Women in Licensing Alliance (WILA)
Mission
Advance the growth of women in leadership through education, mentoring and networking opportunities.
WILA will serve as a gathering point for education on the international efforts advancing the skills and leadership of women, and offer international networking and mentorship opportunities. LESI is well positioned to bring women and men together from around the world to share experiences in professional advancement and cultivate a culture of inclusion and support for the advancement of women in licensing.
Upcoming Webinar
"Evaluating the Effect of the USPTO’s Gatekeeping Criteria on the Diversity of the Patent Bar"
Wednesday, 10 February 2021
8:00am - 9:00am (CST) / 3:00pm - 4:00pm (CET)
The USPTO requires all individuals interested in becoming a patent practitioner to pass a six-hour, 100-question examination. However, this examination is not open to all. It is reserved for those who possess certain “scientific” and “technical” expertise, which can be demonstrate by (A) possession of an undergraduate degree in one of thirty-two enumerated subjects; (B) a particular number of credits in physics and/or chemistry, either alone or in combination with additional science courses; or (C) passage the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam.
While these criteria appear gender-neutral, there is a de facto discriminatory impact, as these criteria fail to embrace sciences in which women or minorities are more likely to pursue. Studies have found that only about ~18% of registered patent practitioners are women. While efforts are made to increase diversity within STEM more broadly, the USPTO should consider expanding and diversifying its criteria in order to bring greater diversity to the practice of patent law.
LESI's WILA Committee will be joined by Mary Hannon (Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP) to discuss the above and her recent publication featured in the Indiana University Maurer School of Law's IP Theory.
All interested LES members are welcome!
Prior Webinar
Thursday, 17 September 2020
Key Takeaways from the Happy Hour & WILA Pilot Mentoring Program
Committee Updates (June 2020)
Regional Ambassadors
Inaugural Event
We met in Yokahama for the first WILA gathering.

Committee Leadership
Chair:
- Pamela Cox (LES USA/Canada) [LESI Vice President and Chair of IP Transactions at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP]
Vice-Chair:

LES Philippines
Celebrating International Women's Day 2019

