Alt Legal Webinar IP Matters: Practical ways that IP lawyers can advance social justice
Alt Legal Team | January 31, 2022
This webinar was recorded on February 24, 2022.
As social justice has come to the forefront with the public murder of George Floyd, many have been asking themselves: “What can I do?” The answer to this question can seem especially elusive for intellectual property attorneys. Sometimes it seems that civil rights work is best left to the impact litigators and large civil rights firms. However, this could not be further from the truth. In this live rebroadcast of an Alt Legal Connect 2021 session where Kimra Major-Morris, Tyra Hughley Smith, and Christian Williams provide a practical perspective on how IP lawyers can contribute to social justice in their everyday lives. Topics include:
- Why social justice is not just for civil rights lawyers
- How the IP field contributes to systemic injustice
- Practical ways for small firm/solo IP lawyers to contribute to social justice
After the video rebroadcast, the panelists answer attendee questions live.
You can download all of the webinar materials here.
View webinar recording here (free registration required).
Resources:
- Sometimes office actions require educating examiners about the cultural relevance of an applied-for mark. For more about this strategy, check out this session from Alt Legal Connect 2020 where Ticora Davis spoke about culturally relevant representation.
- David Lat, Managing Director at Lateral Link and founder of Above the Law, presented the session, “Defining Diversity” at Alt Legal Connect 2020, discussing how to expand our definition and understanding of diversity in order to create truly diverse and inclusive workplaces.
- Check out ways in which Alt Legal is contributing to social justice, and how you can participate.
- Check out Alt Legal’s Black Lives Matter Lawyer Resources Page.
- Apply for an Alt Legal Docketing Grant. Alt Legal has committed $10,000 to help attorneys who are transforming their communities and showing that Black lives matter there and everywhere. As part of this, we are offering trademark docketing and our §2(d) Trademark Watch to organizations that stand against violence, racism, and excessive punishment.
Speaker Bios
Christian Williams, Founder, Bevel Law
Christian Williams is the founder and managing attorney of Bevel Law. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a juris doctor from Harvard Law School. Prior to Bevel, Christian began her legal career at Covington & Burling LLP, where she practiced civil litigation and Food & Drug Law. Following her budding passion for creativity and entrepreneurship, she launched her own boutique practice where she advises small businesses on contract negotiation, intellectual property, and compliance. Christian is based in her home city of Washington, D.C.
Kimra Major-Morris, Founder, Major-Morris Law
Kimra Major-Morris is a top-rated intellectual property attorney licensed to practice in Florida and is a nationally published author on the subject of trademarks and copyrights. In addition to advocating for the IP interests of brands, talent, and athletes, Kimra represents the families of Trayvon Martin and George Floyd in monetizing intellectual property rights to seal the legacies of their loved ones. Kimra is a sought-after speaker recently appearing before audiences at Microsoft Corporation, Facebook Gaming, and Full Sail University. Her firm, Major-Morris Law, is a Beyoncé/NAACP grant winner recognized for educating and advocating for intellectual property rights in underserved communities. This year, Microsoft highlighted and honored Kimra’s accomplishments in The Legacy Project Women’s History Edition: Celebrating Women Who Empower Change. Kimra’s published articles and features appear in the American Bar Association’s Landslide Magazine, Urban Magazine, Essence Magazine, The Huffington Post, Small Biz Trends, The Florida Bar and Orange County Bar publications. Kimra is AV-Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell® and has been rated by SuperLawyers® since 2015.
Tyra Hughley Smith, Founder, Hughley Smith Law
Tyra Hughley Smith is the founder and principal attorney of Hughley Smith Law, a boutique firm focusing on intellectual property (specifically copyrights and trademarks) and business strategy and protection for business owners and creatives. Tyra holds a dual degree from the University of Southern California, where she obtained her Juris Doctorate from the Gould School of Law simultaneously with a Masters of Communication Management (M.C.M.) from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Prior to her legal career, Tyra was a traditional newspaper and magazine journalist and obtained a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia (hailed the top journalism school in the country) and a Bachelor of Arts in Black Studies. Tyra is licensed in both California and Illinois and is based in Los Angeles. In addition to her law practice, Tyra is a former Adjunct Professor at USC and currently offers courses for both attorneys and entrepreneurs, while running her other creative businesses.