Biography
Tom Patten joins Boston University School of Law’s faculty as a Lecturer of Law in the Student Innovations Law Clinic, providing legal advice and guidance to entrepreneurs from BU and MIT. Prior to joining the BU Law faculty, Tom worked as an in-house counsel to two separate financial technology startup companies, focusing on consumer lending and securities crowdfunding respectively, where he was responsible for providing day-to-day legal advice. Before moving in-house, Tom was an Enforcement Attorney with the Massachusetts Securities Division where he was responsible for investigating violations of the Massachusetts Securities Laws and bringing subsequent enforcement actions. Tom is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law (’17) and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University (’13).
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Courses
SILC: Venture and Finance Seminar 1: LAW JD 737
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 Venture & Finance Seminar 1 students in SILC's Venture & Finance Practice Group meet to review substantive legal issues in corporate law (including partnerships, LLCs, and corporations), business and financial regulation, securities law, and commercial law and regulation. 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 2024: LAW JD 737 A1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024
SILC: Venture and Finance Seminar 2: LAW JD 738
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 Venture & Finance Seminar 2 students in SILC's Venture & Finance Practice Group expand upon the legal and practice issues reviewed in the fall seminar, including issues in corporate law (including partnerships, LLCs, and corporations), business and financial regulation, securities law, and commercial law and regulation. 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 2025: LAW JD 738 A1 , Jan 13th to Apr 23rd 2025
Student Innovations Law Clinic: Fieldwork: LAW JD 725
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 & Media; (2) Privacy, Security, & Health; 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 2024: LAW JD 725 A1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024
FALL 2024: LAW JD 725 B1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024
FALL 2024: LAW JD 725 C1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024
SPRG 2025: LAW JD 725 A1 , Jan 13th to Apr 23rd 2025
SPRG 2025: LAW JD 725 B1 , Jan 13th to Apr 23rd 2025
SPRG 2025: LAW JD 725 C1 , Jan 13th to Apr 23rd 2025