The John J. Allen Scholarship is meant to help a promising young lawyer further develop his/her knowledge of intellectual property law. The scholarship is named after NautaDutilh lawyer John Allen, who died on 17 July 2014 with his family in the MH17 air disaster. John Allen was a partner in the firm's IP/IT practice, with a particular focus on patent litigation and other technology-related matters. His expertise was highly praised and he was also a man of many talents outside the legal arena. He is deeply missed and the scholarship has been established in his memory.

Gerben Hartman, the first recipient of the John J. Allen Scholarship, will follow an LL.M. program in intellectual property law at Stanford University in the US during the coming academic year. The selection committee awarded Gerben the John J. Allen Scholarship for his well-considered decision to, for now, exchange his law practice for the LL.M. program, for his detailed study plans and for his enthusiasm. NautaDutilh lawyer Anne Marie Verschuur, one of the initiators of the scholarship, commented: "The selection committee is impressed by Gerben's plans for the coming academic year. After having run a broad IP practice as a lawyer for a number of years, he now sets out to gain more international expertise and will therefore follow the select LL.M. program in Law, Science & Technology at the prestigious Stanford University. Gerben's course of study will include comparative law research into the interpretation of patent claims, also in light of the upcoming Unified Patent Court."

The scholarship, which will be awarded annually, is open to applicants holding a Dutch Masters of Law degree who have an affinity for intellectual property law. The recipient may use the scholarship to enrol in an LL.M. program outside the Netherlands or a PhD program in the Netherlands or abroad in the area of intellectual property law. More information can be found on our website.

The personal presentation of Gerben's scholarship will soon take place at NautaDutilh's Amsterdam office.