Diversity in Patent Law: A Data Analysis of Diversity in the Patent Practice by Technology Background and Region

• Author: Elaine Spector, LaTia Brand
• Pages: 32-37

Published in Landslide® magazine, Volume 13, Number 1, a publication of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law (ABA-IPL), ©2020 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.

This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.

The practice of law remains one of the least diverse professions in America. Not only are men overrepre-

sented in the practice of law, but they outnumber women in equity partner positions nearly ve to one

(see g. 1).1 In addition, around 90 percent of equity partners are white, while approximately 9 percent

of equity partners are racially diverse minorities.2 Worse yet, of the approximately 9 percent of racially

diverse minorities holding equity partner positions, only one-third are racially diverse women.3

Diversity in Patent Law

By Elaine Spector and LaTia Brand

A Data Analysis of Diversity in the Patent Practice

by Technology Background and Region

Figure 1. 2019 Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Survey overall law rm demographics.

Demographic

2L Summer

Associates

Associates

Of

Counsel

Nonequity

Partners

Equity

Partners

All

Partners

All

Lawyers

White/Caucasian 66.39% 73.38% 85.93% 89.77% 89.87% 89.30% 81.69%

Asian American 13.13% 11.99% 5.25% 4.21% 3.73% 3.86% 7.70%

Hispanic/Latinx 7.55% 5.46% 3.41% 3.33% 2.62% 2.81% 4.08%

African American/Black 7.76% 4.83% 3.06% 2.45% 1.94% 2.08% 3.45%

Multiracial 3.81% 3.24% 1.44% 1.23% 0.76% 0.89% 2.02%

Alaska Native/American Indian 0.25% 0.18% 0.20% 0.21% 0.14% 0.16% 0.17%

Native Hawaiian/Pacic Islander 0.14% 0.08% 0.05% 0.06% 0.03% 0.04% 0.06%

Openly LGBTQ 5.61% 4.01% 2.16% 2.02% 1.90% 1.93% 2.90%

Individuals with Disabilities 0.35% 0.55% 0.64% 0.57% 0.44% 0.48% 0.53%

All Racial Minorities 32.63% 25.78% 13.41% 11.49% 9.21% 9.83% 17.48%

All Women 51.37% 46.47% 39.96% 30.11% 21.64% 23.93% 36.16%

Women of Color 19.27% 14.58% 7.05% 5.06% 3.08% 3.61% 9.00%