Networking Reception for Diverse Attorneys in IP

On April 6, 2011, the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation, Intellectual Property (IP) Committee, held its inaugural "Networking Reception for Diverse Attorneys in IP." The illustrious event was hosted by Chadbourne & Parke LLP in its New York office. The event, intended to provide diverse IP practitioners in the New York metro area an opportunity to build mentoring and business relationships with each other, drew over 60 attorneys from law firms, corporations and the public sector. In addition to the American Bar Association, co-sponsors of the event included the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (MBBA), Intellectual Property & Technology Committee; the New York State Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section; the Network of Bar Leaders; and the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), Intellectual Property Committee.

Dennis Hopkins, a partner in the IP Group at Chadbourne & Parke, and Joseph Drayton, counsel in the IP Group at Kaye Scholer LLP, organized the event on behalf of the many bar organization sponsors and the event host, Chadbourne & Parke. Present expectations are to hold this event on a semi-annual basis in New York with alternating hosts. Plans for similar events in Atlanta and Washington, DC are underway.