Christian Williams Hammond 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 launching Bevel, Christian was an associate at Covington & Burling, a global law firm where she represented top pharmaceutical companies and trade associations. Today, Christian combines her passion for creativity with her professional expertise to advise businesses and VC-backed startups on trademark and copyright law. She is the creator of The Legal UpgradeTM , a holistic program that helps businesses take their legal foundation from rocky to rockstar. When not running Bevel Law, she serves as Of Counsel to Ashbury Legal, a boutique law firm serving emerging technology clients. Christian is based in her home city of Washington, D.C. and is a member of the DC Bar Association.
Christian Hammond
Founder | Bevel Law
Alt Legal has been incredibly fortunate to welcome IP lawyer Christian Williams Hammond of Bevel Law to deliver two incredibly important presentations. Christian first spoke at Alt Legal Connect 2021 for the session, “IP Matters: Practical ways that IP lawyers can advance social justice,” where she moderated a panel discussion about the historical context of race and IP law, diversity within the IP legal profession, and specific ways IP practitioners can avoid racism and cultural appropriation and increase diversity in their profession. You can read a summary of the session and view the recording here.
Christian returned to speak for Alt Legal Webinars, delivering the presentation, “A Tangled Web(3): Introduction to Web3 for IP Lawyers.” During this webinar, Christian covered web3 basics for IP lawyers and insights for serving clients in this space including:
- What web3 is and why it matters
- Current copyright and royalty issues for web3 clients
- Challenges in copyright licensing for web3 clients
- Current trademark issues in the web3 space
Click here to view the webinar recording and to download the presentation materials.
Working with Christian is truly a privilege, and we were thrilled to hear that the feeling is mutual! Christian says, “I have really enjoyed being an Alt Legal speaker. When I first opened my trademark practice, I was looking for community. I am so glad that I found Alt Legal. I started out simply attending webinars and was impressed at the strength of the community, the welcoming environment, and the collegiality. When I was invited to speak, it was an easy yes. Speaking for Alt Legal has given me friendships and opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.”
Christian also notes that the Alt Legal Community is special and distinct from other audiences. “The Alt Legal Community is welcoming, diverse, and inclusive. I really value this about Alt Legal.” Additionally, she had the opportunity to develop valuable friendships with co-panelists who she was teamed up with.
Part of what made the experience of presenting for Alt Legal so positive for Christian was working closely with Bri Van Til, Alt Legal’s Director of Education, who coordinated all of the important details, technical arrangements, and logistics to ensure that the presentations were smooth for Christian and the audience. Christian reports that working with Bri was an exceptional experience. “Getting to work with Bri was one of the best parts about presenting for Alt Legal! She is organized, on top of everything, and makes speaking straight-forward and non-scary. Her enthusiasm, knowledge, and brilliance are a huge part of what makes Alt Legal such a delight.”
Christian notes that Bri kept the webinar prep process streamlined and organized, “Speaking for Alt Legal comes with clear instructions, deadlines, and clear understanding of what I need to do. I really appreciate that everything happens well in advance (no last-minute panic) and Bri is great about giving training on BigMarker and how to use the platform!”
As a result of her presentations with Alt Legal, Christian has been invited for other speaking engagements (including INTA), and she has presentations “ready to go” for future speaking opportunities. We’re delighted to hear that Christian’s speaking engagements with Alt Legal have turned into business development opportunities.
Overall, Christian says that she is “incredibly likely” to recommend speaking engagements at Alt Legal to other presenters. “If you are thinking about being an Alt Legal speaker, don’t hesitate. Say yes!” Christian, what can we say? We are so delighted to have the opportunity to work with you! Thank you for the very kind words and for your wonderful contributions to the Alt Legal Community!
