WELCOME TO

The Diversity Channel

Elaine has over 20 years of experience in intellectual property law and is Harrity’s first female Partner. In addition to her outstanding background in patent litigation and prosecution, Elaine is an avid believer in giving back and passionate about fostering diversity and inclusion in the legal field. She serves as Co-Chair of the Harrity Diversity Committee, Vice Chair of the IPO Diversity Committee, and Chair of the IPO D&I Committee Outreach Subcommittee. She is Chair of the Employment & Inclusion Committee for the nonprofit Patent Pathways™, a devoted wife, and a proud mother of three. 

Harrity Partner and Diversity Co-Chair Elaine Spector shares tips and sparks conversations to drive diversity in the legal field in this weekly short-video series.

WATCH THE LATEST EPISODES OF DRIVING DIVERSITY:

Harrity Diversity Co-Chair Elaine Spector meets with diversity thought-leaders to discuss the benefits, challenges, and processes associated with increasing diversity in the field in this quarterly webinar series.

WATCH OUR LATEST DIVERSITY DIALOGUE WEBINAR
“ADVANCING DIVERSITY ACROSS PATENT TEAMS (ADAPT)

Please join Elaine Spector (Harrity & Harrity), Gail Su (Google), Mike Binns (Meta) and Judy Yee (Microsoft) as they discuss the story behind ADAPT, the purpose of the DEI collective, where it stands today, and the vision for the future as we work together to improve diversity in patent law.

WATCH PREVIOUS EPISODES OF DIVERSITY DIALOGUE HERE:

The purpose of the ThinkTank is to brainstorm and ultimately launch several new programs to help underrepresented groups register for the patent bar and provide resources for these minorities to succeed in a patent career, with the goal of increasing diversity in IP.

Our first ThinkTank took place from February to May of 2022, with three law firms – Casimir Jones, Osha Bergman Watanabe Burton, and Meunier Carlin & Curfman – implementing impactful programs focused on increasing the number of women patent practitioners. Our next ThinkTank will focus on a different minority demographic.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION COMMITMENT

The legal community needs to recognize the importance of creating an unbiased, equal, and harmonious working environment for all legal professionals.  Unfortunately, the lack of diversity is widespread in the legal field, and the numbers show the industry is moving at a slow pace to address the issue.

In 2018, 85% of lawyers in the U.S. were Caucasian, according to the American Bar Association. Another report on diversity in U.S. law firms found that racially diverse women are the most underrepresented group in the legal profession.  Other underrepresented groups include the LGBTQ2+ community, lawyers with disabilities, veterans, Hispanic/Latinx, Alaskan Native/American Indian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Asian, and Multiracial lawyers. Harrity is committed to addressing this issue through our Diversity Mission and numerous diversity-focused initiatives.

Our Diversity Mission is to promote and nurture a respectful, highly engaged, family friendly, and inclusive culture that values the diversity of our talented team with diverse backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, skills/talents, and capabilities. Our Diversity Programs are focused on serving our communities by helping to increase the number of diverse legal practitioners and enhancing their quality of practice in patent law.