Agent of Change

Asan received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington and originally made the trek from the west coast to Pittsburgh to pursue his PhD in molecular pharmacology.

“My plan was always to be a scientist. I wanted to work in a lab, then have my own lab. I wanted to research and publish papers,” Asan said.

With a specialty in cancer research, Asan’s dissertation was about developing new drugs to treat triple negative breast cancer.  He graduated with his doctorate degree in 2019, but then his previous goal of becoming a scientist took a different direction.

“A year or two into it, I learned more about the realities of life, what comes next. I realized that I did not want to work in private industry as scientist. I also did not want to work with animals; I did not enjoy doing that,” he said.

Asan still wanted to use his technical background. He received consultant offers but ultimately took a position as a patent agent at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He was hired during the start of the COVID pandemic, allowing him to work remotely and stay in Pittsburgh. Enjoying his job reviewing patents, Asan quickly recognized a large part of the patent process was the law.

“I worked there [USPTO] for five years. At end of the fifth year I wanted a change, I wanted to be a patent attorney. I realized legal training is important. I thought it was second nature to me even more so than being a scientist. Before that, I never thought about a getting legal education,” he said.

Looking for a flexible path to a legal degree, he found one around the corner from his home. “I was in walking distance to Duquesne [Kline School of Law]. I heard about Duquesne Kline from a lot of my friends, but I had never been to campus. In my mind, I could see it everywhere from the city. It is the only viable option for any person who has a full-time job within the city of Pittsburgh, and it was the only option for me if I wanted to live in Pittsburgh, work, and go to my classes consistently at night. I am really glad I made that choice,” Asan said.

He has connected with other evening students, sharing with them a special bond of collectively going through the evening program.

“We have had many classes together and we formed an accord among the evening student group. We exchange ideas and help each other with anything that comes up,” Asan said.

That includes bonds formed through personal milestones as well. “I have another classmate who got married, too, in the second year of law school. We were sitting in the lounge one night talking about how we make this all work,” he said.

As well as classmates, Duquesne Kline School of Law professors have been encouraging as well. They understand the unique life challenges many evening students encounter and help them adapt.

“Professors obviously have expectations that we as law students and are doing the work we are supposed to do. Aside from that, I cannot remember a personal instance or witnessed another student with something going on when a professor was not receptive or as helpful as possible. When I had my son, I missed a class and Professor Ashley London and I chatted for close to an hour, she made me feel better and even gave me parenting advice,” Asan said.

Closing in on an expected spring graduation and steps closer to becoming a patent attorney, Asan is grateful he made the decision to pursue his legal degree. He encourages other working adults who may be considering legal education to follow their dreams.

He said, “I would say absolutely go for it, no matter how busy you are. I think it is something you will be able to achieve with sufficient determination. It is never too late; I was 31 years old when I applied and I already had an advanced degree. There is a lot of support from both faculty and the students once you come to Duquesne. It is great to have that option, because without Duquesne a lot of people in the city would not be able to do it. Duquesne has a very essential role in helping people who are already employed and need the flexibility that only Duquesne offers to get a legal education.”