Jordan Walbesser| May 31, 2024 | 5-minute read
Jordan works with high-performing, IP-driven companies to leverage their intellectual property through creative and effective deal-making. With degrees in computer engineering and law, Jordan has a unique perspective on licensing, intellectual property, and technology matters particularly in the artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital, and video gaming spaces.
Jordan is currently a Director of Legal Business & Affairs at Mattel where he helps develop and execute on Mattel’s digital strategies. Under his guidance, Mattel was the first major toy company to market, auction, and sell NFTs as digital collectibles. In addition to NFTs, Jordan leads legal efforts related to strategic product and brand partnerships throughout Mattel and its global subsidiaries, including Fisher-Price, Mega, and American Girl. Jordan is now focusing his efforts on growing Mattel’s video gaming segment, including counseling the company on self-publishing and other game development matters.
In recognition of his thought leadership, Jordan was appointed to the steering committee of the Wilson Center’s Digital Asset Forum and has been named one of the University at Buffalo’s Ten Most Innovative Alumni. Jordan serves as the immediate Past President of the University at Buffalo Engineering Alumni Association, regularly lectures on ethics in video game development, and is a published heraldist. In his spare time, Jordan is the executive director of BootSector, a WNY non-profit that continues to power the region’s transformation into a national destination for startups and entrepreneurs.
- What influenced your decision to engage in a career in law, particularly your area of focus? I learned about intellectual property very early on in my life. Like many, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study in college. I was very interested in engineering, but I also enjoyed the logic and advocacy of law. I was lucky enough to have a mock trial club at my high school where I learned from the attorney-advisors about the field of intellectual property, specifically patent law. I would have never known that there was a field of law that required you to have both a technical degree and a law degree! So, unlike many others, I pursued a degree in computer engineering in order to go to law school and study intellectual property. Thankfully, that bet turned out very well!
- What are ways that you would recommend breaking into the field? Law school is easy. The business of law is not. My advice would be to pursue a career in law only if you know what type of law you’d like to practice. If you want to stand out, study something that complements that area of law. For me, that was engineering. For others, that might be biology, medicine, economics, etc. Being able to draw upon a body of knowledge outside of law gives you valuable perspective and makes you more attractive to employers.
- What do you wish you would have known prior to entering the legal profession? There was so much that I didn’t know about the legal profession. I was the first person in my family to pursue law. I had no idea what “law review” was, let alone partners, associates, and clerking. And then once I actually got into the profession, I had no idea about the business of law – the practical aspects of the profession. Law is much more a trade like plumbing than it is an academic exercise. I wish I would have understood more about that aspect.
- What organizations, clubs or internships were you involved in during college? How did those experiences help prepare you for your current role? During undergrad, I worked quite a few different engineering jobs – both on campus and off. I think the most important thing I learned during those experiences was how to interact with others and how to leverage the skills gained in each experience prior to the next.
- What are the biggest challenges that you typically face in your role? Sometimes there are no “right” answers. You have to be prepared to take a stance on a difficult problem and explain to your client why you came to that position. You have to understand what your client is concerned about and what risks they’re willing to take and what risks they’re trying to avoid. So much of what I do on a day-to-day basis is counseling – not a dry application of law.
- What should a student or alumni do to prepare for a career in law? Take some time and understand why you want to go into law. If you’re going into law for a big paycheck, or you’re not sure what else to do with your undergraduate degree, you might be disappointed. The best advice I have here is to actually go out and speak with a practicing attorney in a discipline that you’re interested in. You’ll learn a great deal!
- Are there courses from your past major or specific things you learned that you use regularly in your current role? For me personally, I took a Negotiations course through the business school when I was in law school. This course had practical and substantial impact on everything that I do as a deal attorney. Negotiations are not necessarily like buying a car – although sometimes they are! Most successful negotiations are about properly explaining your position and motivations so you can come to an outcome desirable to both sides. Or move on if there’s no opportunity for a mutually beneficial deal.
- What advice do you have for anyone that would want to pursue a career in law? Figure out what law you want to do. Then talk with a lawyer that does that kind of law. Shadow them if you can. Get a cup of coffee and ask them what they usually do all day. Most attorneys are keen to mentor others because the knowledge of how to be a good attorney does not come through study, it comes through practice.
