Reflection on My Journey with VPG

by Ethan Wo, VPG Litigation Assistant

Ding! I looked down at my phone to see that I had received a message from a family friend on LinkedIn. Upon opening the message, I saw that my family friend had created a group to connect me to a person named Ashley Cheung. I checked her profile and realized she was wildly famous on LinkedIn with 9000 followers! After scanning her LinkedIn profile, I learned that she was the founder of Virtual Patent Gateway, an author, and an accomplished paralegal who hosted podcasts, conducted interviews, and more. Due to my interest in the field of paralegal work, Ashley seemed like the perfect person to connect with.

The first thing she asked me was, “Are you interested in working as a VPG litigation assistant to learn some of the work?” Since then, I have been working as a litigation assistant with Ashley at VPG. This opportunity has been exciting, eye-opening, and has allowed me to develop my professional skills immensely.

When I first talked to Ashley, I could tell how enthusiastic, hardworking, and steadfast she was, and it motivated me to work and learn from her. From the start, Ashley’s litigation assistants were given ample time to learn the basics of litigation and take courses on the IP industry. These resources were immensely helpful in understanding the skills and background necessary to complete the actual tasks we were assigned.

Ashley also knew how to push us out of our comfort zones in a supportive way. One month into working, Ashley asked me if I was ready to be a guest interviewer for a lawyer that I had never met. This request would push me out of my comfort zone; I had never interviewed anyone before, and I was especially nervous to interview this accomplished Harvard grad lawyer. However, Ashley prepared me thoroughly. We had mock interviews, we researched my guest, and she gave me great advice in preparation for the interview. While it was a nerve-wracking experience, I was extremely happy I did it, and I went on to complete more interviews and podcasts for Ashley. It was engaging and insightful to interview Wes White and Braxton Davis and to learn from their experiences and perspectives. I also appreciated her honest review of my work and the career advice she offered. It positively affected me and helped me to be a better litigation assistant, decide on my future, and gain new professional skills. These experiences gave me both confidence and beneficial skills that I can apply to whatever career I decide on.

Another time that Ashley helped push me to expand my horizons was through the LegalOps.com’s Running Legal Like a Business Conference. This experience was my favorite and most memorable moment from my time working with Ashley, even though in the beginning, I was hesitant to say yes. RLLB was where I first met Ashley in person, planned and participated in my first panel, and met some exceptional people in the legal field. It was extremely fun to listen to all the panels from experts in the IP space. I also got to know my fellow panelists and other members of ADAPT, a program that works to mentor students and bring awareness to the IP space. All in all, we successfully held our panel, made some great friends, ate good food, met Ashley in person, and learned from amazing speakers.

While I have decided that legal work isn’t my future goal, everything I have learned through this experience at VPG is important to me. I am thankful to Ashley for the amazing experience, the interesting work, and the recommendation letter that she provided for graduate school.

Moreover, I will do my best to embody what I have learned from my time working for Ashley, going forward in my professional and personal life.