Banner & Witcoff, Ltd., a national intellectual property law firm dedicated to the procurement, enforcement and litigation of intellectual property rights throughout the world, announces Emily Chen and Han Cheol Choi as the 2012 recipients of the Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for law students.
The scholarship program will provide Ms. Chen and Mr. Choi with $5,000 each payable for their upcoming Fall semester of law school. Ms. Chen earned a B.S. in biomedical engineering and a B.A. in interdisciplinary liberal arts from University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Chen is currently enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. Mr. Choi earned a B.S. in electrical engineering at Stanford University, and is currently enrolled at Boston University School of Law.
The scholarship is open to all law students who are members of a minority group (including any group traditionally under-represented in the field of intellectual property law) and who meet the following criteria:
- Current enrollment in an ABA-accredited law school in the United States;
- Commitment to the pursuit of a career in intellectual property law;
- Strong communication and writing skills; and,
- Demonstrated leadership qualities and community involvement.
“Banner & Witcoff is thrilled to award the Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship to Ms. Chen and Mr. Choi. Both recipients stood out as exceptional students dedicated to pursuing careers in the field of intellectual property law. We look forward to continuing to recognize outstanding law students through this scholarship.” – Banner & Witcoff President Charles L. Miller
Applications for the 2013 scholarship will be made available through the Banner & Witcoff website: www.bannerwitcoff.com.
About Donald W. Banner
Donald W. Banner (1924-2006), a former U.S. Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, was a leader in the field of patent law. He was Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law, President of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, a founding member of the Association of Corporate Patent Counsel, President of the International Patent and Trademark Association, Co-founder and President of the Intellectual Property Owners Association, and Director of the John Marshall Law School Center for Intellectual Property Law. He was also a United States delegate to numerous international diplomatic conferences. Because of his many accomplishments and the respect he garnered in the field of intellectual property, Mr. Banner was appointed to be U.S. Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks by both Presidents Nixon and Carter, the only person to be appointed by presidents of both political parties. He served in that office only during the Carter Administration.
Please direct all media inquiries to Colleen Strasser at cstrasser@bannerwitcoff.com or 312.463.5465.
Posted: May 15, 2012
