NAPP Wellbeing Webinar: Disability at Work - Success in Patent Practice when You or a Colleague is Disabled

Description

NAPP Wellbeing Webinar: Disability at Work, Success in Patent Practice When You or a Colleague Is Disabled

Patent practice can be both intellectually rewarding and professionally demanding. For practitioners living with a disability, or working alongside colleagues who do, success often requires resilience, adaptability, support, and a workplace culture that values inclusion. 

In this candid and insightful discussion, two patent practitioners will share their personal experiences navigating disability while building successful careers in the patent profession. Through real-world stories and practical lessons learned, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and strategies that can help individuals and organizations foster a more supportive and inclusive professional environment. 

Whether you are managing your own disability, supporting a colleague, leading a firm, or simply seeking to better understand the experiences of others, this webinar will provide valuable perspectives on wellbeing, accommodation, communication, and professional success. 

Learning Objectives 

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to: 

• Identify common challenges faced by patent practitioners living with visible and invisible disabilities. 
• Recognize strategies and tools that can help disabled professionals succeed and thrive in patent practice.
• Understand the role of workplace accommodations, flexibility, and support systems in promoting professional wellbeing. 
• Explore ways colleagues, employers, and professional organizations can create more inclusive and supportive work environments. 
• Apply practical insights from lived experiences to improve communication, collaboration, and understanding within their own workplace. 

Who Should Attend

This program is intended for patent agents, patent attorneys, in-house practitioners, law firm professionals, managers, and anyone interested in promoting wellbeing, inclusion, and professional success within the patent profession. 

Join us for an open and meaningful conversation that highlights the value of diverse experiences and demonstrates that successful patent practice can take many different paths.

Speakers & Facilitators

John T. Davis is a registered intellectual property attorney based in Dallas, Texas, specializing in the acquisition, prosecution, and protection of patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. He advises a diverse range of clients from individual inventors to high-tech companies, balancing his independent practice at The Law Office of John T. Davis PLLC with his role as Counsel for the specialized IP firm Barta Jones, PLLC. A graduate of the SMU Dedman School of Law, John is a recognized leader in the patent community.

Jennifer Bales is a Colorado-based patent attorney with more than three decades of experience helping innovators secure and enforce intellectual property rights, particularly in signal processing, optics, optoelectronics, radar, lidar, and related technologies. Prior to practicing law, she worked as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company, developing advanced digital signal processing, image processing, and radar systems, and earned a master's degree in optics from the University of Southern California. Jennifer is a partner at Macheledt Bales LLP and is widely recognized for combining deep technical expertise with practical patent strategy for inventors, startups, and established technology companies.