Anthony Cheng ’11 | Columbia Law School

Anthony Cheng

Like many kids, Anthony Cheng ’11 spent countless hours reading comic books and playing board games while growing up. Those hobbies proved to be more than childhood pastimes, though, and his interest grew over time. After graduating from college, the Chicago native spent a year working for a software company and another year writing about strategy games for industry magazines. In so doing, he became interested in the copyright and intellectual property issues that were shaping the industry. “A big reason I wanted to come to Columbia Law School was to learn from the amazing intellectual property faculty here,” explains Cheng, who recently won the New York Intellectual Property Law Association’s Honorable William C. Conner Writing Competition.

During his time at Columbia, Cheng served as managing editor of the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts, which published his note “Lex Luthor Wins: How the Termination Right Threatens to Tear the Man of Steel in Two.” Cheng also spent a summer working for Judge Kathryn E. Zenoff of Illinois’ Appellate 2nd District. And he completed internships in the legal and business affairs department of A&E Television Networks and at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

Cheng credits the Law School for helping him to secure the internships, which facilitated hands-on experience. “Many law school students don’t get the opportunity to work directly in the field they’re interested in while in school,” he says, adding that he feels fortunate to have gained a head start in the world of copyright, media, and entertainment law.

After graduation, Cheng will move to Denver, Colo., where he will start work as associate corporate counsel for the legal department of EchoStar and DISH Network. Cheng is excited about starting his legal career. “It’s exactly where I want to be,” he says.