April 20, 2009 – Banner & Witcoff, Ltd., a leading intellectual property law firm dedicated to the procurement, enforcement and litigation of intellectual property rights throughout the world, announces Benjamin Hong Huh and Stacia M. Stokes as the recipients of the Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for law students.
The scholarship program will provide Mr. Huh and Ms. Stokes with $5,000 each payable for their upcoming Fall semester of law school. Mr. Huh earned a B.E. in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University and is currently enrolled at University of Maryland School of Law. Ms. Stokes earned a B.E. in software engineering from Auburn University and is currently enrolled at Emory 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.
“We are thrilled to offer this scholarship to Mr. Huh and Ms. Stokes. Both recipients are outstanding students and are dedicated to the field of intellectual property law; they became a clear choice among an impressive pool of candidates. We look forward to continuing to award this scholarship to outstanding law school students.” – Janice V. Mitrius, President of Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
Applications for the 2010 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 so appointed by presidents of both political parties. He served in that office only during the Carter Administration.
About Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
Banner & Witcoff, Ltd. is dedicated to excellence in the practice of intellectual property law, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, computer, franchise and unfair competition law. The firm actively engages in the procurement, enforcement and litigation of intellectual property rights throughout the world, including all federal and state agencies, and the distribution of such rights through licensing and franchising. The firm has over 90 attorneys and agents in its Chicago, Washington, DC, Boston and Portland, OR offices.
Please direct all media inquires to Colleen Strasser at cstrasser@bannerwitcoff.com or 312.463.5465.
Posted: April 20, 2009
