A happy mix of skill, experience and personal qualities
Sam is an Assistant Manager (Junior Associate) with local Philippines law firm, Baranda & Associates, based in Manila. He is a member of the firm's enforcement team, engaged in a range of IP enforcement matters for both multi-national and local clients.
When several leading London IP lawyers were asked recently what personal qualities make a good IP lawyer, the first things they said were "being imaginative, curious, interested in new ideas, and creative" and "being an outstanding communicator". They went on to say that a good IP lawyer must obviously have a high level of technical skill and that, as in any profession, appropriate experience will be invaluable. Sam has just the right mix; he's in his element as an IP lawyer.
Growing up in San Pablo about 70 km south of Manila, a city known as the City of Seven Lakes because it is surrounded by seven crater lakes, Sam always thought he would eventually be a lawyer. In this he was no doubt influenced by his grandfather, who was a lawyer. As a child, Same was intrigued by what his grandfather was doing, and just assumed he would follow in his footsteps. He was, however, also mad about theatre, taking part in various school plays, and harbouring a secret ambition to be an actor. That ambition is buried deep these days, but it hasn't entirely disappeared. Although it may not seem likely at the moment, who knows: Sam might yet appear in a leading role on our cinema screens. If the opportunity arose, he wouldn't say no.
The main professional focus in Sam's immediate family was not law, but medicine. His father was a surgeon, although - possibly displaying the same adventurous spirit and curiosity as his son - he later trained, and now practices, as a lawyer. Sam's mother is a dietician, and his two siblings are doctors. So, professionally, Sam is an outlier, but there was never any pressure on him to do medicine, or to follow any particular path. His parents' ambition was just that he should be a good person, and do something that is fulfilling and that he enjoys. The family is close, and Sam goes back to see his parents in San Pablo at weekends whenever he can – and to see his dog, Vulcan, a Husky. He also chats to the family, and to Vulcan, by video call whenever he can.
Although he had always thought he would eventually be a lawyer, Sam's first degree was not in law. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of San Tomas in Manila, then obtained a Juris Dr degree from the De La Salle University. His interest in communications led naturally to an interest in Intellectual Property, and the interest grew when Edmund Baranda, known to us all as EJ, taught one of his courses. That inspired him to do an internship at Baranda & Associates. When he graduated, however, he took a position with a full- service law firm, gaining experience in a variety of fields, including Labour Law, Corporate, and Litigation. He believes that broad legal experience has given him an invaluable basis for practice as an IP lawyer.
Sam's non-professional activities are many and varied, reflecting his adventurous spirit, his enthusiasm and sociability, and his willingness to work hard and push himself. He considers that all these activities are relevant, in one way or another, to his work as an IP lawyer. He hadn't been particularly interested in sport when he was growing up, but at law school he developed an interest in Spartan races and became a keen competitor. Spartan races are an obstacle course race series, with distances ranging from three miles to ultra-marathon distance. Inspired by the discipline and toughness of ancient Sparta, they were started in America by an individual and are now run by his company, Spartan Race Inc., in at least 30 countries around the world, including the Philippines. The races are, to say the least, challenging; a test of both mental and physical strength. Sam has enjoyed taking part in them, but now his professional commitments make it difficult to do so. He is, however, a qualified Ashtanga yoga teacher and still gives some private lessons and continues to practise at weekends. Another of his non-professional activities in free diving; i.e. diving under water, relying on breath holding rather than breathing apparatus. He is a certified free diver and tries to go diving three or four times a year at Mabini, Batangas, which is not far from Manila and well-known for its diving sites. Sam says that activities of this sort allow him to completely detach from his ordinary routine, socialise with a different group of people, and immerse himself in a totally different world.
Perhaps Sam's most immediately apparent personal quality is his sociability. He is a natural communicator. It's an invaluable quality for any professional, but perhaps particularly for a lawyer. As a result, he has close relations with clients and also with government and administrative officials. And he is still in touch with a number of old school friends; in particular, one from elementary school who is now a software engineer and the other, now a pharmacist. Having close contacts, such as these, with people in other fields, can be particularly helpful for an IP lawyer: they will be able to call on their expertise informally from time to time.
In addition to all these non-professional activities, Sam likes to travel as much as he can - as you would expect from someone with his curious mind and adventurous spirit. He tries to go out of the Philippines at least once a year. Most recently he has travelled to Australia and last year he went to Italy with his family: Rome, Reggio Calabria, and Taormina in Sicily.
Of all the fields he could have chosen, Intellectual Property seems perfect for Sam, making use of all his particular skills, experience and personal qualities – perfect, that is, until he takes over from Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.