity is the engine
of innovation, Mr. Wyatt's firm takes a very "hands on", personal
approach to a client's case in order to ensure that the client is
fairly rewarded for their associated investment and development
efforts. Success is measured by the success of his
clients. His practice which addresses all aspects of
intellectual property law including: litigation, patent office
filing and transactional endeavor specialized in working with
growth companies in cutting edge areas with dynamic workplace
methodologies where he uses his electrical engineering degree from
Princeton to resolve complex technical problems as compared to more
established conglomerates protecting their market-share.
Reflecting on his time at St. John's Law, Mr. Wyatt noted that,
"all of the coursework required to be a successful intellectual
property attorney was available to me at St. John's Law. I
was immersed, and became well versed in, torts, contract and
property law and civil procedure. My experience with Law
Review exposed me to concise, writing of a high caliber." His
advice to recent graduates, "Know who you are, and imagine what you
want to be -- and what will make you happy, then find a way to
connect the dots and make it happen through effort and
determination. It's kind of like climbing a glacier."