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Media Contact: Bruce Buchanan – (336) 728-7027

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Womble Carlyle attorney Jack Hicks has joined the Elon University School of Law as an adjunct professor.

In this role, Hicks teaches intellectual property law, his area of practice at Womble Carlyle. This semester, his Monday night class comprises 20 students and focuses on concepts such as patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.

"I always have thought that teaching would be an excellent way to augment my legal practice but did not expect to get an opportunity so close to home," Hicks said. "It also takes quite a different approach to teach the law to students versus applying it in actual practice."

Hicks said that while he enjoys the new challenge of teaching, it has not been easy, given that he continues to maintain a full schedule in his practice as an intellectual property attorney. He said teaching methods have changed a great deal since he was a law school student more than 20 years ago. Now, students are used to use more interactive and multi-visual teaching strategies, including video clips and group discussions, that lead to a higher engagement in the subject.

"Preparing for class on nights and weekends takes considerable time, and my family has been quite supportive," Hicks said. "Obviously, my clients remain my top priority at work, but I have made the time to teach this course and believe it will be a rewarding experience."

Will teaching pay some benefits in his practice, Hicks was asked. "Absolutely," he said. "Preparing for class requires that you plunge deeply into topics and you invariably come across legal nuances that will enhance your counseling to clients."

Law school officials approached Hicks about teaching a course after he served as a mentor or "preceptor" for law students last year. He said he was honored by the request to teach, especially after witnessing first-hand the quality of the law school.

"I am highly impressed with the caliber of the administration and professors at the Elon University School of Law and proud to be a part of this wonderful university," he said.

Jack Hicks is a licensed patent attorney with significant experience in counseling clients in all areas of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law. He is a frequent speaker and noted author on intellectual property matters and has been named to The Best Lawyers in America®; North Carolina Super Lawyers and Business North Carolina Magazine's Legal Elite lists. Hicks holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Mechanical Engineering with high honors from the University of Virginia. He obtained his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Texas Law Review.

The Elon University School of Law opened in the Fall of 2006 with an inaugural class of 115 students. The law school is located in downtown Greensboro, just a few blocks from Womble Carlyle's Greensboro office.

About Womble Carlyle - Innovators at Law
A full-service business law firm, Womble Carlyle ranks among the AmLaw 100, American Lawyer magazine’s list of the leading firms in the country, and is a top law firm for companies doing business in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic states.

Founded in 1876, Womble Carlyle operates in six states and the District of Columbia with nearly 550 attorneys in eleven offices located in Atlanta, GA; Greenville, SC; Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, and Winston-Salem, NC; Washington, DC; Tysons Corner, VA; Wilmington, DE; and Baltimore, MD. Womble Carlyle is located in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions, and serves clients nationally and globally.