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McAndrews, Held & Malloy Attorney Sharon Hwang Elected to Board of Directors of Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Chicago, IL -- McAndrews, Held & Malloy shareholder Sharon Hwang has been elected to the Board of Directors of the newly launched Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms, the first organization of its kind in the United States.
Hwang, who was a member of the steering committee that helped form the Coalition, is among 18 board members elected to forge the future direction of the organization and help guide its strategic development and growth. Hwang will serve a three-year term on the board.
Representing 31 member law firms of all sizes in Chicago and women attorneys at all levels, the Coalition provides a forum for representatives of the firms’ women’s initiatives to collaborate with each other on enhancing the recruitment, retention and promotion of women lawyers and supporting the building, implementation and continued relevancy of women’s initiatives in law firms. While law firms across the country have created internal women-focused groups and programs, this Coalition breaks new ground by bringing together a large-scale group of different firm initiatives in one market.
"Sharon is not only an accomplished attorney and leader in our firm, but she has continually demonstrated a commitment to community and professional involvement," said McAndrews founding partner and board chairman George P. McAndrews. "We commend her on her leadership role with the Coalition and her drive to help further the important work of our own women’s initiatives."
Hwang practices intellectual property law with particular emphasis on patent litigation and intellectual property counseling. She has played major roles in multi-million-dollar patent litigation cases and has extensive experience in federal trial and appellate courts on matters involving patent, trademark, unfair competition and antitrust claims. She also has taken the lead in preparing briefs for both the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Her practice spans such diverse technologies as orthopedic implants, implantable defibrillators, electro-optical printing systems, surgical navigation systems, drift tube linear accelerators, digital cellular telephones, laparoscopic suction irrigators, interactive television systems and railcar components.
At McAndrews, Hwang headed up the firm’s marketing committee for six years, is a founding member of its diversity committee and serves on the executive recruiting committee. She also spearheaded the launch of the firm’s Diversity in Patent Law Fellowship. Hwang was named one of the 2007 "Best Lawyers Under 40" in the United States by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and was recently elected vice president/president-elect of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area. She is a past board member of the Organization of Chinese Americans Greater Chicago Chapter, previously provided pro bono legal services to Boston’s Chinatown community, and has volunteered with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. As a law student at Boston College Law School, she was the managing editor of the Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest, Boston College’s commercial law review.
About McAndrews, Held & Malloy
Founded in 1988, McAndrews, Held & Malloy is one of the nation’s preeminent legal resources on intellectual property, antitrust and technology matters, serving institutions ranging from major multinationals and start-ups to world-class colleges and universities. The firm’s technically trained attorneys have built an unparalleled record of litigation successes in jury trials, bench trials and ADR proceedings. In addition, McAndrews offers its clients services in the following areas: patent and trademark procurement and portfolio management, patent interferences, trademark oppositions and cancellations, international practice, intellectual property/technology opinions and investigations, due diligence and M&A support, technology licensing and joint ventures, and technology transfers and donations. Additional information can be found at www.mcandrews-ip.com.
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