After earning a B.S. Companies are coming out with statements they probably never would have thought theyd make 30 days ago, saying Black Lives Matter, Drayton said. 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. Thomas Jennings, born in 1791, is believed to have been the first African American inventor to receive a patent for an invention. Numerous sources claim that she obtained a law degree from Howard University, but the college catalogues show that this was not the case. With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. Turners comments resonate with several lawyers on his list, who described the internal and external challenges of building a successful practice. And firms must provide mentors and advocates for young attorneys. As a junior associate, before going on to co-chair Venable LLPs IP division, Justin Pierce recalls hearing the trope about being really articulate from a potential client. Were still being judged, feared, devalued because of our race. The patented software, LinkLine, is a web-based application for . Do I matter? As a member of the American Bar Association, Ms. Allgaier belongs to its Business Law Section and its Section of Intellectual Property Law. The California Association of Black Lawyers. ***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. 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 Persisted at Law and Legislative Matters. The diversity gap in the patent system has deep historical roots, Northeastern University law professor Kara Swanson said. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Allgaier worked as a research associate in the Section of Leukocyte Biology at Baylor College of Medicine. Seeing a cleaning cart behind Longsworth, he asked, Are you finished cleaning the bathroom?. 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. The most common degree for patent attorneys is bachelor's degree 45% of patent attorneys earn that degree. Thats why the change in the conversation over the last two weeks has been so significant, he said. Before 1900, Cook finds patenting rates were lower for Black inventors than white inventors, but followed similar patterns increasing during economic booms, decreasing during downturns. Shreveport Uzezi Abugo Uzezi Abugo, Attorney at Law Michael Acquah Hueston Hennigan LLP Los Angeles Michael Adams DeCuir, Clark & Adams, LLP No. A Pioneering Black Woman Patent Attorney February 1, 2023 By Zorina Khan Like millions of innovative individuals, MIRIAM E. BENJAMIN (1861-1947) was active in multiple inventive markets, as the patentee of two inventions, and assignee on another. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas. With a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Dr. Black combines a strong scientific background and legal training to assist clients in obtaining and making use of their intellectual property rights. Call the Hollin Law Offices in Georgia today at 770-872-4703, or contact us online. 4075, S. 2281), which would require the patent office to collect demographic information, including gender and race, from patent applicants on a voluntary basis. For example, the highest salary of patent attorneys is $127,683. The origins of current inequality can be detected in historical patterns and outcomes, but both present and past sources include many inaccuracies and false claims. When clients and law firm rainmakers invest in and bet on black IP attorneys, good things tend to happen, Drayton said. In addition, the industry that employs the most patent attorneys is the professional industry. However, the two patent applications for her brothers inventions offer direct proof of her standing as a patent practitioner, including her actual signature. Defend Trade Secrets Act: The Latest in Trade Secrets Developments, Presentation: WhatsReasonable? Miriam Benjamin was actively involved in the patenting process, as an inventor and assignee. Both options are priced the same. Stan Gibson is a trial lawyer who focuses on high-stakes cases involving technology. Theres a direct correlation between the racial wealth gap and IP ownership, said Nina Archie, diversity and tech policy adviser at The Commercializer. 1920 census listing Benjamin as a patent attorney. All three credit mentorssome black, some whitewith making a difference in their careers. She may have obtained informal legal training, but that is pure speculation, without any reliable supporting evidence. License our industry-leading legal content to extend your thought leadership and build your brand. Its almost hard to know where to start, Gills said. "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. Black or Afro-American Inventors PATENT AND INVENTION INDEX INVENTOR INVENTION DATE PATENT Page 1 of 10 A Abrams, W. B. Hame Attachment April 14, 1891 450,550 Allen, C. W. Self-Leveling Table November 1, 1898 613,436 Allen, J. A white male professor came rushing down the hall. Whites are over three times more likely to become inventors as Blacks, Harvard University researchers found in 2018. Theres a lack of visibility -- I wouldnt say I didnt know it existed, but it never occurred to me, as a career. 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. LexisNexis and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. We determined the average age of patent attorneys based on ethnicity and gender. The Litigation Landscape Post-, Avoiding a Career Silo: Understanding and Converting Your Value (10th Annual CYOC Career Development Conference, IP Law Pre-Conference 9/07), Hot Topics in Trademark Law (DuPont Legal Conference, 9/07), Taking A Company's IP To The Next Level (Client CLE, 6/07), Use of Expert Witnesses in Patent Litigation (BNA/ABA Seminar, 11/06), Are Opinions of Counsel Still the Best Defense to Willfulness in IP (Patent & Trademark) Litigation (F&L Corporate Counsel Seminar, 10/06), Battling Global IP Piracy & Counterfeiting (Chair, F&L 2nd Annual IP Conference, 9/06). The most common ethnicity of patent attorneys is White (75.3%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (7.9%), Asian (6.5%) and Black or African American (5.7%). During law school, she worked in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender as a senior law student, representing clients who had been charged with misdemeanors and felonies. 