What was it like teaching environmental law in NYC?
I had wonderful students—a diverse group from all over the world. It was great because I was exposed to the experiences of people who had grown up in other countries with different legal systems and different ways of thinking about the law. How many patents does Honeywell typically file each year? At the end of 2009, we had more than 29,000 patents and patents pending worldwide. We file roughly 1,000 new patent applications each year. You are charged with protecting all of Honeywell’s intellectual property. Do you have to be an encyclopedia of sorts? I think it would be a superhuman task for any individual to have a comprehensive appreciation of our technology, just given how vast our portfolio is and how technically complex many of these areas are. That said, you do need to have a working understanding of the businesses and the areas they are innovating in. With the help of subject matter experts, I certainly form my own opinions about the status of, say, a patent that’s being challen
