While they continue to make big strides and literally raise the bar across all practice areas of law, here are 10 black female attorneys you should know. Her listing in the 1920 census as a patent attorney is certainly notable, but the census takers simply recorded what householders told them. Waldrops clients have included Google and LG Electronics. I think we have this vision of inventors as this person alone in a garage but really invention and patenting is a team sport, said Holly Fechner, a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, who has written about closing the diversity gaps in innovation. Id been in the department for three years and had seen that professor many times, said Longsworth, who went on to earn a doctorate. Letsallget involved. NBA Annual Conference, 7/08), Pre-Conference Workshop on "Creating & Managing Patent Portfolios (2nd Annual IP Summit for Wireless Tech & New Media, 6/08), IP Litigation in the 21st CenturyA Look at In re Bilski, Post-KSR Litigation Strategies, & Stats on Best Patent Defenses (, At the Razor's Edge: Prosecuting and Defending Against Patent Infringement Claims Post-, Strategic Venue Selection & Use of IP Injunction (F&L Litigation Conference, 12/07), Navigating The Changing Tides of Patent Litigation (, Views from the Bench: Remedies in IP Litigation CasesA Roundtable of Judges from the Southern District of New York (Chair/Panelist, F&L 3rd Annual IP Conference, 10/07), Unexpected Results? A white male professor came rushing down the hall. The ramifications go beyond individual inventors. Another problem is a gap in those who leave college with degrees in patent-intensive fields like science, technology, engineering, and math, experts say. in biology from Texas Southern University in 1994, Ms. Allgaier went on to graduate in 1996 summa cum laude with an M.S. Lawyers go to court for criminals or against criminals. Well seek to provide greater mentorship opportunities. Patrice Jean, a molecular biology Ph.D. and co-chair of Hughes Hubbard & Reeds life sciences group; Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox partner Eldora Ellison; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner partner Mareesa Frederick and others would qualify for such a list, Turner said. But if they dont open the pool to see whats out there, they dont know what theyre missing., Turner notes that the underrepresentation of black attorneys is far from a new issue. Yes, Patent Attorney jobs are male - dominated. So youre starting from a limited population to begin with, said Azuka Dike, a patent attorney at Banner Witcoff who is a liaison to the American Bar Associations Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. That can move the needle. Comparatively, there are 7.9% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 6.5% of the Asian ethnicity. Law.com Compass includes access to our exclusive industry reports, combining the unmatched expertise of our analyst team with ALMs deep bench of proprietary information to provide insights that cant be found anywhere else. Despite many years of promises and pledges, black lawyers remain underrepresented at big law firms. Research Summary. ? Evaluating Your Litigation Exposure (ACC Annual Conference, 10/13), IP Issues at the FrontlineOffensive & Defensive Strategies That Win the Game (Chair, F&L 9th Annual IP Conference, 10/13), User Driven IP 4.0: High Stakes. For someone like Kirklands Turner, its almost like he has to be not just good, but fantastic, superlative to succeed. Jeanne serves as a director with the Chicago State Foundation Board. Richard E.S. To understand what its like for a black lawyer practicing IP, she said to imagine playing a game of Monopoly where you begin with no money or property and your opponents already have significant amounts of it. As you can see, patent examiner and patent attorney have the biggest difference in gender. Between 2008 and 2018, this is how the number of patent attorneys changed. Judy W. Reed, of Washington, D.C., was the first African American woman to receive a patent. Born as Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928, Maya Angelou was a renowned poet, educator, and civil rights activist who moved to the Bay Area at the age of 14. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy. Thats the goal of the NextGen IP Foundation, a new program that helps grade-school students apply for patents. As a member of the American Bar Association, Ms. Allgaier belongs to its Business Law Section and its Section of Intellectual Property Law. There are a number of talented African American attorneys, men and women, who for years now have represented clients, said Pierce, the former chair of the IP section of the National Bar Association, the largest national network of predominantly Black attorneys and judges. We represent clients in northern Georgia and throughout the U.S. Women and minority patent practitioners make up only a small percentage of the patent profession. Phone (206) 420-6057 Fax (206) 420-6051 Biography Dr. Bruce E. Black is a registered patent attorney and specializes in domestic and international patent procurement, client counseling, licensing, and due diligence for innovations in the areas of medical devices, chemistry, physics, materials science, biotechnology, mechanical arts, and software. Since 2008, she has focused her practice on patents related to medicine, medical imaging and instrumentation, scientific instruments, household products, and the life sciences. When I introduce myself at conferences or events and give my elevator pitch, the surprise is often palpable.. