Detroit Mercy Law All-Woman Team Places First at USPTO’s Midwest Regional Patent Drafting Competition for Second Year in a Row

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law students won the Midwest Regional Patent Drafting Competition hosted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the second year in a row. Detroit Mercy Law competed with an all-woman team again this year—a rarity in the male-dominated patent field—consisting of Yasmeen Moradshahi, 3L, Caley Bennett, 3L, Michelle Hudson, 3L and alumna-coach Shannon Smith ’13. The team will compete against the other regional champion teams from across the nation at the national finals in Washington D.C. in April.

The competition introduces students to emerging issues in patent law and develops their patent application drafting, amending, and prosecution skills.