ChIPs is turning 20 this year!
To celebrate, ChIPs will be hosting events, sharing resources and creating opportunities to connect all year long.
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Impact Profiles
In honor of our 20th Anniversary, ChIPs is sitting down with leaders across the globe to discuss their work with and outside ChIPs, how they lean on their network and how they make an impact in their communities.
“I became involved in ChIPs because someone invited me to the Global Summit. I didn’t realize then what a gift that would be. When I arrived, I saw a room full of amazing women and knew I was in the right place with the right people. I absorbed as much of the positive energy as possible and ran on that until the next Global Summit. I’ve seen the power of inviting women to take part, whether it’s in ChIPs or in a work initiative, on someone’s career trajectory.
Participating in ChIPs, I learned to think bigger and be much more comfortable being a bigger thinker. I learned if you are enthusiastic about an idea and confident enough to share it, you can move that idea forward.
Being an active member of ChIPs, I’ve learned to be a better leader. I am aware of the importance of making sure everyone on your team understands their value—to pay attention and remind people why they’re great.
This accomplished group of women has taught me I will never know everything and that’s okay because there are so many smart people out there who have the knowledge and are willing to share. There is a societal expectation for women to do it all. That’s dumb. Sure, I can do it all, but I’d kill myself doing it. If I don’t have a skill or time to become an expert at something, it’s not just okay to ask for help to get information or tap into others’ talents, I get a better result for the team.”
Real Mentors, Real Stories
ChIPs is speaking with mentors and mentees about what makes a mentorship work, how you become a mentor and where all the mentors are.
My mentors didn’t tell me what to do. I pushed the agenda.”
How do you approach mentoring?
At Winston & Strawn, we have a formal mentorship program I’m proud of and is an essential component of the firm’s professional development strategy. The firm’s partners are supported through Winston’s Leadership Lab Apprenticeship Master Class, a unique course that covers the latest research and best practices for motivating, mentoring and teaching junior associates. All first- through third-year associates receive a mentor and mid-level and senior associates can choose to participate in the program as mentors or mentees. The program helps associates establish valuable connections with more-senior attorneys and gain knowledge, skills and experiences that advance their careers.
Also, our Diversity and Inclusion Associate Sponsorship Program pairs high-performing associates in their fifth or sixth year of practice with a sponsor for one year. Associates who belong to one of our affinity groups, including our Women’s Leadership Initiative, are eligible to apply. Twenty protégés from this program have been elevated to partner and four have been promoted to counsel.
Less formally, anyone in the ChIPs Carolinas Chapter knows I’m a phone call away. I also encourage law students, women and men, who are interested in IP to email me to set up a phone call, answer their questions and point them in the direction of ChIPs. On my teams, I hope everyone knows that when I’m at any office across the country, we can grab a coffee or have lunch or dinner and connect to see what is happening in their lives and careers.
What excites you about being a mentor?
I love mentees’ enthusiasm for the practice of law. I enjoy their excitement; it helps me to be mindful of what’s shiny and sparkly about what I do. Let’s be honest, some days are prettier than others and their enthusiasm gives me a boost. I value their new ideas and how they use technology to do things better, faster and easier.
What lessons did you learn from your own mentors that you carry with you?
I’ve had several mentors, men and women. Some of them didn’t realize they were mentoring me, but I absorbed all they said. One lesson that has stuck with me is to never underestimate the power of an invitation or a suggestion on someone’s decisions about their career. Another is to share how wonderful you view someone and what a great job someone is doing. When someone feels special, they feel they belong and want to participate and contribute.
What should mentees seek in a mentor?
I sought out big thinkers and high-energy people. Big thinkers can see beyond immediate tasks and help mentees understand the bigger picture, so they demonstrate how to set bold goals, think long-term and offer creative approaches to problems. High-energy mentors are passionate and driven, so they’re examples of how to stay focused, push through challenges and maintain a positive attitude even when faced with obstacles. My mentors didn’t tell me what to do. I pushed the agenda. They would help me brainstorm opportunities, but I would create those opportunities for myself.
When looking for a mentor, you may think, “Everyone’s busy. No one has time to mentor me.” But people will make time. The more excited you are to learn and grow, the more excited they will be to mentor you.
What is one piece of advice you’d share with rising associates?
The practice of law is a marathon, not a sprint. There is time to try new things, be part of something bigger, and otherwise maximize all available opportunities Winston has to offer. For me, it’s important to keep innovating.
ChIPs History
Learn more about the past 20 years of ChIPs.
ChIPs Founded
Julie Mar-Spinola, Mallun Yen, Michelle Lee, Noreen Krall, Emily Ward, Mona Sabet and Anirma Gupta launched ChIPs as a space for women in leadership positions in IP to support and advance one another.
