The Harrity Academy™ is a free program which introduces diverse participants to the field of patent law, provides exclusive training, practice materials, and mentorship, and teaches how to effectively and efficiently draft and prosecute high-quality patent applications. The goal of this program is to help increase the number of diverse candidates entering the patent field while enhancing the quality of their overall practice.

The Harrity Academy™ is comprised of three courses: Patent Basics, Patent Drafting, and Patent Prosecution. Courses will be broken into regularly scheduled online classes and include practice assignments, speakers, and one-on-one mentorship throughout the course duration.

Topics covered are as follows:

Patent Basics:
Introduction to Patent Law
Career Opportunities
Patent Drafting 101
Patent Prosecution 101
Panel Q&A

Patent Drafting:
Intro to Patent Drafting
What is a Patent Application
Understanding the Invention
Mock Disclosure Meeting
Prior Art Searching
Provisional Applications
Preparing Claims
Preparing Drawings
Preparing Title, Background, Summary, Description, Abstract
Preparing Introduction
Preparing Overview Description

Patent Prosecution:
101 Rejections
102 Rejections
103 Rejections
Preparing for Examiner Interview
Mock Examiner Interviews
In-house Counsel Perspective

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To enroll, you must meet the following requirements:

You have or are obtaining a technical degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or equivalent fields from an accredited college or university;
You are able and willing to commit to every scheduled class in the selected course;
You are female and/or considered a minority in the legal field, pursuant to the Vault and Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) Guidelines [African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Alaska Native/American Indian, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Multiracial, Openly LGBTQ+, and/or Individual with Disabilities]

RSVP via the Events tab and select Workshops in connectSC to attend and receive webinar (or event) details.