Emerging Trends and DEIA Topics: Insights into Building an Inclusive Workforce

The PTAB Bar Association invites you to a panel discussion hosted by Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG) on both the LinkedIn and Facebook platforms. The panel will examine emerging trends of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) topics by bringing together key speakers from various sectors who will share their insights on how best to build an inclusive workforce. 

Topics include: 

* Shredding unconscious biases

* Enabling diverse gender expression, and 

* Gearing up for intentional systemic change

Panel speakers include Lead Admin. Judge Annette Reimers, Bisi Akinola, Shukria Dellawar, Karan Jhurani, and Dr. Mandy Song. The panel will be moderated by Mary Hoffman.

A quick note to thank our program sponsors:

* Arent Fox Schiff LLP

* Answer IP, LLC

* Bayes, PLLC

* Erise IP, P.A.

* Fish & Richardson, P.C. 

* Gemini Law LLP

* Groombridge Wu Baughman & Stone, LLP

* Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg LLP

* Linda Liu & Partners

* Unified Patents and Unified Network

* Barrister Digital Solutions (e-Discovery and litigation support)

* Lango Legal (Translation)

About the Panel:

Panelists:

The Honorable Annette Reimers, Lead Administrative Patent Judge, United States Patent & Trademark Office

Lead Administrative Patent Judge Annette R. Reimers was appointed to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) on June 8, 2012. Lead Judge Reimers first joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as a patent examiner in the medical device arts. Subsequently, Lead Judge Reimers served as a patent attorney in the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she prepared and prosecuted patent applications for the U.S. National Laboratories, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Lead Judge Reimers then rejoined the USPTO at the PTAB as a patent attorney, after which she became a judge.

Lead Judge Reimers earned her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. She also holds a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree and a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences from Barry University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from Florida International University.

Bisi Akinola (she/her/hers), Director and Associate General Counsel, Meta

Bisi currently serves as the Director and Associate General Counsel for Meta Business Group. Her international legal practice experience includes inbound and outbound technology and content licensing, intellectual property protection, sales, and marketing transactions, and general corporate and commercial matters. Her background also includes broad subject matter expertise in the following areas: mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financing, public offerings, commercial contracts, intellectual property licensing, and securities law and compliance. Prior to Meta, Bisi was the Senior Director, Legal at Box from 2019-2020, and Director, Legal at LinkedIn from 2014-2019. Bisi is passionate about making an impact in any community. She loves to build and foster relationships with clients and colleagues.

Shukria Dellawar, Global Affairs Consultant, Advocate, Artist

Shukria is a peace and security expert, human-rights advocate, and gender specialist. She is currently consulting with Humanity United to help implement USAID’s localization agenda. As the former Director of the Prevention and Protection Working Group (PPWG) at FCNL from 2018-2022, she advocated for the prevention of mass atrocities and genocide. PPWG was instrumental in passing two ground-breaking legislative initiatives, the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act and the Global Fragility Act.

Shukria has also worked in the development sector on women’s empowerment and in the defense sector as a political analyst and cultural adviser, testifying before Congress as a subject matter expert in multiple briefings. She holds B.A. and M.S. degrees from George Mason University’s School of Conflict Analysis & Resolution, is fluent in English, Dari, Pashto, and Urdu/Hindi, and has authored several opinion editorials for Western media covering peace and security issues.

Shukria holds B.A. and M.S. degrees from George Mason University’s School of Conflict Analysis & Resolution and is fluent in English, Dari, Pashto, and Urdu/Hindi. She is the author of a chapter in Afghanistan in Times of Crises (on the role of women in the country’s reconstruction) and has published a book of poems, The Conversation.

Karan Jhurani (Principal of Fish & Richardson, P.C., PTAB Bar Association Diversity Committee Chair; Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow (LCLD)

Karan Jhurani has a multi-faceted practice at Fish & Richardson, focusing on patent prosecution and counseling, post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and complex patent litigation.

Karan's significant experience in all areas of patent law has equipped him to provide a full range of patent services to clients while developing and executing sound legal strategies that consider every aspect of intellectual property protection. Karan works with clients to define what a "win" looks like and then diligently and meticulously goes and gets those wins, whether that means obtaining patent protection at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a critical invention, litigating in court to prevent competitors or third parties from encroaching upon clients' inventions or leading a focused attack at the PTAB that is geared toward neutralizing and eliminating third-party patents that are asserted against clients.

Mandy Song, Ph.D., Founding Member of Bayes, PLLC

Dr. Song is a Founding and Managing Partner of Bayes, PLLC in McLean, VA, and brings more than a decade’s experience in patent practice, including patent prosecution, client counseling, patent portfolio management, and transactions, patent litigation in U.S. federal district courts, and Section 337 ITC, and post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She has significant experience in a wide range of electrical, computer, and biomedical technologies,

Dr. Song received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University in China, her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University and her J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center.

Moderator:

Mary Hoffman, PTAB Supervisory Patent Attorney, United States Patent & Trademark Office

In 2017, Ms. Hoffman started her position as a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Supervisory Patent Attorney. Ms. Hoffman is currently the vice-chair of PTAB’s DEIA Committee.  Prior to joining the PTAB, Ms. Hoffman worked as a Primary Patent Examiner, serving as a Trainer and as an Appeal Conferee. She completed career development details at the PTAB and the USPTO’s Patent Training Academy. Before becoming a Patent Examiner in 2005, Ms. Hoffman worked as a Bioengineering Researcher for the University of Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Laboratory, and she also worked in a microbiology laboratory at GlaxoSmithKline.  Ms. Hoffman earned her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University.