Braxton K. Davis, JD, CPP – Executive Director of The National Council on Patent Practicum Inc.

By Staff

Tell us about your non-profit.

The National Council on Patent Practicum (NCPP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the practice of patent law. NCPP is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment within the patent profession. It actively promotes initiatives that support underrepresented groups and works to create equitable opportunities for all practitioners. One of our premier programs, the Patent Pipeline Program (PPP) aims to mentor and train aspiring patent practitioners, who are women or diverse, and provide them with the essential skills and knowledge necessary for successful careers in patent law. It focuses on practical experience and guidance from established professionals in the field and is designed to ultimately culminate in a 6 figure salary job offer with a patent law firm for participants of the program. 

What kind of impact does your organization have to date?

Our other premier program,  the Certified Patent Practitioner Credential, is a certification program that recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a high level of expertise and ethical standards in patent practice. This credential helps establish professionalism and credibility within the field, thus fostering a higher set of standards within patent quality. The credential focuses on best practices in patent prosecution to ensure that patents granted meet rigorous quality criteria, ultimately benefiting the innovation ecosystem.

What inspired you to become a patent attorney?

Honestly, my initial inspiration for becoming an attorney had nothing to do with patent law and everything to do with racial profiling. After experiencing multiple incidences with police officers that were less than favorable and the most traumatic experience having landed me in cuffs in the back of a police unit for walking while black in Atlanta, I decided that I needed to know how to better protect myself from such encounters. During that time, when I was considering law school, I happened to meet another engineer that said if I was considering law school, I should focus on patent law because I already had the engineering degree. After researching the field and realizing that it aligned with my inventive mindset and that I could become a patent agent before going to law school, I decided to pursue the field wholeheartedly. 

What advice would you give someone who seeks to establish a non profit?

The number one piece of advice I have for people who begin non-profits is to make sure that the mission of the non-profit aligns with you and your values. For instance, it is by no means easy for me to go out and continually lobby for the placement and advancement of my students and all that goes along with it. As a matter of fact, it can be particularly stressful and mentally and emotionally taxing at times. However, in those moments where I see the headstart that my students have in their professional careers or when they come back and tell me how much of changed their lives, it is all worth it and it gives me the fortitude to press on even in spite of the headwinds that DEI is currently facing. This is because the mission of the non-profit is aligned with who I am as a person and what I believe my purpose to be in this profession.

Where would you like to see your non profit in the next five years?

In the next five years, I would like to see NCPP continue to grow and thrive. I would like to establish more strategic partnerships with individuals, law firms, and corporations that are aligned with our mission and use my platform to support that ecosystem. We should be known as the number one organization in the U.S. for establishing patent quality standards and supporting underrepresented groups within the industry. We should also be the number one recruitment and placement company for patent practitioners with the U.S. as well.

Tell us about your next event/conference.

Our next conference will be held in collaboration with Emory Law and the USPTO on Sept. 20th and will focus on addressing the innovator-inventor diversity gap. NCPP’s sessions will specifically focus on the CPP credential and address the various barriers that underrepresented groups experience within the profession. We will also provide helpful insights into what the profession can do as a whole to reduce these barriers and create a more equitable profession. The conference will culminate in the graduation of the 2024 PPP class and a job fair for our CPP members and PPP students who are actively looking for employment opportunities.

The National Council on Patent Practicum, Inc. (NCPP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, oversees the development and operation of the Certified Patent Practitioner (CPP) & program.

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About

After obtaining his J.D., Braxton Davis joined AT&T’s Intellectual Property Patent Development Team where he evaluated inventive ideas, patent portfolios, and patent monetization opportunities based on business strategies. Thereafter, Braxton accepted a position as an Associate before being named Partner with the law firm Amin, Turocy, & Watson. Currently, Braxton serves as Meta’s (formerly Facebook) Associate General Counsel on the Patents, Licensing, & Open Source Team. Braxton has also established the Patent Institute of Training and the National Council on Patent Practicum, a non-profit focused on increasing quality and diversity within the patent profession. Additionally, he founded Metric Mate, a tech startup which aired on Shark Tank, where he applies his degrees in electrical engineering and physics to invent and develop connected devices that track strength training data. Braxton is also the recipient of both the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia State University 40 under 40 awards.

Braxton K. Davis, JD, CPP
Executive Director

bdavis@thencpp.org

www.theNCPP.org