Franklin Pierce Law Center Mourns Passing of Founder Robert H. Rines
It is with profound sadness that Franklin Pierce Law Center notes the passing of Dr. Robert H. Rines, Esq, founder of Pierce Law and a pioneer in United States patent law and education for more than 50 years.
“Bob Rines was a true visionary in a field of endeavor, law, in which visionaries are in short supply. Lawyers tend to look back for guidance to things like precedent and legislative history. Bob always looked ahead. He steered by the stars, not by the wake. His way of addressing the ills he saw in how patent law was legislated, practiced and adjudicated was to create a law school that would train lawyers to do it right. By force of personality and perseverance, he succeeded. Thousands of lawyers and their inventor clients owe him a great debt of gratitude,” said Dean John D. Hutson.
Professor William O. Hennessey added, “Rines' impact on U.S. patent law in the post-war era has been truly unique. He represented many of the most important American inventors of the 20th Century, including a number of MIT professors. He was a vocal advocate–-in the bar, Congress, the courts, and the law schools–-for greater recognition of the critical role invention and innovation play in the American economy, and championed the rights of the inventors who have made and continue to make America the most innovative society on earth. He was also a visionary in predicting as early as the 1960s the transformative technological challenges that would face the United States from Asia, and particularly China, long before anyone else."
On a personal note, Doug Wood, a member of the first graduating class and chair of the Board of Trustees, said, “It was in 1973 that I first met Bob Rines. As a member of the first class at Franklin Pierce Law Center, I was greeted by Bob and accepted his challenge to the legal world: defy convention, join him, and reshape the way law was taught. He pushed the classroom into the courtroom, he stressed hands-on clinics with real clients, and he pushed us all to learn to practice law in a way that served our clients, not some arcane legal theories long discredited by the practicalities of the business world. We were the first of what was to become many classes representing his vision. And from the first class in 1976, thousands of Pierce graduates have carried on his vision, bringing a practical understanding of what the law means to those most affected by it. He broke the rules because they needed to be broken. He saw things as they should be and spent his life inspiring others to see the light. While he was stubborn, he was also a listener. While he was passionate, he was always considerate. But most of all, he cared about his family, his students, and the school he founded. An inventor, adventurer, composer, performer, writer and advocate, he never slowed down nor backed off a challenge. Eventually, I came to know Bob as a friend and remain inspired by him every day. He will be missed, but his vision and a testament to his willpower -- the Franklin Pierce Law Center -- will remain his legacy.”
Born in 1922 in Boston, MA, Rines earned a BS in physics in 1942 from MIT. He joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II as a radar officer, served in both Europe and the Pacific, and invented the modulations technique essential in building the Army’s then top-secret Microwave Early Warning System. After the War, Rines worked as an examiner for the U. S. Patent Office while earning his law degree from Georgetown University in 1947. He later joined his father’s law practice in Boston where he also taught at MIT. He completed his PhD thesis at Chiao Tung University, Taiwan in 1972.
A detailed biography of Robert H. Rines and a list of his patents can be found on the Franklin Pierce Law Center website. Remembrances can be left at the Franklin Pierce Law Center LinkedIn page