Patent Tribunal Judges Urge Firms to Send Women, Diverse Lawyers

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)’s Legal Experience and Advancement Program (LEAP) provides opportunities for junior attorneys to participate in oral arguments before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), granting them additional argument time and assistance from senior attorneys. Finnegan is one of the leading firms participating in the program.

Finnegan partner Erika Arner told Bloomberg Law that the LEAP program is the “best way to try to grow the pipeline, particularly for women and diverse attorneys.” She also noted that the LEAP practitioners are often the attorneys who wrote the briefs, so they tend to be more knowledgeable about the case and can answer the technical questions from the PTAB judges. She said, “They’re knocking it out of the park.”

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