The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University, with the support of a $200,000 grant from Google, is launching “The Cardozo/Google Project for Patent Diversity” with the goal of becoming the go-to destination for female and underrepresented entrepreneurs to secure patent rights. Cardozo Law School invites applicants to apply to serve as The Cardozo/Google Patent Project’s inaugural Director.

The U.S. has a “patent gap.” Roughly one-third of all business in the U.S. are women owned, and a greater number of women are receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM fields. Yet, the percentage of female-owned patent remains stubbornly low. Today 81% of all patents do not involve women inventors, and even among filings that include women, fewer than 8% of patents list women as the primary inventor. Although these numbers have been slowly improving, at current rates, women will not hold as many patents as men for nearly a century—until 2092.

The story for U.S.-born minority groups, (including Asians, African Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, and other ethnicities) is largely the same. These groups make up just 8% of U.S.-born patent holders, despite constituting 32 percent of the total U.S.-born population.

The Cardozo/Google Project for Patent Diversity--which will be overseen by Associate Clinical Professor Aaron Wright, Director of Cardozo’s Tech Startup Clinic—is looking for a Director to help build and maintain a network of in-house counsel, private law firms, and pro bono legal clinics to help provide patent assistance to female and minority groups in need. The Director will help build and manage the network, develop guides and other self-help materials, supervise students in the Tech Startup Clinic working with clients on patent-related matters, and will be responsible for helping to secure funding for the Project.

Applicants should have a JD degree, at least two years of relevant patent experience, and an outstanding record of professional achievement. Experience in clinical education is preferred, but not required. Review of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to Aaron Wright, aaron.wright@yu.edu.