The Chicago Tribune had two interesting legal stories earlier this week:

• The Tribune’s Jamie Herzlich wrote a good article explaining the basics of trademarks, including why and how to file them — click here for the article.  It is a great first resource for anyone looking at trademarks for the first time.
• The Tribune’s Ann Therese Palmer wrote about and interviewed Pedro DeJesus, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Tampico Beverages, a Chicago-based company that is the leading refrigerated juice drink manufacturer — click here for the article.  DeJesus, a former associate at DLA predecessor Piper Rudnick, does not appear to have an IP focus.  But his story captured my attention, probably because, like me, he went to law school focused on public interest law, but ended up entering and enjoying commercial legal services.  It is especially worth a read for current and aspiring law students.  I echo Judge Castillo’s advice to DeJesus that anyone planning to do public interest law would benefit from some big firm experience.  Big firms provide exposure to many facets of the law, including exciting public interest opportunities.