Faculty

Professor of Law

Northwestern University School of Law, magna cum laude: Articles Editor, Law Review;" Fellow, Juristin Program, German Academic Exchange Service, 1985-86; Clerk, Judge Emschbach, U.S.C.A., 7th Circuit, West Palm Beach, FL, 1986-87; Associate, Latham & Watkins, Chicago, 1987-91; Visiting Assistant Professor, Chicago-Kent, 1991-93; Assistant Professor, Suffolk, 1993-96; Associate Professor, since 1996.

Retired Professor of Law and Former Co-Director Intellectual Property Law Concentration

Professor Beckerman-Rodau was a professor of law and co-director of the Intellectual Property Law Concentration at Suffolk University Law School in Boston for many years until his retirement in 2020. He is also an engineer and registered patent attorney. He is admitted to practice in Ohio and Massachusetts. Prior to joining the faculty at Suffolk, he was a tenured professor at Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. Professor Beckerman-Rodau has practiced patent and intellectual property law with law firms and corporations in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He was also a lecturer in law and research fellow at Temple University in Philadelphia. Professor Beckerman-Rodau has authored articles on business associations, computer software and intellectual property. Additionally, he has published a student guide to estates and future interests. He is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the American Bar Association, the Boston Patent Law Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Associate Clinical Director of Law and IPEC Director

Professor Darden is a registered Patent Attorney, an Associate Clinical Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School, and Director of the Law School's Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic ("IPEC"), a multi-disciplinary clinic for new and emerging businesses. As part of the Clinic, Professor Darden teaches a seminar on the practical applications of IP law and related skills, including trademark clearance and prosecution; patent counseling, including searching and application drafting; TTAB practice; copyright counseling; licensing; negotiation; transactional skills drafting; advocacy; and client counseling. Professor Darden also teaches in the area of intellectual property (IP), specifically patent, trademark, and copyright law.

Prior to joining Suffolk, Professor Darden was a partner at Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd. (Chicago) and manager of the patent prosecution group. She counseled emerging technology businesses on all aspects of IP protection, including rights in patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Professor Darden also served as in-house Chief IP Counsel for Duracraft Corporation where she worked closely with marketing and product development teams and managed all IP litigation and IP protection programs. During her career, Professor Darden has had the opportunity to participate in several precedent setting patent and trademark cases, including Atlantic Thermoplastics v. Faytex Corp., Micron Separations, Inc. v. Pall Corporation -- the companion case to Markman v. Westview Instruments, and Curtin v. United Trademark Holdings (trademark opposition finding consumer standing to oppose registration).

Professor Darden earned her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School with honors, she was a member of the law review, and voted by faculty as the most outstanding student of her class. After graduating from Suffolk Law School, Professor Darden served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Francis J. Boyle, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

Jenn Karnakis is a biotechnology intellectual property attorney with over 18 years of experience in patent prosecution and patent portfolio management. Prior to joining Suffolk Law School as the Director of Intellectual Property Programs, she was a partner in the IP group at Mintz; special counsel in the IP group at Cooley LLP; and a member of PatentGC LLP. In these roles, her practice focused on emerging life sciences and biotechnology companies, research institutes, and universities working in a wide variety of technologies. Working directly with the scientists and/or hand-in-hand with small in-house intellectual property groups in these emerging companies, she was primarily responsible for developing complex patent portfolios and implementing worldwide patent strategies for the prosecution, licensing, and enforcement of those patents during all phases of her clients’ growth.

Jenn received an AB in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College and a JD from Cornell School of Law. Jenn is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.