Womble Bond Dickinson attorney Yi Wilkinson took part in a recent ADAPT effort to develop a new student outreach program. The first event in the new student outreach program focused on “Demystifying IP and the IP Profession” and took place at Santa Clara University. The goal of the first event is to provide engineering students with an introduction about patents/IP and how being an inventor can assist them in furthering their careers. Information on alternative careers that they can have as an engineer, such as becoming a lawyer or other legal professional, is also provided. Future events are planned for Atlanta, Chicago, DC, New York, and Texas.

The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), and the PTAB Bar Association are working with ADAPT on the student outreach program. 

ADAPT is an industry-wide effort to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within the intellectual property profession. WBD officially joined ADAPT in March 2023