Fowler School of Law. Professor Ernst’s scholarship focuses on patent law and he teaches in the areas of intellectual property, contracts, and civil litigation practice. Prior to joining the Fowler School of Law in 2013, Professor Ernst was a partner at the international law firm of Covington & Burling in San Francisco, practicing intellectual property, commercial, and appellate litigation, while maintaining an active pro bono practice focusing on veterans disability recovery and homeless advocacy. Prior to joining the Fowler School of Law Professor Ernst taught pre-trial civil litigation at the University of California Berkeley School of Law. Professor Ernst earned his JD magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, an M.A. in comparative literature from the University of California Los Angeles and his B.A. in modern literary studies from the University of California Santa Cruz.