Her listing in the 1920 census as a patent attorney is certainly notable, but the census takers simply recorded what householders told them. With Such Low Win Rates, Should Law Firms Respond to So Many RFPs? 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. 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Ignite Your Passion and Career! (CCWC, 9/17), Current and Emerging Issues Related to Patents (Client CLE, 3/17), Get Ready Now! Protecting And Enforcing Trade Secrets, Article: Whats Reasonable?Protecting And Enforcing Trade Secrets, Justices Craft Their Own Remedy for Violation of Constitutions Appointments Clause, Justices Scale Back Unreviewable Authority of Administrative Patent Judges, Justices Appear Conflicted About Status of Administrative Patent Judges, Justices To Consider Appointments Clause Challenge To Administrative Patent Judges, Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Counseling, Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Litigation, Foley Attorneys Named to 2023 Illinois Super Lawyers List, Jeanne M. Gills Named an Honoree at Corporate Counsel 2022 Women, Influence and Power in Law Awards, Foley Attorneys Recognized in 2023 Best Lawyers in America, Foley Represents The League in Acquisition by Match Group, 16th Annual IP Conference (Virtual): Knowing When and How to Pivot 2.0, Health Plan Transparency in Coverage Rule, The University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 1994), Michigan State University (B.S., with honors, electrical engineering, 1991), Ready to Respond: A Roadmap for Diverse Attorneys to Serve on Corporate Boards (CMCP Virtual Seminar, 3/21), General Counsel BootcampIntellectual Property (Client CLE, 2/21), Diversity & Inclusion: Beyond the Boardroom (F&L National Directors Institute, 11/20), Knowing When and How to Pivot 2.0 (Chair, F&L 16th Annual IP Conference, 10/20), Elevate: How to Breakthrough Your Inner Glass Ceiling & Reclaim Your Power to Lead (CCWC 16th Annual Conference, 9/20), Recent Developments in Patent Law & Best Practices with Patent Opinions (Client CLE, 6/20), 2019 PTAB Year In Review (F&L Webinar, 1/20), When and How to Pivot (Chair, F&L 15th Annual IP Conference, 10/19), Advanced, Patent Litigation Seminar (Chair, PLI, Chicago, 2009-2018), Proving and Guarding the Real Economic Value of IP (Chair, F&L 14th Annual IP Conference, 9/18), Trade Secrets Protection, Enforcement, and Litigation (Sandpiper Partners LLC, 6/18), Diversity & Inclusion (Law Bulletin Ethics Seminar, 6/18), Top Ten Tips for a Successful Mediation in Intellectual Property Cases (AIPLA Annual Meeting Presentation and Article, 10/17), Forging Ahead: Strategies for the New Unknown (Chair and Speaker, F&L 13th Annual IP Conference, 10/17), Chicago Black Partners Alliance, Marshall Movie Premiere Event (10/17), Career Not Moving Fast Enough? 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. 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. Other PTO efforts to close the gap for women and minorities include launching the Expanding Innovation Hub, with resources for inventors, and programs like Camp Invention, a STEM program for elementary-aged students. Today, Drayton is serving as lead counsel for a number of clients at Cooley, including dating app Bumble in its highly publicized patent litigation with competitor Match Group LLC. Miriam Benjamin was actively involved in the patenting process, as an inventor and assignee. Jamaalfrequently lectures on intellectual property law to attorneys and other professionals. In addition, she regularly presents seminars, and publishes on a variety of IP topics, including: Jeanne has previously served on the firms Strategic Planning, Diversity, and Recruiting Committees and was the former chair and founder of the firms African-American Attorneys Affinity Group. 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? Owning patents, and other intellectual property, can help people earn money from their inventions. When Griffin polled colleagues and clients, who ranged from small business owners to NASA engineers, on when they learned about patents, and that they had value, most said either in graduate school or after starting their careers. That practice, in and of itself, said this process is not for you, said Shontavia Johnson, an attorney and entrepreneur who also serves as associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation at Clemson University. This data shows how men and women predominate in the patent attorney position over time. Barriers in science education for Black students start as early as middle school, they say. 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. Segregation laws also made it harder for Blacks to patent their inventions. Among the roughly 8% of students in ABA accredited law schools who are Black, many are first generation law students, and may not have strong insight regarding the structure of law school, Dike said. Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?Subscribe Now. Asian patent attorneys have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Some companies tend to go with what they know, he said. Metrics And Measurements for Law Departments (, How to Litigate in the Digital Decade (Defendants' Patent Counsel (doing damages expert cross-exam and closing argument) in Mock Trial Plenary Session involving patent and trademark infringement; AIPLA Mid -Winter Institute, 1/04), Bank One: Law Firm Diversity Symposium (Panelist, 12/03), A Woman and Minority Perspective on Client Development (CBA, 9/03), IP Litigation and Opinions Using Litigation Knowledge to Advance Career Success (NBA Annual Convention, 8/03). She is also frequently quoted by publications such as Law360, Managing Intellectual Property, BNAs Patent Trademark & Copyright Journal, and The Wall Street Journal. Honored as an Up & Coming Attorney by Missouri Lawyers Weekly, 2021, Top 100 Black Lawyers, The National Black Lawyers, 2015, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D., 2007, Marquette University, B.S., Biomedical Engineering, 2004. She was named among the 2015 Most Influential Black Lawyers by Savoy.*. Since 2008, she has focused her practice on patents related to medicine, medical imaging and instrumentation, scientific instruments, household products, and the life sciences. McCoy was denied. Almost every lawyer goes through a crisis of confidence at some pointoften around four to six years out, when demands of the job start ramping up. Firm chairman Marc Kasowitz has provided Waldrop with that connection. P.C. But that in itself wasnt enough. He is the Chairman of JMBM's Patent Litigation Group and the publisher of the Patent Lawyer Blog. Hes supported me. This chart breaks down the ages of patent attorney employees. All of us should feel terrible about black women making up less than 1% of the equity partners in law firms, Gills said. 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. Foley & Lardners Gills faces the double challenge of practicing patent law while being black and female. He tested me, and I know I was judged and questioned in a way, if I were a white man, I would not have been, she said. He said he wouldnt be where he is today without having had the opportunity to pitch them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics came in clutch when it came down to figuring out how the unemployment rate has changed over time. 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. A close second is doctoral degree with 42% and rounding it off is master's degree with 11%. ? 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. In addition, the industry that employs the most patent attorneys is the professional industry. Janet Emerson Bashen became the first black woman to. 5.0 (4) Our Firm Our legal system is largely comprised of two different types of cases: civil and criminal in both of which we are specializing. When you look at that requirement, you must then consider the population of black college students, or post-college grads that have that technical background. No one brought up the possibility, said Sheppard, who was previously a director of the PTOs midwest regional office. Defend Trade Secrets Act: The Latest in Trade Secrets Developments, Presentation: WhatsReasonable? Jamaals work also extends beyond the medical device field representing clients in a variety of industries, including power management and building construction. If you are a person of color, particularly a Black person, and you want to find a lawyer who is not going to think of you as intellectually inferior, who is not going to have some of those barriers and those implicit biases that may exist, its hard, Johnson said. STEM education, or practical experience verified by individual states, is a requirement to take that bar exam. If the data is going to change it will take intentional efforts to reach women and children at a young age, Bismarck Myrick, director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity at the PTO, said in an interview.