INTA: Leading on and off the court
Industry veteran Ayala Deutsch knows how beneficial a shared experience can be. In her 30-year career, Deutsch has become a leader in both her work and as an advocate for women in the profession.
The current president of the International Trademark Association (INTA), she also serves as executive vice president and deputy general counsel of National Basketball Association Properties.
But that’s not all—Deutsch has been involved in initiatives for women in the workplace and leadership throughout her career in different forms, including helping to create a women’s group at a law firm and serving on a city bar committee for women in profession.
“When I became president of INTA, I felt like with our focus and one of our strategic priorities being diversity and inclusion, there was not only a very good opportunity to serve the women who are members of the organisation but also an opportunity to serve the IP community at large to bring a focus on leadership for women,” she says.
Launched earlier this year, to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8, the Women’s LeadershIP Initiative is designed to champion and advance women in IP.
Deutsch admits she’s been fortunate in her professional life, but she’s always been mindful that there are challenges for women in the workplace, and these challenges are not unique to IP, or even law.
“It’s been important for me to be mindful of that, both as I navigated my own career and as I became more senior and tried to be a resource for others,” she explains. “I did face challenges, in part because almost every woman does.”
At the beginning of her practice, Deutsch showed up (despite being unwell with a sore throat and cold) at court for motion. When she began to speak in front of the whole courtroom, her voice sounded as you’d expect with a sore throat. The older judge looked at her and, in front of the whole courtroom, said: “If you’re nervous dear, my clerk can get you a glass of water”.
While it may seem like a small event, it’s something that’s stuck with Deutsch. “I had the dual reaction of wanting to crawl into a hole in the ground because it’s mortifying and wanting to walk up and smack him in the face. That was not even noteworthy 30 years ago,” she adds.