342B Park Avenue Unit B2 A registered patent attorney, he uses his background in biomedical engineering to prosecute even the most challenging patent applications for medical device technologies. Jeanne has authored (and regularly updates) a chapter on Experts for the Patent Litigation Strategies Handbook (BNA Books). Benjamin was granted patents for her ideas, and this is sufficient to demonstrate that her discoveries were original and distinct from previous inventions. Born on September 1, 1857, in Columbia, Mississippi, Baker made it his mission to identify and publicly highlight the contributions of black inventors. She is a member of the firms Management Committee and the Manufacturing Sector Advisory Board. 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. Some of them, I made them be my advocate. This section highlights information about where patent attorneys work. Toomey got a patent in 1930 for an appliance to prevent ice on airplanes. Additionally, well increase our focus on civil rights matters through our Judicial and Legislative Committee. You cant just wait until you have some applicants in law school to start diversity efforts, Longsworth said. He was born in Canada but raised in Michigan, before being sent to study in Scotland at age 15. He knows my wife. Lawyers go to court for criminals or against criminals. Diversity, and Recruiting Committees and was the former chair and founder of the firm's African-American Attorneys Affinity Group. He knows my kids, Waldrop said. 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? At Stinson, our attorneys combine industry knowledge and business acumen to deliver practical legal guidance to clients ranging from individuals to privately-held enterprises to international corporations. 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. Shes now a biotechnology and pharmaceutical partner at Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox PLLC and co-chair of the firms diversity & inclusion committee. Black IP lawyers have felt the impact of their race as early as their educational years. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy. Claims that black inventors filed patents under the names of white attorneys seem absurd: under U.S. patent laws, any such patents would be invalid, as even the most incompetent lawyer would know; and there was no reason at all to do so, since all applications were submitted in writing and it was impossible for anyone at the patent office to identify the inventors race. At the time, applicants were required to take an oath of citizenshipthe same year the high court ruled out citizenship for Blacks in Dred Scott v. Sanford. The initiative's progress, as well as that of IPReg, the regulator for patent and trademark attorneys in the UK, has been documented previously. Like most of America, Kirkland & Ellis partner Ellisen Turner has followed the horrific killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. For black lawyers, its even harder. Benjamins influence and persistence in legislative matters can be detected in her extended dealings with Congress. 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.. Clients can push outside law firms to staff legal matters with diverse practitioners. We created this chart to show you the average size of companies that typically hire patent attorneys. Waldrop was asking himself, Do I really want to do this? Return to our main appellate law firm page. A law firm with a large IP department that includes paralegals and patent agents can ensure that those ranks are diverse. Some companies tend to go with what they know, he said. Our Membership Committee is actively working to bring back our members-only Mentorship Program, which will help members step outside of their comfort zones, astutely navigate the corporate landscape, and otherwise grow personally and professionally. I had the privilege of being a part of a trial team in my first year where Mr. Johnson was the first-chair trial lawyer for a co-defendant, Drayton said. Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Judy W. Reed, of Washington, D.C., was the first African American woman to receive a patent. Jeanne acts as lead trial counsel in complex patent, trade secret, trademark, copyright, and unfair competition litigation and appeals including USPTO post-grant proceedings in diverse industries ranging from electronics to biotechnology. Recognized as a top patent lawyer and author of Navigating the Patent . After speaking with a new partner from another office for 15 minutes, he said to her, Well, it was good chatting with you, but Ive really got to meet members of the management committee. Employees with the patent attorney job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. And while Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell are household names, inventors like Percy Julian and Granville Woods havent been as celebrated. Maybe some of those individuals will then go to law schools and become lawyers. Allgaier Patent Solutions 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. 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. By comparison, 5% of attorneys in the U.S. are Black, according to the American Bar Association. Thomas L. Jennings (1791-1859), for example, learned tailoring and dry cleaning and carried on that business in New York City, where in 1821, at the age of 30, he received a patent for an improvement in dry cleaning processes perhaps the first black person in this country to have received one . 