Dear NCBA Intellectual Property Law Section Member:
I am writing to you as chair of the Membership Committee of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. Over five hundred attorneys are members of the Section. One of the Section’s goals each year is to provide opportunities for members to become more active through participation in one or more of the Section’s standing committees. The committees represent substantive legal specializations, such as biotech and chemical patent law and trademark, copyright and trade secret law, as well as program and professional interests, such as the publication of our IP Links newsletter and the planning of our annual CLE. This year we have added a committee devoted to licensing issues.
Membership in the Section is a wise investment. The more you put in, the more you receive. The greater your investment of time—even a modest investment of a few hours per calendar quarter—the greater the rewards in terms of personal and professional contacts, up-to-date knowledge and sense of accomplishment, not to mention the high value that many firms and other employers place on such service to the Bar Association.
Thirteen committees offer opportunities for participation (at no extra charge beyond your Section membership fee):
By clicking on the names of committees that interest you, you will be linked to a brief statement describing the committee’s activities and providing the e-mail address of the chair or co-chair who can answer your questions or enroll you for membership. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me at the address provided by linking to the Membership Committee. I look forward to assisting you in enhancing your Intellectual Property Law Section experience.
Sincerely yours,
Marjorie Benbow
Intellectual Property Law Section, Membership Chair
North Carolina Bar Association
Biotech/Chemical Patent Committee
While the Biotech/Chemical Patent Committee is composed predominantly of patent attorneys, it is open to attorneys in other fields looking to gain knowledge of the field. The committee meets at the North Carolina Bar Center in Cary on the third Wednesday of each month. This year the committee is organizing a seminar on the laws of science scheduled for March 2005. Committee members join in planning, organizing and presenting such activities.
For additional information or to join the Biotech/Chemical Patent Committee, please contact its chair, David Bradin, at dbradin@iptl.com.
CLE Committee
For additional information or to join the CLE Committee, please contact one of its co-chairs, Myra Askins-Sullivan, at at maskins@kennedycovington.com or Susan Olive, at solive@oliveandolive.com.
EE/Computer Software Committee
The EE/Computer Software Committee identifies issues of interest to the IP community in the areas of electrical engineering (such as patent prosecution) and computer software and provides this information to the community via meetings, mailings, and opportunities to meet others. Members typically assist in identifying topical issues and preparing and presenting materials to the community.
For additional information or to join the EE/Computer Software Committee, please contact its chair, John Alemanni, at jalemanni@kilpatrickstockton.com.
Ethics Committee
The Ethics Committee serves as a liaison between the IP Law Section, the Section Council, and ethics regulatory agencies. At the direction of the Section Chair and Council, members of the committee participate in the preparation of responses to requests for comment and other inquiries from such agencies.
For additional information or to join the Ethics Committee, please contact Kim Gatling, IP Section chair at, kim.gatling@smithmoorelaw.com.
Home Page Committee
The Home Page Committee reviews and monitors the IP Law Section’s Web site. Committee members collect, evaluate, recommend, and implement best practices for maximizing the value and usefulness of the site to Section members, North Carolina attorneys, and the public at large. We need Section members who are interested in online resources and in obtaining satisfaction in implementing tools to help IP attorneys carry on and enhance their practices.
For additional information or to join the Home Page Committee, please contact its chair, Neal Wolgin, at neal@ti-law.com.
Legal Assistants Division (LAD) Committee
For additional information or to join the LAD Committee, please contact its chair, Lorna Selvaggio, at lorna.selvaggio@smithmoorelaw.com.
Licensing Committee
The Licensing Committee focuses on one of the fundamental types of transactions through which our clients exploit intellectual property assets. The committee seeks to further its members’ and the broader Section membership’s professional development with respect to licensing and related issues across all intellectual property disciplines: patent, trademark, and copyright. As directed by its membership, the committee plans to engage in and/or sponsor periodic activities directed toward such ends.
For additional information or to join the Licensing Committee, please contact its chair, Kate Hatcher, at kate.hatcher@hmw.com.
Membership Committee
Members of the IP Law Section receive the Section’s electronic newsletter, IP Links, attend the Section’s annual CLE at a discounted price, and participate in committees that foster the interests of specialists in the North Carolina IP legal community. The committee serves as a conduit between the Section’s 500-plus members and the Section’s ten committees, reaches out to lapsed members, encouraging them to rejoin, and provides membership initiates in consultation with the Section chair.
For additional information or to join the Membership Committee, please contact its chair, Marjorie Benbow, at marjorie_benbow@ncbiotech.org.
NC LEAP Committee
For additional information, see the website http://www.ncbar.org/featuredItems/1/1893/index.aspx or to join the NC LEAP Committee, please contact its chair, Deborah Gerhardt, at dgerhard@email.unc.edu.
Newsletter Committee
The Newsletter Committee publishes the Section’s quarterly IP Links newsletter. Committee members assist in soliciting articles for each issue, review and edit manuscripts, correspond with authors and work with N.C.B.A. staff members to format and finalize each issue.
For additional information or to join the Newsletter Committee, please contact of one of its co-chairs, Angela Doughty, at apd@wardandsmith.com, or Eric Mills, at eem@wardandsmith.com.
Patent Law Committee
The Patent Law Committee focuses on patent law developments that are not specific to any particular technology. The committee provides e-mail updates on changes in patent law of special interest to members of the IP Law Section and works with the IP Section Council on procedures for allowing the North Carolina Bar Association to take positions on proposed changes in patent law.
For additional information or to join the Patent Law Committee, please contact Kim Gatling, IP Section chair at, kim.gatling@smithmoorelaw.com.
Public Information/Pro Bono Committee
The Public Information/Pro Bono Committee coordinates the selection and recognition of candidates for the Section’s annual Outstanding Achievement Pro Bono Award. The committee also coordinates the dissemination of announcements on topics relating to public service by Section members, and sponsors periodic pro bono projects. Committee members are called upon to identify nominees for the annual award and to take leadership roles in committee-sponsored pro bono projects.
For additional information or to join the Public Information/Pro Bono Committee, please contact its chair, David Sar, at dsar@brookspierce.com.
Trademark/Copyright/Trade Secrets Committee
The Trademark/Copyright/Trade Secrets Committee keeps member of the IP Law Section apprised of recent developments in the law. The committee organizes meetings and encourages the publication of articles in IP Links, the IP Law Section newsletter.
For additional information or to join the Trademark/Copyright/Trade Secrets Committee, please contact one of its chair, Eileen Gillis, at egillis@kilpatrickstockton.com.
