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It was Dwight Benner’s curiosity that drew him to science at a young age. His curiosity led him to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry at Kalamazoo College and later to enroll in a PhD program at Emory University in Atlanta. But two years in, he decided to change course and go to law school.
At the time, Benner found his work as a chemist slow-moving. “I enjoy science and innovation, but in my practical experience working in the lab, I found that it’s possible in academic research to devote many years to one project that isn’t successful in the end,” he explains. “Instead, I prefer variety and the opportunity to view science from a higher level.” Fortunately, that’s exactly what Benner does in his role as senior IP counsel at Kemira today.
Several factors influenced Benner’s decision to leave the PhD program and become a lawyer. One was that the timing was right. Benner knew that if he left the PhD program after two years with his master’s degree, finishing law school would take him the same amount of time as completing his PhD.
Talking to his uncle, a patent attorney with a decade of experience, also steered Benner in that direction. And finally, he received a key piece of advice. “I’d had a high school teacher who was a mentor,” he says. “At one point he mentioned to me that I should be looking for an opportunity to combine disciplines and make myself more valuable.”
Benner enrolled in law school at George Mason University in Virginia and afterward landed an associate position at none other than Finnegan Henderson, a firm based in Washington, DC, and one of the largest in the country specializing in patent law.
“I’m moving inventions forward to be filed as patent applications and working with outside counsel to get those patent applications granted around the world.”
Dwight Benner
At the firm, Benner gained a mix of experience in both patent prosecution and litigation, which he describes as the primary two flavors of patent law. “As a young associate in a large law firm like that, practicing patent litigation can mean a lot of document review,” he explains. “You’re learning the process, but you’re also kind of a worker bee at that junior level.”
Seeking more experience, Benner moved to another large law firm, Hunton & Williams, also in Washington, DC, a city he describes as the center of patent law in the US. “I had a good mentor who invested in me, taught me the ins and outs of patent prosecution, and gave me exposure to clients,” Benner says. “Learning patent law is like learning another language, and most of it occurs ‘on-the-job.’ I grew significantly as a patent attorney during those years as a mid-level associate and was exposed to a lot of different technologies.
“As an outside counsel, you have to be able to look at something, understand the technology, and run with it,” he continues. “You’re working for one client and then another client—you have to be able to pick things up fairly quickly in different areas.”
After eight-to-ten years in private practice, Benner started to feel the pressure of making partner. “When you get to that higher associate level, you’re entering an area where you’re not just doing the work; you have to go out and start finding the work. Rainmaking is a very different skill that doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and it’s a whole other level of stress and responsibility,” he says.
Having young children at the time, Benner started to consider the idea of moving back to Atlanta. When an opportunity to transition to an in-house position at a former client arose, he took it. A few years later, he began his current role at Kemira, where he’s approaching his seventh year.
“Baker Donelson and I personally have enjoyed working with Dwight for many years. Dwight has a deep understanding of Kemira’s technology, the company’s corporate goals, and patent law,” says Robin L. Teskin, a shareholder of Baker Donelson. “He is a great asset to the company and to outside counsel such as Baker Donelson.”
Benner appreciates the work/life balance being an in-house counsel at Kemira grants him. He believes his time in private practice was very valuable because it gave him a great foundational knowledge of patent law and an appreciation for the needs and motivations of the outside counsel he works with. The collaborative environment at Kemira also gives him the opportunity to interact directly with scientists in his daily work.
“I’m embedded with scientists. They are working in the labs right next door,” Benner says. “I’m moving inventions forward to be filed as patent applications and working with outside counsel to get those patent applications granted around the world.”
At Kemira, Benner has finally found the ideal intersection of science and law that made him decide to be a patent lawyer in the first place.
