Justin Lum has spent more than 20 years practicing law. The son of a lawyer, Lum set out to follow in his father’s footsteps. A Chinese American who saw the misrepresentation of fellow Asian Americans, Lum’s father want to change the injustices he saw. It inspired Lum, and he began a career that has now spanned more than two decades.
Lum specializes in intellectual property law and has worked with clients to register more than 100 trademarks. However, it isn’t just intellectual property clients that Lum has worked with during his law career. The fourth generation Chinese American has represented clients in business law and immigration matters.
Recently, Lum sat down to answer a few questions about his career and what drives him as lawyer.
My father was an attorney. I always wanted to help people. I admired what my father was doing for people. He felt that Chinese Americans and Asian Americans were underrepresented in the legal field, and needed representation. I have tried to follow in his footsteps and follow his guidelines to help our clients to achieve their goals.
I wanted to focus primarily on intellectual property at the time I left to start my own practice. It allowed me the freedom to focus and develop better that aspect of my practice.
I would say that the types of difficulties he experienced as a Chinese American growing up in the south where there were already racial tensions, and Chinese Americans were put in the middle of it, inspired me and reminded me that there is still a ways to go for our country to avoid racial inequalities. It has kept me focused to assist those who might otherwise be discriminated or disadvantaged by their status.
Lum Law has had numerous success stories over the years. Some of the best result have come in immigration law. Lum and his colleagues have helped clients overcome marriage denial, they have helped clients achieve asylum in the United States and got court decisions based on an interpreter’s mistake in court overturned. Of course, intellectual property was Lum’s reason for starting his law practice, and he has worked hard to achieve success.
My practice was focused on intellectual property litigation. I had some patent litigation matters that ended successfully for my clients, one in particular in which we were able to end the case for our client, a defendant for patent infringement, on summary judgment after proving the clients’ product could not possibly infringe the patent. We have had many successful cases opposing trademark registrations and defending our own clients’ trademark registrations.
Prior to 2011, I had started to work on some of my father’s litigation and immigration matters to assist him in his practice. In 2010 we decided that it would be more efficient for us to have one firm, and the idea was, and still is, that my brother and I would take over his practice. Unfortunately, that plan was altered a bit when my brother became ill and passed away, but the original plan still exists, for me to continue the practice Albert Lum started.
It is very important. We are entering a time in which the foundation principles of this country, a land of immigrants with the opportunity to succeed where personal freedom is paramount is being attacked by the very government that should be defending those principles. Rhetoric by our current government looking for an easy “fall guy” is wrongly targeting hardworking immigrants. They need representation from a government that is set on taking away any rights they may have.
Well, it should not be difficult for those applicants who meet the criteria for the various immigrant categories. As long as an applicant meets the respective criteria, his/her case should be allowed. However, recently the government has changed the way in which it adjudicates a case, appearing to put emphasis on the form of an application, rather than the substance of the relationships, and the government appears to be also looking for any reason to deny a case, so long as it has some basis that can be justified. What this means is that it is more important than ever that a professional helps individuals to properly prepare their applications, so that mistakes in preparation that are innocent errors cannot be turned around by the government to become huge barriers to entry or immigration. As attorneys, it is our job to make sure the government understands the client’s status and application so that cases won’t be denied because of miscommunication.
Lum is focusing a lot of energy these days on helping startup companies. With the surge in new businesses and small companies, there is a need for information on a number of issues. Lum and his colleagues want to help these businesses become successful and remain within their legal rights.
It is very important for a startup company to have an experienced attorney as there are many areas that can trip up a firm before they get going. Many times intellectual property issues, corporate tax issues, formation issues need to be worked out early to avoid problems later that could derail a startup before it can start to have positive returns.
When asked what what it takes to be a lawyer, Lum is honest in his assessment. It isn’t a way to make a lot of money and become well-known. It is far more important than those simple items.
If you want to be an attorney, you should have a passion for assisting others, and a passion to understand the laws, and the fortitude to apply those laws, and understand how they are applied to your clients to help your clients navigate the legal field, whether those clients are private or public clients.
For now, my plans are simply to continue this career. There are still a lot of people that need help.
Justin Lum has succeeded in several areas of law. Whether intellectual property or immigration, he and his colleagues have worked to help those people in need of a voice.
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