ChIPs Network, the global organization advancing and connecting women in intellectual property and tech law and policy, emerged from the pandemic “bigger and stronger than ever,” said Joan Toth, ChIPs Executive Director. Toth noted that ChIPs membership increased 40% and in-person events set new records for attendance.
ChIPs global membership grew from 3,700 to nearly 5,200 in 2022. Growth was driven by chapter events and brand-new chapters in North America and overseas, including Australia and New Zealand, the Netherlands, Eastern Canada, and San Diego.
ChIPs global events returned in person, attracting more than 900 professionals October 26-28. ChIPs Week in San Francisco included ChIPs NextGen 2022, ChIPs Hall of Fame Dinner, ChIPs Global Summit 2022 and the launch of ChIPs General Counsel Boot Camp.
Spotlight on excellence
Industry legend Mary Cranston, chair emeritus of Pillsbury, received ChIPs Hall of Fame at a dinner and reception at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco October 26.
ChIPs advanced its DEIB mission by recognizing five law firms for excellence in inclusion at its Global Summit. The firms’ best practices were outlined in a special Honor Roll Report and will be the featured in a series of live and on demand virtual events. The first one-hour event featuring Nixon Peabody on November 16 and was presented by Chief DEI Officer Rekha Chiruvolu and Chief Talent Officer Stacie Collier. ChIPs second Honor Roll with Morgan Lewis event will be held online with Morgan Lewis
January 18, 2023 from 11 am to 12 pm PST.
Brilliant women from the bench and bar headlined ChIPs events in 2022, including Kathi Vidal, director of the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, Columbia Law Dean Gillian Lester, U.S. district judges Katherine Polk Failla and Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Wei Chen of Infoblox and others.
Content and community
“We have had a good year, but we cannot rest on our laurels,” Toth said. “Reinvention is the key to the future. In the coming months we are launching an all-new virtual community with features and functions designed to help you connect with fellow ChIPsters, and we are taking our ChIPs NextGen conference and transforming it into a new NextGen Initiative, with an online community, exclusive content, an expanded mock program and more.”
In August ChiPs launched “To the Point,” a LinkedIn Live series featuring members who are advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. Visit our YouTube channel to view past episodes. Another content series, ChIPs Accelerators, will present solutions from top law firms. The first Accelerators event with Morrison Foerster is January 26.
ChIPs Innovation Awards launching next year will celebrate women who have demonstrated excellence in creating products, services and branding.