Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli has appointed Philip G. Hampton, II as its new Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Hampton is an intellectual property lawyer in Polsinelli’s Washington, D.C. office with more than 40 years of legal experience.
Hampton will work collaboratively with Polsinelli’s leadership to set the firm’s diversity and inclusion strategy and goals and then to help lead implementation.
“Diversity and inclusion are core values of Polsinelli, used to shape strategy and actions that define our business and culture. We are fortunate to have someone of Phil’s stature and credibility within our firm agree to lead our on-going efforts. Phil is a great lawyer, who has long been an energetic and committed leader and mentor,” said Polsinelli Chairman and CEO Chase Simmons.
Among Hampton’s focus areas will be enhancing Polsinelli’s Diversity Strategic Plan, including setting and monitoring goals for recruiting, retention, and advancement of diverse professionals. He will lead diversity-related activities and firm resource groups and subcommittees.
“I am proud to assume the position of Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. While I will continue my IP practice, the bulk of my professional energies will be directed towards guiding Polsinelli to the development of new strategies and actionable items around diversity and inclusion,” said Hampton. “This role allows me the opportunity to pursue a passion of mine and allows me to play forward the lessons I have experienced and learned from more than four decades of practice as a diverse lawyer and government official. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues across the country as Polsinelli leans in with both well-known and innovative solutions that lead to a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. I hope that my legacy will be that Polsinelli becomes the gold standard for the legal industry for diversity, equity and inclusion.”
A member of Polsinelli’s Intellectual Property Department, Hampton has four decades of experience in patent and trademark litigation, patent and trademark counseling, trademark prosecution, and enforcement, maintenance and licensing of all types of intellectual property. At the same time, Hampton has worked towards diversity and inclusion in intellectual property.
In 2016, Hampton was the inaugural recipient of the Diversity in Tech Award presented by IP Section of the National Bar Association and he is a former President and Scholarship Committee Chairman of the American Intellectual Property Law Education Foundation, which has awarded over $2 million in scholarship to diverse IP law students. Hampton also teaches Trademark Law as an adjunct professor at the Howard University School of Law. While he served as the Assistant Commissioner for Trademark in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) during the Clinton Administration, the number of minority attorneys increased by more than 400%. Hampton has proudly mentored dozens of minority and female IP students and young lawyers, proposing innovative solutions to foster diversity and inclusion for which two of his former firms were awarded the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s esteemed Thomas L. Sager Award.
Hampton has been an active member of bar associations, both locally in D.C. and nationally. He has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of National Bar Association and as the General Counsel to the Washington Bar Association. Hampton has also served on the Board of Directors of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and as chair of multiple committees of the IP Section of the American Bar Association.
Hampton is a member of the Executive Committee of Leadership Greater Washington, the Board of Directors of the Global Scholars Foundation and a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., where he is the immediate past General Counsel of its Washington, D.C. alumni chapter.
Hampton enters his new role after a year of firm accolades in the area of diversity and inclusion. Polsinelli recently achieved the Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certification, which measures diversity in law firms and aims to boost diversity in leadership. The firm was awarded the 2020 Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) for incorporating women into the highest levels of firm leadership. This was Polsinelli’s fourth time achieving the Gold Standard Certification. Additionally, Polsinelli was included in the Human Rights Campaign 2020 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), receiving a 100% rating and designation as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” among 680 businesses (January 2020).
About Polsinelli
Polsinelli is an Am Law 100 firm with 900 attorneys in 21 offices nationwide. Recognized by legal research firm BTI Consulting as one of the top firms for excellent client service and client relationships, the firm’s attorneys provide value through practical legal counsel infused with business insight, and focus on health care, financial services, real estate, intellectual property, middle-market corporate, labor and employment and business litigation. Polsinelli PC, Polsinelli LLP in California.