Patent Pathways Program

Patent Pathways™ is a Diversity & Inclusion Program dedicated to increasing numbers of registered African-American/Black women patent attorneys and agents through free, virtual education, practical exercises, and financial support. The goal is to provide each participant with the tools to take and pass the patent bar and begin their pathway into a career in patent law. All patent bar expenses will be paid for each participant, and classes will occur in evenings to accommodate existing work and study schedules, made possible by the generosity of our program partners and sponsors.

Through the first iteration of Patent Pathways alone, there will be 20 more Black women registered with the USPTO. Eight women have already accepted job offers through the program. With an anticipated fifty participants in our 2023 class, we plan to increase the number of Black women patent practitioners by over 7% by the end of 2024.

Patent Pathways Team (including volunteers):

• Board of directors 10+ dedicated Harrity personnel

• 10+ external personnel

• 100 mentors (50 law firm and 50 in-house counsel)

• 4 presenters

• 30 instructors 8 panelists

• 2 Patent bar examination preparation instructors

• 10+ Patent bar examination preparation question reviewers

We are looking for mentors, law firm partners, corporate sponsors, panelists/presenters for Patent Pathways.

Note that law firm partners provide employment opportunities for our Patent Pathways participants. As of our inaugural year, we had 20 law firms sign up to interview, with a commitment to hire at least one participant for at least one year. In our second year of the program, we are also asking law firms to pay a fee of $5,000 to help cover the costs associated with the program.

Presenters are needed for the following topic areas:

• Patent Drafting - Overview

• Patent Drafting - Receiving a Disclosure

• Patent Drafting - Drafting Claims

• Patent Drafting - Drawing Figures

• Patent Drafting - Design Patents

• Patent Drafting - Drafting Specification (Background/Problem Solution & Benefit/Hw & Flowcharts)

• Patent Drafting - Drafting Specification (Description of Example Figs)

• Patent Drafting - Client Customizations

• Patent Drafting - Internal Customizations

• Patent Prosecution - Overview (Final/Non-Final/RCE/Client Customizations)

• Patent Prosecution - 102 Responses Patent Prosecution - 103 Responses

• Patent Prosecution - Examiner Interviews P

• atent Prosecution - 101 Responses (Alice & Mayo cases)

• Patent Prosecution - 112 Responses/Restrictions & Elections/Double Patenting Perspectives of Practice: Panel of Patent Attorneys & Agents