Stephanie Vaccari is an intellectual property lawyer working for an international law firm called Baker & McKenzie.
“There are a number of challenges and rewards associated with my profession,” says Stephanie, who deals with corporations and individuals on a daily basis.
An example of the type of case Stephanie may handle is helping scientists protect their inventions.
“My science degree helps me in the area of law that I practice,” she says. “For example, I have represented a number of pharmaceutical companies in patent infringement disputes. In these cases, my background has helped me understand the invention and patent in question.”
Stephanie, who is also a member of a number of professional associations, such as the Toronto Intellectual Property Group, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Italian Chamber of Commerce, credits her U of T degree with helping her get where she is today.
”I truly believe that obtaining a degree from the University of Toronto helped me get into law school and helped me get interviews with various major law firms,” she says. “My professors at U of T helped me make my career choice.”
Stephanie went on to article at a firm called Aylesworth, Thompson, Phelan, O'Brien and she was a lawyer at Hitchman & Sprigings (2 years) and at Baker & McKenzie (5 years).
“It is important to be detailed oriented, to ‘think outside of the box,’ and to be creative,” Stephanie says. “Never give up.”