Ajay Rai will be moving to California immediately following his graduation from Miami Law in May to begin preparations for the Californian bar examination. Ajay has accepted a position with Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman in Los Angeles. BSTZ, listed as one of the top five patent firms in the U.S. by Intellectual Property Today, appears an ideal match for Ajay who returned to school to pursue his law degree after working as a software engineer for nearly fifteen years.

Ajay earned his Bachelor of Engineering in electronics and telecommunications from the University of Bombay and worked as a software engineer for two years before moving to the United States to pursue his master’s degree in computer science at Minnesota State University. After receiving his MS in 1990, Ajay worked as a software developer for a couple of companies before joining IBM in Boulder, Colorado in 1999.

In addition to his achievements in the classroom, which include a CALI Award and a Dean’s Certificate of Achievement for his work in his International Copyright course, Ajay is an active member of the law school community. During his three years at UM, Ajay has served as the vice president and senator of the Student Bar Association, the vice president of the International Law Society, and as a mentor to entering first-year law students. He is a member of the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the Honor Society of Bar & Gavel, and the Intellectual Property & Tech Law Society. He has volunteered for several pro bono projects through HOPE (Helping Others Through Pro Bono Efforts), including VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) for low income tax payers and off-campus he volunteered with the ACLU and the Miami-Dade Elections Reform Coalition. He has also clerked for several law firms in Miami.

“The best part of studying law at the University of Miami is that it is not just textbook law. There are unlimited opportunities to take advantage of outside the classroom. Just last week I met Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer when he visited the law school. I have truly enjoyed my time with the faculty and students at the University of Miami and I will leave here with some great memories.”