On April 29, 2020, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the Legal Experience and Advancement Program (LEAP), a new initiative designed to provide courtroom experience opportunities to the next generation of attorneys. The program is expected to benefit law firms and their clients, as it aims to help newer attorneys gain oral argument skills. Law360 reached out to Finnegan partner Cory Bell for his thoughts on the new initiative.
For Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, the program allows parties up to 15 additional minutes when less experienced attorneys argue. Cory said this will alleviate client concerns about the time it can take to transition when splitting up an argument. In Cory’s view, "By giving the extra time, it takes that out of the equation and makes it more accommodating, which can mitigate clients' concerns about splitting time.” He said the program also supports the PTAB's existing tendency to accommodate newer attorneys, as the board prefers that the attorneys who argue are the ones who know the record best. Cory noted that those are often the junior attorneys who wrote the briefs.
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