April 19, 2010 – Banner & Witcoff, Ltd., a national intellectual property law firm dedicated to the procurement, enforcement and litigation of intellectual property rights throughout the world, announces Emmanuel Azih and Kimberly A. Lockhart as the 2010 recipients of the Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for law students.
The scholarship program will provide Mr. Azih and Ms. Lockhart with $5,000 each payable for their upcoming Fall semester of law school. Mr. Azih earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and is currently enrolled at University of Georgia School of Law. Ms. Lockhart earned a B.S. in computer science from Spelman College, a B.S.E in computer engineering from University of Michigan and is currently enrolled at Vanderbilt Law School.
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.
“Out of the numerous outstanding applications we received this year, Mr. Azih and Ms. Lockhart stood out as exceptional students dedicated to the field of intellectual property law, and active community leaders. We look forward to continuing to award this scholarship to outstanding law school students in the future,” said Banner & Witcoff President Janice V. Mitrius.
Applications for the 2011 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.
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 more than 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 19, 2010
