Maya Angelou famously said, “When you learn, teach — when you get, give.” Paying it forward is the heart of ChIPs and there has never been a better time for women in our business to stand together.
We know women now outnumber men in law school; 56.2% of law school students are women, according to the American Bar Association. But, while men and women enter associate positions at near parity, “at the upper echelons of the legal profession, white women are outnumbered by men by a factor of almost 2 to 1, and there are nearly no women of color and LBTQ+ women.”
Feeding this disparity are a lack of supportive networks for women and stalled career growth, which are two of the most common reasons women leave tech and IP law and policy.
We are here to change that.
Tomorrow, more than 50 NextGen advocates will participate in ChIPs Mock Pitch, which was developed in 2014 to help associates and junior partners gain real-life experience pitching to clients. Since then, it has helped prepare hundreds of attorneys to deliver successful pitches and powerful oral arguments and is now one of ChIPs’ signature events.
On May 1, more than 150 ChIPsters will come together at the Oracle Conference Center in Redwood City, California, for the ChIPs NextGen Summit, our in-person event designed exclusively for future tech and IP leaders.
And through April 14, rising 3Ls can apply for the ChIPs Scholarship, which awards two young women $10,000 and the opportunity to attend the ChIPs Global Summit this October.
Together, these resources tackle head-on some of the most formidable forces behind the gender equity gap in tech, IP law and policy.
Our work is not simply reacting to the dire retention and career-growth statistics for women in this profession. Our work is forward-thinking and preventative. It is designed specifically to support women during every stage of their career so that the future generation of practitioners, regardless of gender or race, will never question whether they’ll have a seat at the table.
For 20 years, ChIPs has honored the spirit of paying it forward. Right now is the right time to join our mission, stand in community and advance all women.
Best regards,
