When it comes to exploring his career options, Matt Meyer, a senior at Andrean High School, is a step ahead of many students his age. Thanks to his diligent schoolwork and the unique opportunities at Andrean High School, he is working as an intern at Hartman Global Intellectual Property Law, a firm that handles cases of patents, trademarks, copyrights, licensing, joint development, consultant agreements, and litigation support from international corporations and Fortune 500 companies.
Meyer first met the Hartman family when he moved to Valparaiso in the eighth grade and became friends with their son, Evan Hartman. He knew they were patent attorneys – and for someone with a strong interest in engineering, learning from them through an internship seemed like an exciting prospect.
“Their work seems to mix engineering with law,” said Meyer. “I’ve always been drawn to math and science, and how they come together in engineering. Then with patent law, you get to see all of the client’s genius ideas and help make them happen. You can meet someone who seems like an ordinary person, but they have this incredible idea that’s really beneficial to people’s lives that’d you’d never even though of.”
After seeing his passion and commitment to exploring their field, the Hartmans were happy to welcome Meyer into their office – and not just to pass him clerical tasks such as data entry. Instead, they are giving him the opportunity to get involved with cases.
“They taught me about what they do, how they do it, and told me about the different patents I’d have to look at,” he said. “It took me a bit to get used to the language and reading, it’s a lot more complex than what you see in school, but I’m glad to do it. They’re asking me to collect information, form opinions, and help them with tasks that can really benefit them in a hands-on way.”
So far, Meyer’s favorite part of the job is actually seeing the patents and the amount of creativity that goes into them.
“I love seeing the ingenuity behind all of this,” he said. “Many people don’t realize just how many patents need to be done for some of the companies that Hartman Global works with. They’re these modern ideas that can be used in everyday life, but people would be amazed at the level of complexity that goes into them.”
Meyer has even had the chance to get involved with some of Hartman Global’s international work.
“I’ve already had the opportunity to do a patent for a German company making solar panels,” he said. “That’s something that I would have never gotten to see without this internship. I’m very blessed and very grateful for the chance to do this.”
Meyer noted that one of the most important factors contributing to making this internship a success is Hartman’s eagerness to serve as a mentor to a young prospective patent attorney.
“They really let me jump in and see what’s happening,” he said. “They’ve been so welcoming and kind, and they are there to help me with any questions I may have.”
Meyer is excited to continue his time at Hartman Global through the rest of the semester. He plans to attend Wabash College, and the experience he has gained so far has already started influencing his future plans.
“It’s been such a good and informative experience,” he said. “This is definitely something that I have on my radar for doing once I’m older. It’s right at the top of my list.”
To learn more about Hartman Global Intellectual Property Law, visit hartmanglobal-ip.com.