ChIPs Hosted First Global Summit
Our founders created the ChIPs Global Summit as a conference for women in IP to connect, network and learn. Two hundred women joined us in 2011. Today, more than 800 leaders participate in the ChIPs Global Summit.
Hall of Fame Established
ChIPs established the Hall of Fame to honor leaders and inspire the next generation. Our first award was given to trailblazer Pauline Newman.
Mock Program Launched
ChIPs developed the Mock Pitch program to create an opportunity for associates and junior partners to gain real-life experience pitching to clients, a necessary skill to elevate their careers and increase pay equity.
Michelle Lee Confirmed as Undersecretary of Commerce
ChIPs founder Michelle Lee was the first woman to serve as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. She also served as the Director of the USPTO in conjunction with her undersecretary work.
Ginsburgs Inducted to ChIPs Hall of Fame
Supreme Court Justice and trailblazer Ruth Bader Ginsburg was inducted into the ChIPs Hall of Fame along with her daughter Jane C. Ginsburg.
First Firms Named to Honor Roll Celebrated
ChIPs established its Honor Roll as a joint initiative with Diversity Lab. Honorees are based on findings from Diversity Lab’s Inclusion Blueprint, which provides diversity benchmarks of historically underrepresented groups (female lawyers, underrepresented racial/ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities) in law firm leadership and across practice groups, including IP.
ChIPs Hosted First NextGen Summit
ChIPs created the NextGen Summit to prepare women lawyers for careers in intellectual property.
Inaugural ChIPs Scholarship Awarded
The ChIPs Scholarship was created with a generous contribution from Morrison & Foerster to honor Rachel Krevans, a renowned intellectual property litigator from the firm. Our first awardee, Laura Ashley Harris of Georgetown University Law, went on to work for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
General Counsel Boot Camp Launched
ChIPs developed a transformative 12-month program for women in-house attorneys aspiring to a general counsel role.
Kathi Vidal Confirmed as USPTO Director
Founding member of ChIPs Kathi Vidal became the second woman to lead the USPTO and serve as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property.
ChIPs and USPTO Signed MOU
ChIPs and the USPTO signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to work together to advance women inventors and innovators. ChIPs and USPTO are providing Innovation Resources as we continue to aggregate research and reports on innovation and inclusion, including guidebooks to best practices and mentoring.
Ketanji Brown Jackson Shared Her Life Story
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson shared the story of her trailblazing journey with 2024 ChIPs Global Summit attendees.
Dual Hall of Fame Awarded
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Kathi Vidal were honored with induction into the ChIPs Hall of Fame. Their efforts to expand patent access and education to women and people of color helped thousands of U.S. inventors.
Test Your Knowledge
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Women, Inventors of Color & Patents
Patent History in the U.S.
Congress passed the first patent statute in U.S. history on April 10. After the passage of the act, the first Patent Board, made up of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of War Henry Knox and Attorney General Edmund Randolph, began examining patents.
The first U.S. patent was granted to Samuel Hopkins for a process of making potash, an ingredient used in fertilizer, on July 31. President George Washington signed the first patent.
Mary Dixon Kies was the first woman to apply and receive a U.S. Patent in her own name. She created a process for weaving straw with silk that was adopted by the New England hat-making industry.
U.S. patent no. 1 was granted to Senator John Ruggles for a traction wheel for steam locomotives on July 13. The 9,957 patents granted before the numbering system are now known as the X-patents.
Clara Barton began work as a clerk at the Patent Office. She was paid equal wages, but faced discrimination from her male coworkers and eventually lost her job. She was later rehired during the Lincoln administration and went on to blaze trails as a relief worker during and after the Civil War.
After the 14th Amendment was passed in 1868, African Americans were able to gain citizenship and patenting activity increased significantly.
The first female patent examiner, Anne Freeman, was hired by the Patent Office.
Charlotte Smith published "Women Inventors to Whom Patents Have Been Granted," outlining the comparatively small number of patents obtained by women. Smith was an economic feminist concerned with women's ability to earn income for themselves.
Harriet R. Tracy was awarded 16 patents and sold her inventions at the Chicago World's Fair.
From 1882 to 1940, extrajudicial killings and loss of personal security depressed patent activity among Black people by more than 15% annually.
Sara E. Goode, a Chicago furniture store owner, created a "folding cabinet bed" similar to today's sofa bed. Goode was one of the small number of African American women to patent their inventions.
Josephine Cochrane invented the dishwasher.
The brassiere was invented by Mary Phelps Jacob.
Disposable diapers were invented, highlighting women's need for inventions serving home labor and the exclusion of women from public labor fields.
Women made up 22% of names on patent applications.
More registered U.S. patent attorneys and agents were named "Michael" than were women of color.