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Alumni Spotlight

Edwin Oh ’97, Former In-House Counsel at SABIC and Dow, Joins Cantor Colburn as Partner

Edwin Oh ’97

By Bob Schalit
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Edwin Oh ’97 recently joined Cantor Colburn LLP as a partner in the firm’s Hartford office. He was formerly senior IP counsel at SABIC, the fourth largest chemical company in the world, and at Dow Chemical Company, the third largest chemical company in the world.

A native of Queens, New York, Oh earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1994 at Binghamton University, where his journey to the legal field began. “During my sophomore year I was sitting in the cafeteria reading a New York Times article about employment opportunities for people with a technical background and an interest in law. At the time, I was contemplating career options and this was the impetus for my going to law school.”

He eventually chose Albany Law School because of his New York roots and because he believed the school’s location at the epicenter of state government would provide him with great opportunities for internships, clinical experience and future employment.

“Besides the school’s small size, I really appreciated its IP curriculum. IP clinical studies were not readily available at that time, but Albany Law was flexible and let me create my own clinical opportunities working as an intern at the Office of Technology Commercialization and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,” said.

While attending Albany Law School, Oh was president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, class president from 1995-1996 and editor of the Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology.

He recalled Donna Jo Morse as being very helpful. “I took her legal research and writing course and it was my first practical experience, significantly adding to my skill set as a future attorney. She was extremely patient, providing insightful and thoughtful guidance to someone who barely understood how to use word processing software. There’s a client counseling competition in her honor at the school, and I’m grateful to see that she has been recognized.”

“Albany Law was flexible and let me create my own clinical opportunities working as an intern at the Office of Technology Commercialization and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.”

At Cantor Colburn, Oh leverages nearly 20 years of diverse international experience advising global Fortune 500 companies to help his clients increase revenue, profitability and market share. He counsels on the full scope of IP issues arising in commercial transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions of IP and technology assets, joint ventures and joint development agreements, licensing and technology transactions, R&D agreements, IP due diligence and technology, and internet and software agreements.

“In today’s economic climate, IP transactions are often at the heart of a company’s most important business decisions that can materially impact its bottom line if handled appropriately, or adversely impact the company if not properly managed,” he said.

Even though Cantor Colburn has been ranked the fastest growing patent law firm in the country for the last decade, Oh enjoys its small, boutique-like atmosphere. “There’s a collegial environment that promotes professional growth and development, and the firm offers opportunities to work with multinational and Fortune 500 companies in a wide array of industries.”

Before joining Cantor Colburn, Oh worked as an expatriate in Saudi Arabia for SABIC, providing IP transactional/agreement counseling for commoditized businesses related to the startup, operation and maintenance of a manufacturing facility. He also managed SABIC’s corporate trademark portfolio.

Oh also worked for more than a decade as patent counsel for the Dow Chemical Company including Rohm and Haas and its Electronic Materials Division, counseling an Asia-based clientele in customer-centric/business-facing, display technology businesses and providing IP transactional support, with a greater focus on innovation and collaboration.

Prior to Dow, he worked as an associate at an Am Law 200 law firm, spending part of his time as a secondee for one of its clients providing local IP training and support in Japan. Previously he worked in the public sector for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark attorney and a patent examiner evaluating semiconductor-related applications.

Oh resides in South Glastonbury, Connecticut with his wife Mina and his two young children, Alston and Paxton. And their third “child,” a 50-ish (in human years) canine called Camden. He enjoys playing “bad golf” and snowboarding.

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