Message from EPLAW Advisory Board Member and Former President of EPLAW Penny Gilbert:
“EPLAW recognises the importance of increasing the diversity within the IP profession and also within our own organisation of the most experienced European patent litigators.
“We are pleased to report that we currently have an almost even number of men and women EPLAW board members and our current President Elect is, of course, Cordula Schumacher with our current treasurer and secretary being Julia Ericsson and Eszter Szakacs, respectively. However a recent count revealed that only approximately 21% of EPLAW members are women. It has also been observed that the number of women patent litigators varies quite widely across different European countries.
“Whilst we believe that greater numbers of women are entering the profession, we would like to see more of them advancing to become experienced European patent litigators. With that in mind, we propose to launch a “Women in EPLAW” group amongst our members. The aim being to share experiences /advice and find ways to support and mentor other women patent litigators. The forthcoming EPLAW Annual Congress in Brussels is an ideal opportunity to launch this initiative.
“We invite women members who are attending the Congress to meet before the start of the programme, to discuss how we might take this project forward. We will meet outside the Grand Ballroom (to the side of the usual coffee break area) from 7.45am – 8.15am, before the start of the Congress programme. Coffee and pastries will be available.
“Male supporters are, of course, welcome too!
“I look forward to seeing you there.”
Penny Gilbert
