Reid A. Baldwin

Patent Attorney at Shaeffler

2013 | Southfield, MI

Michigan State University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | PhD, Computer Science/BS, Mechanical Engineering

“Whatever school you choose, at some point during law school, you will probably feel that you are in over your head. When that happens, find someone on the faculty that you can confide in.”

Reid Baldwin spends most of his time writing patent applications and working with the patent office to get those patents issued. He also does some clearance opinions to let a client know if the product they plan to market will infringe any existing patents.

“As a former Ford transmission engineer, Ford now relies on me for transmission and hybrid vehicle patents,” he said. “I enjoy patent law because it uses both legal skills and engineering knowledge.”

During his time at MSU College of Law, Baldwin participated in two intellectual property moot court competitions: one for patent law and one for trademark law. He also took as many intellectual property courses as he could because he knew he wanted to practice patent law.

“One of the surprises during law school was how much I enjoyed my non-IP coursework like Constitutional Law and Education Law,” he said.

One factor that lead Baldwin to choose MSU Law was the impression that the faculty were continuously trying to find ways to better prepare students.

“Once in school, my experiences confirmed that impression,” he said. “Whatever school you choose, at some point during law school, you will probably feel that you are in over your head. When that happens, find someone on the faculty that you can confide in. I thank Dean Connell Alsup for helping me find my way through a rough spot.”