
CONNECTING WOMEN IN IP
“Our goal in forming this group is to bring together all women who work in the IP field in Chicago to help them enhance their practices and skill sets, and to provide a forum for the many successful women IP lawyers in the city to give back to their colleagues and to the community.”
–Kara E.F. Cenar, an Officer and founding member of ChiWIP
and leader of the IP Practice Group at Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.
- Sun, Jun 04Foley & LardnerJun 04, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM CDTFoley & Lardner, 321 North Clark, 321 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654, USAIn partnership Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, ChiWIP will be hosting an event to educate Girl Scouts in both elementary and high school about all aspects of IP law, including the basics of patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
- Tue, Jun 06Virtual Event
- Wed, Jun 14AfterbarJun 14, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM CDTAfterbar, 310 S Canal St, Chicago, IL 60606, USAPlease join us for an early summer happy hour at the beautiful green space outside Afterbar! Attendees will purchase their own food and drink. Instructions for the meet up location will be sent to all registrants prior to the event.
- Tue, Jun 27OnlineJun 27, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CDTOnlinePlease join us on June 27 at 12 noon CT for a Mentoring Circles event on leveraging mentorship relationships throughout your career. Whether you are a law student at a summer gig or a senior relationship manager, fostering and maintaining good mentoring relationships has numerous career benefits.
- Wed, May 24Online Event
- Sun, May 21MingHin Cuisine
- Tue, May 09Revival Food HallMay 09, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CDTRevival Food Hall, 125 S Clark St, Chicago, IL 60603, USAJoin the ChiWIP Social Committee for another lunch meet up at Revival Food Hall. This casual setting is a great opportunity to meet and chat with other ChiWIP members. Attendees will purchase their own food and drink.
- Tue, May 02Chapman Spingola, LLP
- Thu, Apr 27Online
- Thu, Apr 20Online Event
- Tue, Apr 04Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP
- Wed, Mar 29Russian Tea Time Restaurant
- Wed, Mar 22Online
- Tue, Mar 21Online
- Thu, Mar 16The Art Institute of ChicagoMar 16, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM CDTThe Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603, USAJoin ChiWIP for a night at the Art Institute of Chicago! The Institute is free for all Illinois residents through March. This is a great way to mingle with ChiWIP members and enjoy one of Chicago's greatest cultural offerings.
- Fri, Mar 10Greater Chicago Food DepositoryMar 10, 1:00 PM – 3:45 PM CSTGreater Chicago Food Depository, 4100 W Ann Lurie Pl, Chicago, IL 60632, USAJoin the Community Involvement Committee at the Chicago Greater Food Depository! Together, we will inspect and pack donated food to be distributed to participating food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters in Cook County.
- Wed, Mar 01Greenberg Traurig, LLP (#Ste 3100)Mar 01, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM CSTGreenberg Traurig, LLP (#Ste 3100), 77 W Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, USAJoin ChiWIP for a discussion and workshop about personal branding and effective networking. The conversation will focus on how to articulate the elements of your personal brand and how to use it to build your professional introduction.
- Thu, Jan 19Online
WHO WE ARE
Chicago Women in IP (ChiWIP) is a networking and mentoring group committed to the connection, promotion and success of professional Chicago women in all stages of practice of every facet of IP law.
Through regularly scheduled events, we offer seminars, knowledge sharing, career resources, and leadership opportunities for personal and professional development. ChiWIP provides a forum for women professionals in the field of intellectual property to share their successes and challenges with other women more openly than they might with colleagues at their own firms.






MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Catherine Klima
Board Vice Chair; Committee Development Co-Chair, In-House Advisory Member
Catherine Klima is Intellectual Property Counsel at Continental Automotive Systems, Inc., which develops technologies for mobility, ranging from autonomous vehicle innovation to improvements for fuel efficiency and safety. Because the automotive industry is rapidly changing, the body of law surrounding it is similarly constantly evolving. Catherine, a lifelong learner, enjoys the challenge each new day brings. She supports Continental's IP needs with a focus on patents, and also Standard Essential Patents and issues related to AI. Her days are balanced between the steadiness of managing a patent docket and handling unexpected legal challenges that frequently arise. "It keeps my days exciting and fresh," she says.
