McAndrews Shareholder Wins Career Achievement Award and Lifetime Achievement Award

10.24.18

McAndrews Shareholder Sharon A. Hwang has been selected to receive the Career Achievement Award from the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers. This award has been designed to recognize Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APLA) students and professionals who celebrate diversity on campuses and in the workplace. 

McAndrews is also pleased to announce that Sharon has been recognized with the Laura C. Liu Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chinese American Bar Association. Hwang was selected for having displayed “a lifetime of exemplary service to the community and organization.” 

Sharon serves on McAndrews’ Executive Committee and spearheaded the launch of the firm’s Diversity in Patent Law Fellowship, which encourages diversity in the field of intellectual property law. She is a Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, and currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Chicago Legal Clinic. Sharon also serves on the Executive Board of the Chicago Committee for Minorities in Large Law Firms, the Alumni Board for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, and the Board of Directors for the Chinese Mutual Aid Association. Previously, Sharon served as the President of the Asian American Bar Association of Chicago, as well as the President of the AABA Law Foundation.

For over 20 years, Sharon has practiced in all areas of intellectual property law and has successfully represented parties in high-stakes patent litigation. She is listed in the IAM Patent 1000 as one of the world’s leading patent professionals and has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer and IP Star every year since 2015 and was previously honored by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association as one of its “Best Lawyers Under 40.” Sharon is a  past-recipient of the Sandra R. Otaka Leadership Award from the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago, the Advocate for Diversity Award from the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, and the Chicago Bar Association’s Vanguard Award.  She has also been honored by Mandarin Leader for her contributions in law.