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). Their president, Jefferson Davis, had unsuccessfully tried before to get a U.S. patent on a propeller invented by a man, Benjamin Montgomery, enslaved by his brother, according to research from University of Kentucky law professor Brian Frye. 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. The underrepresentation of Black inventors, and documented disparities in numbers of women and Hispanic inventors, was acknowledged in a patent office report to Congress last fall. Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates Well-versed in all aspects of intellectual property law, Jamaal focuses his practice on preparing and prosecuting patents in the U.S. and abroad. Do I care? Don't miss the crucial news and insights you need to make informed legal decisions. Its one of those statistics thats hard to wrap your head around. An Ounce of Prevention Smart Patent Prosecution Can Minimize Litigation Oops (Article. We do some outreach to undergrads, and even students in middle and high school., Recruitment, said Joseph Drayton, a Cooley LLP partner and former National Bar Association president, should be followed with proper training, access to premium work including repetition in assignments specific to patent matters, tracking of work and success in execution of assignments.. Nelson Madden Black LLP Attorneys Website (212) 382-4300 5 Park Row New York, NY 10038 CLOSED NOW 6. But overall, the tech industry is uneven when it comes to openness to minority lawyers. Arent Fox LLP Arnold & Porter LLP Baker & Hostetler LLP Littler Mendelson P.C. B.S. Member Portal That support is a difference maker as Waldrop is now the one with responsibility for building and integrating trial teams. Were kicking up our social justice and civil rights initiatives. 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. Apprenticeships in the 21st Century, In Search of Hetty Green: Self-Made Women Millionaires, Patent Waivers (or Dont know much about history), Is Technology a Race? 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? A U.S. Patent and Trademark Office council will begin tackling a huge challenge this year: boosting the percentage of patent owners who are Blacka figure that hovers in the single digits by some estimates. We compared this job title with other job titles to see how gender percentages varied. Dynamically explore and compare data on law firms, companies, individual lawyers, and industry trends. He said he wouldnt be where he is today without having had the opportunity to pitch them. Fax: 847-626-9610 Jennings invented a way to dry-clean clothes in 1821. Hollin can help you with patents, trademarks, and infringement issues. Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP - Patent Litigation Lawyer. CAN I USE MY TRADEMARK ON PROMOTIONAL ITEMS? The Cochran Firm was founded over 40 years ago by the late Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., one of the country's most well-known and well-respected legal advocates. Patent attorneys earn the most in Massachusetts, where the average patent attorney salary is $117,586. We represent clients in northern Georgia and throughout the U.S. Most of what we know about African American inventors came from the research of Henry E. Baker. According to the 2019 edition, 5% of lawyers are African American, . "It's almost hard to know where to start . These are not the inventors that were growing up learning about, said Griffin, who testified to Congress about patent diversity this year. As a dialogue springs up around systemic racism, Kirkland partner Ellisen Turner and other lawyers discuss the legal industry's failure to recognize and reward the achievements of black patent attorneys. There have been periods of history where the patent system wasnt even available to large swaths of the Black population, stymieing their participation. ABWA - The Association of Black Women Attorneys Home About Us CALENDAR Phone : (212) 695-1000 info@abwanewyork.org 1001 Avenue of the Americas 11th Floor New York, New York 10018 Skip to Content Oops. They benefit from a diversity of experiences in connection with among other things, witness preparation, formulating a trial story and approaches in relating to jurors. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Racial Gap Sustained The racial divide persists for many reasons that don't lend themselves to simple fixes. Since 2008, she has focused her practice on patents related to medicine, medical imaging and instrumentation, scientific instruments, household products, and the life sciences. House and Senate lawmakers in 2019 introduced the IDEA Act (H.R. As in-house counsel, Alex developed strategy and managed dozens of patent cases in 5 countries, including 3 ITC trials, District Court cases, a UK trial, a German trial, and 2 China cases . We found most patent attorneys work for a private company. I could see the beads of sweat on his forehead, because he was probably like, Oh my God, Gills said, Is my GC going to think she is fabulous?. This data shows how men and women predominate in the patent attorney position over time. She previously served on the board of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform and previously served for six years on the Evening Associates Board of the Art Institute of Chicago and mentored high school students through Links Unlimited. No one brought up the possibility, said Sheppard, who was previously a director of the PTOs midwest regional office. Well also continue to have events that arm us with the tools we need to thrive professionally.