ChIPs Mock Program is our signature annual series of mock events developing skills and building confidence for your team.
ChIPs 2026 Mock Pitch will feature a wearable tech case with topics relevant to all IP lawyers. The case will explore how law firms may use artificial intelligence and what issues organizations should consider in selecting a law firm that uses AI.
Teams will be composed of four junior partners or associates, plus one mentor. ChIPs developed its signature Mock Pitch program to help associates and junior partners gain real-life experience pitching to clients. The fee is $6,000 per team.
To enroll your team, contact Bridget Johnson.
In-house counsel who wish to volunteer to hear pitches or anyone who’d like more information about Mock Pitch may contact Monica Phillips.
In 2014, 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. Mock Pitch is now one of the signature events led by the ChIPs community.
Designed to improve participants’ skills and receive feedback from leading experts in IP and law, the program featured 14 law firm teams and 60 client volunteers, including leading in-house counsel who played the role of mock clients in the scenario.
Senior-level in-house counsel with experience evaluating business pitches from outside counsel, including leaders from Sony Interactive Entertainment, Novartis, Apple, Medtronic, NetApp, VMWare, Microsoft, NetApp, Oracle, Salesforce, Dolby, T-Mobile, IBM, Meta and MasterClass, have helped elevate the next generation of women leaders and cultivate an ecosystem that advances women in tech, law and policy.
ChIPs is always seeking volunteer judges for the program. If you are leading in-house counsel experienced with the pitch process and selecting outside counsel and are interested in volunteering, please register using the link below.
Julie Akhter
Senior Director of Programs, National Academy of Inventors
Rachel Fertig
Partner, DLA Piper
Heather Heeden
Patent Counsel, Microsoft
Karen Keller
IP Litigator and Co-Founder, Shaw Keller LLP
Sarah MacDonald
Director, IP Litigation, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Anna Mayergoyz Weinberg
Senior Counsel, Apple
Mindy Morton
Partner and Chair of Trade Secrets Group and DE&I Committee, Procopio