Blog

Topics

Diversity/Elimination of Bias - Your Bias is Showing; Diversity in AI;
Lack of Diversity a Bigger Problem for IP In-House Practitioners;
How to Recruit, Retain, and Win with a Diverse Legal Team

 

Moderator:

Speakers:

Excuse Me But Your Bias Is Showing: A thought-provoking look at how implicit bias impacts how we see others, and strategies for identifying and interrupting it. -- Mercedes Meyer, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, Washington, DC

Diversity in AI: Navigating your client through the implicit biases that may impact AI.  -- Yeen C. Tham, IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY

Is Lack of Diversity a Bigger Problem for IP In-House Practitioners? A discussion about the challenges in-house legal departments face.  --  Robert Deberardine, Johnson & Johnson, Bridgewater Township, NJ. 

How to Recruit and Retain and Win with a Diverse Legal Team: Practical tips for law firms on how to build and mentor your team -- Tara D. Elliott, Latham & Watkins, LLP, Washington, DC

Speakers

• Elliott, Tara D.

  Latham & Watkins | Partner

  Tara Elliott is a first-chair trial lawyer whose practice focuses on high-profile intellectual property proceedings and commercial litigation. Ms. Elliott has a unique combination of private practice and government experience that enables her to navigate clients' most complex legal issues.
• DeBerardine, Robert

  Johnson & Johnson | Chief Intellectual Property Counsel

  Robert DeBerardine is Worldwide Vice President, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel of Johnson & Johnson where he manages a group of about 270 IP professionals, of whom about 110 are patent and trademark attorneys. Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Robert was Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for Sanofi. Prior to Sanofi, Robert served as Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for Abbott Laboratories.
• Tham, Yeen

  IBM

  Yeen Tham is an intellectual property and patent attorney at IBM, based in New York. As the Watson Research Site Counsel for IBM, she facilitates IBM’s legal strategy for artificial intelligence, supporting IBM’s accomplishment as a cutting-edge industry innovator with sixteen hundred IBM AI patents granted in 2018. Her career at IBM has included legal support of IBM’s Watson Research Lab as Site Counsel and Manager as well as analytics software and solutions as Senior Attorney under the Cross Brand team. Yeen has handled joint development and research collaboration transactions, source code licensing, acquisitions and divestitures, procurement of high-value patents, and patent docket management.
• Meyer, Mercedes K.

  Banner Witcoff | Attorney

  Mercedes Meyer, Ph.D., represents leading life science and technology companies maintaining an extensive biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent management, prosecution, opinion and due diligence practice. With a doctorate in virology and degree in chemistry, Mercedes has a deep understanding of complex biotechnology and scientific research, which is key for advising life science clients on commercializing and protecting product innovations as well as performing diligence for investing in new technologies, particularly in corporate joint development projects. Mercedes advises on developing patent strategies, managing the intellectual property rights, and making associated investments and acquisitions. Mercedes also handles patent reexaminations and inter partes matters.
• Kendall, Dara

  Proctor & Gamble Company | Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Global Fabric & Home Care

  Dara Kendall leads the legal team supporting P&G’s global Fabric & Home Care businesses. Her work spans advertising, safety, trademarks, and patents. She spent six years in Asia, where she led the patent teams in China, Japan, and Singapore that handled P&G’s businesses in Greater China and APAC. Over the span of her P&G career, Dara has worked in the majority of P&G’s businesses.