Fish & Richardson announced today that Whitney Smallwood has been named Diversity & Inclusion Manager at the firm. Smallwood, who is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, has worked at Fish for six years in increasingly responsible recruiting roles. In her new position as Diversity & Inclusion Manager, she will continue to focus on embedding diversity, inclusion and cultural competency into the firm’s day-to-day operations.

Smallwood will report to Kristine McKinney, Chief Legal Talent & Inclusion Officer at Fish, and will work closely with the firm’s national Diversity Committee, EMPOWER Women’s Initiative, and other strategic teams to support the firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Specifically, Smallwood will be responsible for executing the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion strategic plan, which sets goals for increasing: the number of diverse individuals at the firm, the percentage of diverse individuals in leadership positions, and the number of diverse individuals with key client responsibility.

“We are thrilled to promote Whitney into this important role. She brings vast industry knowledge to her new position, as well as a deep understanding of our firm, our culture and our strategic diversity objectives,” said McKinney. “She has been instrumental in the growth of our firm’s 1L Diversity Fellowship Program, and we are excited to utilize her skills to support our broader diversity and inclusion initiatives.”

Fish’s 1L Diversity Fellowship Program has provided annual fellowships to diverse first-year law students throughout the country for 15 years. The firm’s EMPOWER Women’s Initiative holds biennial summits so that women at all experience levels in the firm can meet in-person and off-site for career and professional development. Fish also established a partnership with ChIPs and the Federal Circuit Bar Association to advance the opportunities given to junior lawyers – spearheading a program that has resulted in nearly 30 district court judges issuing orders encouraging opportunities for junior lawyers.

In September 2019, Fish earned the Diversity Lab’stop Mansfield 2.0 Certified Plus designation for successfully reaching at least 30 percent diverse lawyer representation in current leadership roles and committees. Fish is also participating in the 2019/2020 Mansfield 3.0 program, which includes lawyers with disabilities as well as women, lawyers of color and LGBTQ+ lawyers as part of the diverse candidate pool. Fish was one of 26 law firms that became Mansfield 1.0 Certified Plus in 2018 after completing the inaugural one-year Mansfield Rule pilot.

In July 2019, Fish was named one of the 2019 “Best Law Firms for Women” by Working Mother magazine for the second consecutive year. In November 2019, Fish won an “Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion” award from AmLaw/The Recorder.

Smallwood received her B.A. in 2008 from The George Washington University, where she has also taken master’s level classes in law firm management.

Fish & Richardson, a premier global intellectual property law firm, is sought-after and trusted by the world’s most innovative brands and influential technology leaders. Fish offers patent prosecution; counseling and litigation; and trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling and litigation. Our deep bench of attorneys with first-chair trial experience in every technology makes us the go-to firm for the most technically complex cases. We have an established reputation as a top-tier firm for patent portfolio planning, strategy and prosecution, as well as post-grant proceedings at the PTAB. Fish was established in 1878, and now has more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists in the U.S., Europe and China. Our success is rooted in our creative and inclusive culture, which values the diversity of people, experiences and perspectives. For more information, visit fr.com or follow us at @FishRichardson.