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Allgaier worked as a research associate in the Section of Leukocyte Biology at Baylor College of Medicine. She is a member (or participant in the activities) of several . In January 2006, Ms. Bashen became the first African American female to hold a patent for a software invention. People are often surprised when they learn that I practice patent litigation, said Ellisen Turner, IP practice group partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Some of them, I made them be my advocate. Elijah McCoy was also the son of African American parents who escaped slavery. But there are not zero, he said. Patent attorneys earn the most in Massachusetts, where the average patent attorney salary is $117,586. In addition, the industry that employs the most patent attorneys is the professional industry. Theres a lack of visibility -- I wouldnt say I didnt know it existed, but it never occurred to me, as a career. Her litigation experience has dovetailed into counseling clients on global IP strategy, including work on the division of patent/technology assets for Kraft Foods 2012 split (into Kraft Foods and Mondelz) and leading the IP side of M&A transactions, such as work on potential $4 billion acquisition in power technology space and recent $1.2 billion deal involving the creation on behalf of power technology companies two JV entities (one in the U.S. and one in Switzerland). Samuel Newman, of Bowdoin College, Old School? This data shows how men and women predominate in the patent attorney position over time. Waldrop was asking himself, Do I really want to do this? Researchers point to the Supreme Courts infamous 1857 Dred Scott ruling that Americans of African descent, whether free or enslaved, were not U.S. citizens. She would similarly provoke efforts on her own behalf for over a decade in the House and Senate, claiming $20,000 (about $300,000 in current dollars) in workers compensation for injuries (including a strained heart and distress caused by noisy surroundings and overwork) she allegedly sustained while working as a clerk at the Government Printing Office in 1910. Part of the reason: The path to advancement at a law firm is to be a lead lawyer on a matter, Turner said. BS, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Texas Southern University, MS, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Texas SouthernUniversity (Summa CumLaude, With High Honors), JD, University of Illinois Chicago Law School, Top 25 Trial Lawyers The National Trial Lawyers National Women (Specialty Division), Top Women Attorneys in Illinois Rising Stars, Top Attorneys in Illinois Rising Stars 2014-2021, Lifetime Member of Black Women Lawyers Association of Chicago, American Intellectual Property Law Association, National Association of Patent Practitioners, Texas Southern University Distinguished Alumni Award. If such an individual doesnt exist at their law firm, say to them, If you want to keep my business, hire some additional individuals to put on my team.. Stay tuned! Best Patent Attorneys near you Savage Consulting Expert Attorneys Established Law Firms In All Areas Of Law 5.0 (4) Miami, FL 33125 55 years in business Request a quote View Profile Vanst Law, LLC. According to the 2019 edition, 5% of lawyers are African American, . Avoiding Litigation Pitfalls through Effective Patent Prosecution (Article, Getting Off To A Good Start Drafting A Patent Application to Survive Prosecution and Litigation (AIPLA Annual Meeting, 2002), An IP Litigation Perspective on Licensing (PLI, 2001), Contributor to the IPLAC Litigation Committees Federal Circuit (2001 and 2002) Review of. On what other basis would you think that I couldnt possibly be [on the committee] other than my skin color or gender? she said. Asian patent attorneys have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. You have some jquery.js library include that comes after the Slider Revolution files js inclusion. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team. But she also said Black attorneys like her have faced a higher hurdle when trying to secure client work. Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys. American History. House and Senate lawmakers in 2019 introduced the IDEA Act (H.R. About Us| Theres a direct correlation between the racial wealth gap and IP ownership, said Nina Archie, diversity and tech policy adviser at The Commercializer. Admitted to practice in Illinois and the District of Columbia, Ms. Allgaier is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates There are relatively simple steps that firms can take too. He said he wouldnt be where he is today without having had the opportunity to pitch them. Gills, however, was prepared for whatever curveball he could throw at me, and the GC decided to hire her on. He believes that, with the pandemic as a backdrop, the message is getting through that we are all one community that must watch out for each other and take active steps to keep each other safe, Turner said. The offices of patent attorneys (all white at the time) were in white-only commercial districts, hindering African American inventors from applying for patents, Cook wrote in an often-cited 2013 study that examined patent activity from 1870 to 1940. Foley & Lardners Gills faces the double challenge of practicing patent law while being black and female. Companies are coming out with statements they probably never would have thought theyd make 30 days ago, saying Black Lives Matter, Drayton said. Don't miss the crucial news and insights you need to make informed legal decisions. After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that: 20.7% of patent attorneys are women and 79.3% of patent attorneys are men. He was born in Canada but raised in Michigan, before being sent to study in Scotland at age 15. Using the Census Bureau data, we found out how the percentage of each ethnic category trended between 2010-2019 among patent attorneys. To contact the reporter on this story: Matthew Bultman in New York at mbultman@correspondent.bloomberglaw.com, To contact the editors responsible for this story: Keith Perine at kperine@bloomberglaw.com; Cheryl Saenz at csaenz@bloombergtax.com, Learn more about a Bloomberg Law subscription, Photo Illustration; Jonathan Hurtarte/Bloomberg Law; Photos: Getty Images, Photo by