March 3, 2021 - The University of Houston Law Center's Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law (IPIL) was the recipient of the inaugural 2021 Houston Intellectual Property Law Association's Excellence in Diversity Award. HIPLA created two inaugural awards, one for institutional efforts towards diversity and inclusion, and another to recognize an individual for their efforts in these areas.
The institutional award was presented virtually to Associate Dean Greg Vetter, the HIPLA College Professor of Law, as the representative of the Law Center and IPIL at a HIPLA event on Feb. 23, 2021. Vetter has been a co-director of IPIL during all of his 19 years as a professor at the Law Center.
Receiving the individual award was alumnus Dwayne Mason '93, a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig.
"The University of Houston Law Center has been a national leader in diversity of student body and promotion of IP legal studies," said HIPLA president and senior counsel at LyondellBasell Jason Sander '04, in his congratulatory remarks. "It has produced many diverse and minority leaders in the IP community, including Mr. Mason himself. The IPIL program continues that tradition and its steadfast focus on equity and inclusion.
"The diverse student body is no accident. It is the result of the tireless work of Dean Baynes and Associate Dean Vetter, who relentlessly seek out and encourage diverse prospective students to join our intellectual property practice area."
