Here at Stevens, although small, the law department continues to be an integral part of the university. One recent event, hosted by the Stevens Law Society in collaboration with the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement featured Stevens graduates speaking about their experiences and journeys through the legal industry since their time here at Stevens.
The event, which took place on the evening of Tuesday April 25, was open to all students, not just those pursuing law, as the two panelists themselves did not attend Stevens for law. The panelists were Margaret Goeckle and George Johnston. Goeckle graduated from Stevens in 1995 with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management. Since then, she has worked across the industry in multiple positions, culminating in her current role as Chief Privacy Officer, Vice President, Privacy and Information Governance at Hewlett Packard Enterprises.
The other panelist was Goerge Johnston, who graduated from Stevens in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. From there, he worked at a leading law firm in Manhattan and then at a pharmaceutical firm where he is now Chief Parent Council for Hoffmann-La Roche.
The event began with each panelist explaining how the routes they took to their current positions were very different, despite both attending Stevens. For Johnston, he focused on patent law and worked at one of the premier law firms in New York City, before deciding that was not the right environment for him. He moved across the river to New Jersey to work for pharmaceuticals. He went to law school full-time to get his degree quickly to sooner be able to work in the law industry.
Goeckle, on the other hand, had a very different story. She did not attend Stevens as an undergraduate but came here to get a background in technology so she would be better equipped to work in the rapidly growing computer privacy industry. She worked in corporations, not as much of a legal position like Johnston, but more as an engineer — working to set up data centers and other production positions. Although it was an interest for her throughout her career, Goeckle’s work in the legal field has been more through applying and investigating it in the field.
One theme that was consistent through both presentations was intellectual property. Johnston gave a brief overview of intellectual property, including trademarks, patents, and copyrights, and then expanded that into different careers students interested in intellectual property can take from The Department of Justice and patent work to litigation.
Following the presentations, Goeckle and Johnston opened the floor for questions from students in the audience, which was composed of engineers, chemists, pre-med students, and literature students, to name a few. Students asked what their next steps might be after Stevens, how to decide which aspect of the law to continue in if they were not sure, and what life is like across those different legal industries. The panelists did their best to answer the questions, but if they did not, they offered advice on how to find the answer to the student’s questions.
This event was a great opportunity for Stevens students to hear more from professionals in the legal field, and perhaps now have a better idea, or at least know where to look, to pursue their interests in the legal field. Thanks to Margaret Goeckle and George Johnston for sharing their experiences and journeys through the legal industry since their time at Stevens, offering valuable insights and advice to students of all majors.