Thomas S. England/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images; Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images; Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images, federal intellectual property legislation, Black inventors vastly underrepresented in patent system, Scholars say diversity gap has deep historical roots. And you recruit at the law schools they attend. After presenting, he was approached by an executive of a large technology company. Apart from racism, Black IP attorneys say there are distinct reasons why they make up just 1.7% of their specialty, a figure based on a survey by the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Our estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. The most common degree for patent attorneys is bachelor's degree 45% of patent attorneys earn that degree. With her electronics background and given her attorney registration to practice before the USPTO, Jeannes broad-based IP experience also includes: counseling related to product configuration trade dress and use of color as a trademark; handling TTAB and UDRP matters; resolving copyright ownership disputes, particularly in the areas of computer software and associated documentation; handling contractual disputes concerning IP rights and the theft or use of IP by a companys former employees, business partners and/or independent contractors; counseling clients on IP holding companies, including how to maximize value from an IP portfolio when certain assets are likely to be the subject of IP litigation; handling cases involving the intersection of trade dress, design patent, and utility patent protection for consumer and industrial products; and conducting discovery abroad throughout Europe, Singapore and Japan. Patent Office documents instead suggest Benjamin has a stronger claim to priority as a black patent attorney. Im surprised I havent heard of you, the executive said. Dynamically explore and compare data on law firms, companies, individual lawyers, and industry trends. That is why we will be opening our Members Only Job Opportunities database which will be updated regularly with positions sent directly to us by companies seeking to hire diverse applicants. (Charlotte Ray was the first black woman to obtain a law degree from Howard University in 1872, and a total of 34 more women lawyers graduated there by 1940.) Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided. By looking over 961 patent attorneys resumes, we figured out that the average patent attorney enjoys staying at their job for 1-2 years for a percentage of 32%. She too has heard general counsel or IP counsel say they dont know any qualified black patent attorneys. Do you need help protecting your ideas, designs, methods or other types of intellectual property? He has particular experience in patent preparation, prosecution and counseling in the fields of medical devices, optics, semiconductors, superconductors, lasers, solid state physics, RF and radar electronics, television/display technologies, software, electrochemical and optical sensors, organic and organometallic chemistry, pharmaceuticals, polymers and DNA assays. Loeb & Loeb LLP Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Norton Rose Fulbright LLP Sidley Austin LLP, As the 2019-2020 bar year comes to an end and we begin planning for 2020-2021, weve been reflecting deeply on how we can best serve you as we, 2020 Association of Black Women Attorneys New York, ABWA's Pressing Forward - Let's All Get Involved, ABWA's 2020 Ruth Whitehead Whaley Scholarship Celebration. In 2021, women earned 93% of what men earned. Copyright 2023 ALM Global, LLC. 337-TA-1140) (ITC patent trial on automotive technology), TAS v. Cummins (jury trial on a license covering engine technology), and DeKalb v. Pioneer (jury trial on patents covering genetically engineered corn). ***I am indebted to Barbara Levergood of the Bowdoin College library and Rene Bosman at UNC-Chapel Hill, for their generous assistance in locating these bills. Theyre really at the top of the industry, Turner said. Turner, whose practice covers intellectual property litigation and strategy, is encouraged that a national and international conversation is springing up around systemic racism faced by African Americans. Some law firms are looking to increase the pipeline by going beyond recruiting from top law schools. Fax: 847-626-9610 One could debate the number of accomplished black patent attorneys. He made me the leader of the Silicon Valley office. When combined with the census entry, these documented sources confirm the validity of the statement that Miriam E. Benjamin was the first black woman to practice as a patent attorney.. Defend Trade Secrets Act: The Latest in Trade Secrets Developments, Presentation: WhatsReasonable? Another study, from Michigan State University researchers, found that from 1976 to 2008, African American inventors were awarded six patents per 1 million people, compared to 235 patents per 1 million for all U.S. inventors. To fix this, you can: 1. An active participant in several professional organizations, Ms. Allgaier is a lifetime member of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., and she also belongs to the National Association of Patent Practitioners and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. That some lawyers have scientific backgrounds and use them was not on my radar, she said. 5.7% of Patent Attorneys are Black or African American, Most a are White, with 75.3% of Patent Attorneys belonging to this ethnicity. All three credit mentorssome black, some whitewith making a difference in their careers. Patents Lawyer Serving Los Angeles, CA. She is also frequently quoted by publications such as Law360, Managing Intellectual Property, BNAs Patent Trademark & Copyright Journal, and The Wall Street Journal. Seeing a cleaning cart behind Longsworth, he asked, Are you finished cleaning the bathroom?. Like Turner, Drayton believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has eliminated many of the distractions of day-to-day life, creating something of a captive audience for the injustices that have been unfurling in Minneapolis and elsewhere. Black STEM students are more likely to switch majors or leave college than Whites, researchers from the University of Texas and Florida International University found recently. No one brought up the possibility, said Sheppard, who was previously a director of the PTOs midwest regional office. 