The PTAB Bar Association’s recent Report and Challenge: Women at the PTAB: Post-Grant Proceedings sheds light on the challenge for women attorneys appearing in PTAB proceedings since 2019. While 20-30% of registered patent attorneys are women, only 12% are actually making PTAB appearances in 2021.
Women practicing patent law face numerous challenges when trying to develop a successful practice. Women-owned patent firms are at a double disadvantage – not only do their women attorneys face the constant challenge of proving their technical abilities, but also in having their firms hired in the competitive legal industry.
As a women-owned intellectual property firm, McCoy Russell has had to overcome numerous biases. Despite objective quality rankings including Top Patent Firm rankings in multiple Technology Centers at the USPTO for two years in a row (something no other patent firm in the country has achieved), some potential clients still do not look at our firm in the same was as a traditional patent firm dominated by male partners.
McCoy Russell actively examines and challenges the gender and minority gap within intellectual property law nationally, and locally in the West Coast community. We are proud to support our female-identifying attorneys in representing our clients before the PTAB, including in two recent PTAB cases where our attorneys successfully leveraged their work to obtain valuable outcomes for our clients.
McCoy Russell also works to provide education on organizational and individual remedies that both drive innovation and profitability and supports women and minorities. We hope to see women increase their participation before the PTAB.
