Ari Lipsitz

Ari Lipsitz

Lecturer and Clinical Instructor


BFA, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts
JD, NYU School of Law


Biography

Ari is thrilled to join the BU Law Faculty as a Lecturer and Clinical Instructor with the BU/MIT Law Clinics. Ari’s intellectual property practice focuses on providing reasoned, empathetic counseling for early-stage companies, creatives, and entrepreneurs.   

Prior to joining BU Law, Ari practiced intellectual property law for five years, first at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and then at Cooley LLP. In that time, he has counseled hundreds of clients at every stage of the life cycle. As a litigator, Ari has represented clients in proceedings before the United States Patent & Trademark Office and federal court, including several high-profile matters before the Southern District of New York, Northern District of California, Ninth Circuit, Federal Circuit, and the US Supreme Court.

Ari obtained a JD from NYU School of Law in 2018, as well as a BFA in Recorded Music from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

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Courses

LAW JD 741

SILC: Intellectual Property Seminar 1

2 credits

THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic. The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic (SILC) provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. As a companion to SILC Fieldwork course, in IP Seminar 1 students in SILC's Intellectual Property Practice Group meet to review substantive legal issues in intellectual property law and how they relate to SILC's practice, including issues in copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and related legal issues. The seminar will also introduce students to the lawyering skills (including interviewing, counseling, negotiation, drafting, etc.) that will help them in counseling MIT and BU students on their creative and innovative projects. This class will occasionally meet with some or all of the students in the other SILC Practice Group sections for clinic-wide discussions and case round presentations. NOTE: This Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.


FALL 2026: LAW JD 741 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
Tue 2:10 pm 4:10 pm 2 Ari LipsitzJef Pearlman
LAW JD 742

SILC: Intellectual Property Seminar 2

2 credits

THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic. The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic (SILC) provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. As a companion to SILC Fieldwork course, in IP Seminar 2 students in SILC's Intellectual Property Practice Group expand upon the legal and practice issues reviewed in the fall seminar, including issues in copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and related legal issues. This class will occasionally meet with some or all of the students in the other SILC Practice Group sections for clinic-wide discussions and case round presentations. NOTE: This Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.


SPRG 2027: LAW JD 742 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
Tue 2:10 pm 4:10 pm 2 Ari LipsitzJef Pearlman
LAW JD 725

Student Innovations Law Clinic: Fieldwork

4 credits

THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic. The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. The clinic provides counseling in a variety of different areas of law, organized into three practice groups: (1) Intellectual Property; (2) Privacy, Health & Media; and (3) Venture & Finance. Representation of clients can include client counseling, contract and policy drafting and review, negotiation with third parties, and, if capacity allows, litigation and other dispute resolution. CO-REQUISITE: If students have not done so already, students must take at least one course in any one of the following four areas: (1) intellectual property (either an IP survey course or other core IP course such as patent, copyright, trademark, or trade secret); (2) privacy (including information privacy law or information risk management); (3) cybersecurity; or (4) corporations. NOTE: The Technology Law Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.


FALL 2026: LAW JD 725 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
ARR 12:00 am 12:00 am 4 Chris ConleyVictoria Tang
FALL 2026: LAW JD 725 B1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
ARR 12:00 am 12:00 am 4 Ari LipsitzJef Pearlman
FALL 2026: LAW JD 725 C1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
ARR 12:00 am 12:00 am 4 Vivian EtterTom Patten
SPRG 2027: LAW JD 725 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
ARR 12:00 am 12:00 am 4 Chris ConleyVictoria Tang
SPRG 2027: LAW JD 725 B1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
ARR 12:00 am 12:00 am 4 Ari LipsitzJef Pearlman
SPRG 2027: LAW JD 725 C1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
ARR 12:00 am 12:00 am 4 Vivian EtterTom Patten
LAW JD 793

Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants

2 credits

This course examines the principles and practice of the law of trade secrets and restrictive covenants. Trade secrets, alongside contractual restrictions on information sharing and employee mobility (such as non-disclosure and non-compete agreements), can constitute some of the most valuable and contested assets of a modern venture. Situated at the collision point between intellectual property and employment law, this course evaluates the sources, mechanics, uses, and misuses of modern confidentiality governance. Students will be expected to evaluate contractual terms, assess policy arguments in favor of broader or narrower confidentiality protections, and explore the interrelationships between trade secrets law and areas including contract, tort, and constitutional law.


SPRG 2027: LAW JD 793 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
Mon 4:20 pm 6:20 pm 2 Ari Lipsitz