Upcoming round table looks at careers of women in intellectual property

The second annual Women & IP Roundtable: Finding the Elusive Balance in Intellectual Property will delve into the careers of women in intellectual property.

The round table, an informal presentation and discussion, will take place on Friday, Nov. 6, from 10am to 3pm, at the Toronto offices of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, Suite 1600, 1 First Canadian Place, 100 King St. W. (at Bay Street).

A panel of women with experience in a variety of roles within the intellectual property field will reflect on the opportunities and challenges they have faced.

Professor Giuseppina D’Agostino (left), director of York’s IP Osgoode, will give the opening remarks and introduction along with Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Mary Jane Mossman (right), director of the Institute for Feminist Legal Studies.

This round table will also feature presentations from scholars researching gender issues in intellectual property and technology, including law Professor Bita Amani and English Professor Laura Murray, both of Queen’s University, with Osgoode Professor Carys Craig moderating.

Sociology Professor Fiona Kay (left) of Queen’s University will deliver the keynote address. Kay’s areas of research interest include stratification and mobility in the legal profession; social capital, trust and economic and social well-being; access to justice, pro bono service and paralegals; and professional misconduct and discipline proceedings.

She has initiated three new projects. The first is a longitudinal study of lawyers examining gender and career pathways. The second study focuses on retention of women in the legal profession, while the third explores issues of access to justice, with a focus on pro bono legal service among lawyers, and the system of Legal Aid.

Following the keynote, a panel with Ariadni Athanassiadis, a partner with MBM Intellectual Property Law LLP in Ottawa; Heather Lawrence, a barrister-at-law and member of chambers of Michael Silverleaf QC in London, England; and Nancy Pei, a partner with Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh in Toronto, will discuss intellectual property and private practice.

A second panel will look at industry and government and will feature Virginia Jones, director of policy and legal affairs for the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association, and Barbara Motzney, director general of the Copyright Policy Branch in the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Professor David Vaver (right) of Osgoode will provide the closing commentary.

Women and IP Roundtable: Finding the Elusive Balance in Intellectual Property is being presented by IP Osgoode’s Intellectual Property Law & Technology Program, the Institute for Feminist Legal Studies and Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP.

This event is open to the public and anyone may attend. Lunch will be served. RSVP by Nov. 4 to iposgoode@osgoode.yorku.ca as space is limited.

For more  information, visit the Women and IP Roundtable: Finding the Elusive Balance in Intellectual Property Web site.

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