Membership Newsletter – July 2021
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President’s Corner
Dear IPLAC Members,
I hope you all are having a fabulous start to the summer, and wishing you a belated Happy Pride Month! I want to commend our DE&I Committee for hosting a meaningful conversation with the Honorable Judge Mary Rowland, Marshall Gerstein Partner Jeremy Protas, Vice President of IP Dr. Nabeela Rasheed, and Goldberg Kohn Associate Danielle Johnson regarding LBGTQ+ diversity in the legal profession. The conversation was positive, uplifting, and provided actionable takeaways for allies and champions.
Looking ahead, I hope you and your colleagues and clients join IPLAC for our annual Field Day on August 12th. The event is being held at Seven Bridges Golf Course in Woodridge, Illinois, and lunch and dinner will be served in line with appropriate Covid precautions. It will be a joy to be outside, and I look forward to seeing you there!
Finally, in June I sent out a Menu of Sponsorship Opportunities to many stakeholders in the Chicago IP community. The Board, Officers, and I invite you to show your support for IPLAC in a manner consistent with your marketing goals and budget. The opportunities are open to any firm, corporation, or vendor, so don’t be shy.
With that, my sincerest gratitude for your faith in installing me as the 137th President. I look forward to keeping you updated on the goals and targets I set for the membership year.
Erin Lothson
137th IPLAC President
erin.lothson@uber.com
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IPLAC FIELD DAY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021
SEVEN BRIDGES GOLF CLUB | 1 MULLIGAN DR., WOODRIDGE
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Panel Highlights Progress and Opportunities
On the final day of Pride Month, a distinguished panel convened for “Raising the Bar: A Virtual Panel Discussion on LGBTQ+ Diversity in Law.” Featured panelists included Honorable Judge Mary Rowland of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeremy Protas, Partner at Marshall, Gerstein, & Borun LLP; Dr. Nabeela Rasheed, Vice President of Intellectual Property at Amunix Pharmaceuticals; and Danielle Johnson, Associate at Goldberg Kohn. IPLAC DE&I Co-Chair Cynthia Assam, acting as the moderator, delivered a compelling line-up of questions for audience members and panelists alike, stimulating discussion on the importance of “firsts” in breaking down historical barriers, identifying trends related to the LGBTQ+ community, and probing the difficult question of why a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion exists.
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IPLAC Membership Survey – We Want to Know More About You!
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IPLAC’s Membership Committee invites everyone to complete a short survey by Friday, July 30 to help us plan and learn more about how we can make IPLAC the best local IP bar organization for you and your colleagues! Many thanks in advance!
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IPLAC Member Kenneth Matuszewski Makes ABA’s “On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers”
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The American Bar Association recently published the list of “On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers,” and IPLAC Member and leader Kenneth Matuszewski has made the list. Kenny’s page can be found here.
Notably, Kenny was one of only three honorees from Chicago, and one of only two honorees from Chicago with a practice focused on IP law. The entire list of honorees for 2021 can be found here.
Congratulations to Kenny on a well-deserved honor and for making IPLAC proud, and to all of the other honorees as well!
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Call to Action From the USPTO Pro Bono Program
The United States Patent & Trademark Office recently recognized over 100 patent practitioners for volunteering 50 or more hours on patent pro bono programs and over 25 law firms for their participation in 2020.
The 2020 honorees are listed on the USPTO website and include the following IPLAC members: Rachel Ackerman, Joaquin Hernandez, Kenny Matuszewski, and Randy Micheletti. Congrats to Rachel, Joaquin, Kenny, and Randy for their committed efforts to serve the community and further IPLAC’s mission.
More than ever, the USPTO needs your time and efforts in order to help financially under-resourced inventors and small businesses engaged in the innovation economy. The best way to do so is to volunteer for the Patent Pro Bono Program.
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Special Feature:
Get to Know IPLAC Chief DE&I Officer Atanu Das
Atanu Das founded the Diversity Equity & Inclusion (“DE&I”) Committee and, until last month, served as the Committee’s Chair. He is now the Chief DE&I Officer, which is a new position within the IPLAC Board. Atanu is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence and Law Professor at Loyola University School of Law, where he teaches several Intellectual Property Law courses and a course in Cyberlaw. He has published law review articles on the intersection of Constitutional Law and Cyberlaw, and he is currently a practicing patent attorney at Guntin & Gust, specializing in patent prosecution and patent counseling. Find out more about Atanu here.
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Special Feature:
Get to Know IPLAC Corporate Committee Chair
Kara DeAngelis
Kara DeAngelis is the Chair of the Corporate Committee and works on the data privacy side of the Commercial, Privacy, and Technology team at McDonald’s Corporation. Throughout her legal career, Kara has always worked as an in-house attorney. Straight out of law school, she focused on financial services and banking law before transitioning to privacy, which she found to be more rewarding, challenging, and exciting. Read more about Kara here.
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