SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Kettering University alum and Brooks Kushman attorney, Irina Sullivan, spoke to twenty female students at the University on August 1st, 2018. Sullivan’s presentation touched on college to career transition, as well as, the unique experience of being a female engineer and lawyer and generated an engaging discussion among the participants.
Sullivan’s presentation was hosted by the University section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). SWE is committed to empowering women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders. Among its several core values, SWE prioritizes being a primary facilitator for creating personal relationships, support systems, and networking between women in engineering and technology at all stages of their learning and careers.
Sullivan is a registered patent attorney and focuses her practice on preparing and prosecuting patent applications in electrical and electromechanical systems. Her practice spans across a wide range of technologies in the automotive and consumer electronics industries. Sullivan has prior experience drafting patent applications pertaining to engine and transmission controls, consumer electronics, small appliances, electric hand tools, and other areas. She has also previously assisted litigation and licensing teams in conducting discovery, and performing legal and due diligence searches.
Prior to joining the firm, Sullivan was a service engineer for an automotive manufacturer where she identified and resolved product concerns on vehicles with hybrid and high-voltage propulsion systems. She holds a Master`s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan (Dearborn) and a Bachelor`s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Kettering University.
Sullivan has been involved with SWE since her days studying electrical engineering at Kettering University. She served as the networking chair with the Detroit section of SWE during FY18, and received an award for her efforts to facilitate meaningful connections between experienced female engineers and women at the beginning of their technical careers, as well as her efforts to promote mentorship and support. In 2017, Sullivan presented at the SWE Regional Conference, held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In her presentation, “Invent Like a Girl,” Sullivan focused on the sizable disparity between the number of named inventors that are men and the number that are women. In the presentation, Sullivan encouraged young women engineers to pursue active roles in developing and securing intellectual property on behalf of their employers by becoming familiar with relevant internal processes and forming peer teams to brainstorm ideas.
About Brooks Kushman P.C.
Brooks Kushman P.C. is a leading intellectual property (IP) and technology law firm, and represents clients nationally and internationally with respect to protection, enforcement and monetization of IP, including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. The firm has more than 90 intellectual property professionals specializing in various technical disciplines, and has a reputation for providing leading IP counseling with a focus on the business objectives of their clients.
Brooks Kushman counts a number of Fortune 100 companies across a variety of industries among its clients. The firm is also recognized by leading legal publications and rankings, including Corporate Counsel magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Law360, Intellectual Asset Management, Managing Intellectual Property, and Intellectual Property Today. For more information, please visit www.BrooksKushman.com.