4075, S. 2281), which would require the patent office to collect demographic information, including gender and race, from patent applicants on a voluntary basis. That may have a dampening effect on Black people seeking intellectual property rights. P.C. from the John Marshall Law School. Jamaal was selected by judges, bar groups and fellow attorneys for his work, leadership and community service. When Cooleys Drayton took the helm of the National Bar Association in 2018, he became the organizations first leader from an Am Law 50 law firm. Hollin can help you with patents, trademarks, and infringement issues. Interestingly enough, the average age of patent attorneys is 40+ years old, which represents 67% of the population. Firms have been pledging to diversify the ranks of equity partners, and general counsel have been pledging to diversity trial teams, for many years. A registered patent attorney, he uses his background in biomedical engineering to prosecute even the most challenging patent applications for medical device technologies. Report: Judicial Diversity Grew in California Courts Last Year, Its Important for All of Us To Lift as We Climb: Black Women Judges Discuss Diversifying the Courts, Skilled in the Art With Scott Graham: I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together, Semiconductor Pioneer Adds Legal Chief With Deep Deal-Making Experience, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, Law.com Editors and Analysts Offer Top Trends to Watch for 2023. By comparison, 5% of attorneys in the U.S. are Black, according to the American Bar Association. For example, the highest salary of patent attorneys is $127,683. I have seen, in my career, people who presume from the outset that I could not be handed much responsibility, because they didnt think I belonged in the responsibility-carrying club, Smith said. Miriams brother Lyde Wilson Benjamin (18651916) received U.S. patent no. However, it was common for patent practitioners at the time to acquire patent expertise through informal means, including apprenticeships, correspondence courses, and learning by doing as patentees. Jennings invented a way to dry-clean clothes in 1821. (310) 201-3548. We found most patent attorneys work for a private company. At OC Patent Lawyer, we serve clients throughout Orange County and Los Angeles County, California from our office in Irvine, California. Benjamin trained to be a teacher in a Massachusetts normal school, and in 1884 passed the civil service exam very creditably, allowing her to work as a federal government clerk in Washington D.C. Four years later, in 1888, she enrolled in the Medical School at Howard University, but dropped out in the first year. To view this content, please continue to their sites. Employees with the patent attorney job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. Just based on the number of employees within each industry, we were able to determine the most common industries that employ patent attorneys. What Joseph L. Rini Knows, Attorney Rachel Y. Marshall A Pillar of Strength for the Community, SpotDraft Raises $26 Million in Series A Funding for AI-Powered Legal Software. Like most of America, Kirkland & Ellis partner Ellisen Turner has followed the horrific killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. We should be saying that cannot stand in 2020. Within the legal profession, clients, firm management and associates have been reaching out to ask about ways they can help. Well also continue to have events that arm us with the tools we need to thrive professionally. Organizations like the National Bar Association, the largest national network of predominantly African American attorneys and judges, or the Chicago Black Partners Alliance can provide lists. Over 160 years ago, in 1857, the U.S. commissioner of patents said a slaves invention couldnt be patented. 79% of Patent Attorneys are male, and 20% are female, so there are more male Patent Attorneys than female Patent Attorneys in the United States. According to a recent article in Bloomberg Law, black intellectual property attorneys, in general, make up only 1.7% of all IP attorneys, based on a survey by the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Although formal barriers to the patent system were removed with the abolition of slavery and the passage of the 14th Amendmentwhich guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.studies show Black inventors continued to face legal and societal obstacles. Allgaier Patent Solutions Sarah E. Goode is thought to be one of the first Black women to receive a patent, in 1885, for inventing a folding bed that could be made into a desk when not in use. Additionally, well increase our focus on civil rights matters through our Judicial and Legislative Committee. The average age of an employed patent attorney is 46 years old. Thats hugely important to me, he said. She was named among the 2015 Most Influential Black Lawyers by Savoy.*. Patent records therefore provide invaluable objective information that shed light on the actual rather than invented experiences of underrepresented groups. On the Early Breakfast Relebogile Mabotja spoke to the First Black Female Patent . Site Map, Advertise| With little recourse to the courts, African Americans would have found it nearly impossible to fight patent infringement, even if they had been represented by white attorneys, Cook wrote.

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