Dear Colleagues,We are pleased to present our Spring 2021 BPLA newsletter. With the COVID-19 vaccine rollout well underway and more than 80 million in the US fully vaccinated, we appear to be turning a corner on the pandemic. With that, we look forward to the prospect of our members meeting together in person again soon. So far this year, BPLA has been actively monitoring and addressing policy initiatives. In February, our Patent Office Practice committee in collaboration with our Diversity & Inclusion committee provided comments supporting the USPTO’s efforts at developing a national strategy to expand innovation demographically, geographically, and economically (85 Fed. Reg. 83906). In April, our Patent Office Practice committee, this time in collaboration with our Licensing committee, provided comments in response to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s proposed revisions to regulations under the Bayh-Dole Act (86 Fed. Reg. 1). We will continue these efforts throughout the year. We know that many of you are taking advantage of the wellness opportunities being offered by Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) and we hope that others will join in. Weekly Yoga sessions with Dr. Meyers are ongoing, and on April 27th, we heard from from Dr. Shawn Healy of LCL on the importance of good sleep hygiene and tips for improving sleep to maintain top performance. Further, we are kicking off our new pro bono service award selection process and invite you to nominate members who have made significant pro bono efforts in their law practice. We are excited about this opportunity to highlight the great work of our members and to encourage others to participate in such efforts. We are also pleased to share that we have recently formalized the committee on Diversity and Inclusion as part of our regular roster of standing committees. Finally, we are well underway with planning our IP symposium which will take place on June 8. We are happy to have Valencia Martin Wallace, USPTO’s Deputy Commissioner for Patents as our keynote speaker. Ms. Martin Wallace leads international IP harmonization efforts in relation to patents, oversees patent examining functions across multiple Technology Centers, and is the Executive Lead for the USPTO’s new initiative, the National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI). We also have David Hricik, Professor of Law at Mercer Law School, who will be speaking with you about ethics in IP law, and Dennis Crouch professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, who will kick things off with our opening session. Through multiple tracks, we are bringing you sessions throughout the day from our Patent Law, Trademark, Biotech, Computer Law, and Pro Bono committees. Stay tuned for registration details. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our association.