The IP industry still lacks in providing first-chair trial opportunities for women, according to litigator Natasha Daughtrey. The Goodwin partner adds that while the industry is moving in the right direction with firms advocating for increased opportunities for women litigators, progress is slow. In fact, she believes her experience in advancing as a litigator was an exception to the norm. The support she has received at Goodwin has prompted her to help other women advance in the litigation sector. Speaking to Managing IP for our ‘Women in IP’ series, she shares how firms and senior leadership should promote women as litigators through increased opportunities, mentorship, and compensation. On the practice side of law, Daughtrey shares how her personal practice is changing at the firm, mainly due to the convergence of tech and life sciences matters. Initially preferring science, Daughtrey pursued a double major in biology and political science in her undergraduate career. In her spare time, she served as a waitress, earning funds to pay for medical school. She recalls that during this time, several doctors who regularly visited the restaurant convinced her not to pursue medicine, emphasizing the various challenges and hardships associated with the medical field. One of the doctors pointed out that if she loved science, writing, and research, then patent litigation could pique her interest. “I thought, oh, that’s interesting, and so, I decided to go to law school with the idea that I might be interested in IP litigation.”
Read the Managing Intellectual Property article for more.