Matthew Z. Gomes Fellowship Fund Supports Students in the Entrepreneurship, IP & Cyberlaw Program
Established by Antonio Gomes (’96), the fund will create summer positions with the Technology & Cyberlaw and the Entrepreneurship & IP clinics.
Antonio Gomes (’96), senior vice president, general counsel, secretary, and chief legal compliance officer at Citrix, has created the Matthew Z. Gomes Fellowship Fund at Boston University School of Law. The fund supports two summer fellowships, one with the Entrepreneurship & IP Clinic and one with the Technology & Cyberlaw Clinic. Part of the Entrepreneurship, IP & Cyberlaw Program, both clinics partner with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to offer legal services to student innovators from BU and MIT.
Established in memory of Mr. Gomes’s son, the Matthew Z. Gomes Fellowship Fund was created to promote diversity and inclusion in the fields of technology, cyberlaw, and intellectual property law. By supporting students from communities and populations underrepresented in the technology space as they gain experience in law school, Mr. Gomes hopes these fellowships will help build a pipeline of talented young attorneys prepared to practice in the technology and intellectual property spaces.
“One of the largest challenges facing the technology sector today is its lack of inclusion and diversity,” says Andrew Sellars, director of the Technology & Cyberlaw Clinic. “This failure of diversity at high levels has blocked the advancement of those qualified to lead this field, and the decisions made by technology companies and regulators directly suffer from their absence. The Matthew Z. Gomes Fellowship Fund is a direct response to that shortcoming and will help ensure that the next generation of technology lawyers will better represent all those affected by technology policy.”
Launched in 2015, the Entrepreneurship & IP Program brings together BU Law students with student entrepreneurs from BU and MIT looking to launch new businesses and advance technological innovations while adhering to legal and regulatory requirements. Students in the Entrepreneurship & IP Clinic assist student entrepreneurs with the corporate, transactional, and intellectual property issues that arise in the process of turning their ideas into operating businesses. In the Technology & Cyberlaw Clinic, BU Law students guide and defend the innovative technology projects, ventures, and academic activities of BU and MIT students, advising in the areas of intellectual property, data security, cybersecurity, and technology regulatory compliance.
“Having counseled entrepreneurs and technology companies for over twenty years, I’ve seen first-hand how diversity and inclusion creates a positive corporate culture, fueling innovation and creating value for customers, employees and shareholders,” Mr. Gomes says. “I’m excited to partner with BU Law and its clinical program to expand diversity and inclusion among our newest attorneys entering this dynamic field.”
Students interested in the Matthew Z. Gomes Fellowships should apply via Simplicity by April 2.
Related News
- Impact @ BU: The Intersection of Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Law
- The Right to Innovate: A gift from Viacom’s general counsel means more opportunities for students of IP law
- BU Law Alum Endows Fund to Support Spring Break Pro Bono Service Trips