Hillary Maynard’s early exposure to art inspired her to become an intellectual property lawyer. Hillary spent much of her childhood exploring art museums with her mother, who worked at the museum in Hillary’s hometown, Toronto, Canada. From bringing Hillary to art museums in various cities from an early age, to informing her about the importance of intellectual property in the art world, Hillary’s mother played a pivotal role in her decision to become an intellectual property lawyer. Hillary is now an associate at Polsinelli, where she focuses her practice on trademarks, copyrights, and branding.
As an undergraduate student at Queen’s University in Canada, Hillary studied art history, which eventually brought her to Chicago where she enrolled as a law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. During her time at Loyola, Hillary registered for all of the IP classes that were offered and joined the Intellectual Property Law Society. She also developed relationships with numerous mentors who encouraged her in her pursuit to become an IP attorney. Hillary’s early exposure to mentors in the legal field is one of the the reasons why she encourages all young attorneys to find a mentor early on in their careers, as mentors have played an integral role in both her personal and professional development.
One of Hillary’s favorite aspects of lawyering is working with a wide variety of clients across various industries—from helping smaller start-ups develop their brand to working with more established brands with large international trademark portfolios. When asked about what she is most proud of in her practice, Hillary reflects on the confidence she now feels in her ability to manage large, complex trademark portfolios independently, and how much she has grown from her first years of practicing law, remembering what it was like in her first years as an associate.
Hillary is also a dedicated member of ChiWIP and serves as Co-Chair of the Marketing Committee. She first joined the organization because she felt that it was a great space for women in the legal industry in Chicago. With every new event she attended she felt welcomed and supported—the organization made everything feel less daunting as a young trademark attorney. And that still rings true today. As a Committee Chair, Hillary enjoys learning about ChiWIP’s many initiatives and events and helping to promote the organization. Hillary is also involved in other organizations in the legal industry, including as a member of the International Trademark Association’s (“INTA”) Unreal Campaign Committee and Co-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s (“CBA”) Young Lawyer Section Intellectual Property Committee.
When she’s not helping clients accomplish their goals, or promoting ChiWIP, Hillary loves traveling, visiting museums, reading books, and exploring new breweries with friends. She’s eager to explore a new city on her next international trip—maybe Amsterdam to see the Vermeer exhibit this spring!
Meet some of our other ChiWIP members here!
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