American Chemical Society
Division of Chemistry and The Law

Mission, Goals and Activities

A. Mission/Goals of the Division

The mission of the Division of Chemistry and The Law is to provide a forum within ACS for members who work in careers involving the interaction of chemistry and the law. Some typical examples would include chemists and chemical engineers working in the fields of patents, copyright, trademarks, intellectual property, occupational health and safety, regulatory compliance, forensic science, product liability, toxic tort and environmental law.

The CHAL Division goals are:

1. to provide Division members and the ACS membership at large with high quality, inter-disciplinary programs, symposia, and publications in the above areas;
   
   
2. to promote the public understanding of chemistry and its interactions with the law; and
   
   
3. to expose ACS members (chemists, chemical engineers, and students) to alternative career opportunities which provide an interdisciplinary challenge, between chemistry and its application to areas of law, and between law and its applications to chemistry.

B. Areas in which the Division’s activities are focused:

intellectual property, copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, contract law, employment agreements, professional ethics and liability, product liability, tort law, expert witnesses, chemical consulting, chemical health and safety, chemical information, forensic chemistry, food and drug law, regulatory law, administrative law and rule making, biotechnology, licensing and technology transfers, litigation, environmental safety and environmental litigation