DRI Faculty List

Intellectual Property Litigation Seminar

Omni Austin Hotel Downtown | Austin, TX | May 8 - 10, 2019


Jesse Adland
Advanced Micro Devices Inc

Jesse Adland is a senior corporate counsel in the patent and licensing team at Advanced Micro Devices. Mr. Adland's practice includes all phases of patent licensing and litigation work. Prior to joining AMD's law department, he was an associate in Baker Botts' Austin Office. Before law school, Mr. Adland worked at AMD as an electrical engineer. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law (J.D.), and Cornell University (B.S.).


Michael Barbee
Partner
Griffith Barbee PLLC

Michael Barbee Bio Requested


Shannon M. Bell
Kelly & Walker LLC

Shannon M. Bell has years of trial experience in state and federal courts, including jury and bench trials, arbitrations, and evidentiary and procedural hearings. Shannon litigates a wide variety of complex business disputes, construction disputes, fiduciary claims, employment issues, and landlord/tenant issues, with a specialization in construction. Shannon's construction experience extends from contract negotiations assertion and defense of construction claims of owners, HOAs, general contractors, tradesman, and suppliers in public and private construction projects.


Lisa L. Boswell
Of Counsel
Early Sullivan Wright Gizer McRae LLP

Lisa L. Boswell, Committee Chair, is Of Counsel in the Los Angeles, CA office of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP. Lisa's practice focuses on real estate litigation, commercial and business litigation, and intellectual property. She represents corporations, private individuals, and insurance companies. She graduated from Whittier Law School, where she was the recipient of an American Jurisprudence Award in Professional Responsibility Practicum Skills. She has been a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of California since 2005 and the Chair of the DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar's Intellectual Property Litigation Committee. She is also a member of the California Minority Counsel Program. She is rated as an AV Preeminent Lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell.


Brian K. Brookey
Partner
Tucker Ellis LLP

Brian K. Brookey focuses on patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret litigation. Brian litigates intellectual property matters in district courts throughout the country, U.S. Courts of Appeal, and the International Trade Commission. He also has significant experience handling contested trademark matters before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Brian represents a broad range of companies across numerous industries and technologies, including telecommunications, computer software, lasers, construction, lighting, medical devices, automotives, and electronic components. Brian was the 2018 program chair.


Casey M. Chisick
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Casey M. Chisick co-chairs the Intellectual Property and Sports & Entertainment practices at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP in Toronto. A Certified Specialist in Intellectual Property (Copyright), Casey's diverse practice includes intellectual property, entertainment, communications, advertising and marketing, and fashion and apparel, with particular expertise in the collective administration of copyright. In addition to his extensive experience in IP and entertainment transactions, Casey has appeared as counsel in five seminal copyright cases before the Supreme Court of Canada and many rate-setting proceedings before the Copyright Board of Canada.


Cynthia R. Cohen, PhD
Verdict Success

Cynthia R. Cohen, PhD designs consumer studies for trademark infringement cases. Designated as an expert in survey methods, she has studies admitted into evidence. Dr. Cohen's education includes psychology degrees at UCLA and USC. Her doctorate in Educational Psychology, with an emphasis on Research Methodology, Communication, and Instructional Psychology, led her to teach Research Design as well as Tests and Measurements to graduate students. For over thirty years, Cynthia Cohen has contributed to the world of psychology and law through research, consulting, and speaking engagements to bar associations. As a trial consultant she founded Verdict Success, LLC in 1985 to design community attitude studies and mock trials. She began designing online studies in 2006.


Melanie Kennedy Cook
Vice President, Assistant General Counsel; Labor and Employment
Dollar General Corporation

Melanie Kennedy Cook is the Vice President, Assistant General Counsel; Labor and Employment at Dollar General Corporation in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. In her position, she is responsible for the management and oversight of all employment and labor matters for the Company. Dollar General has over 12,000 stores in 40 states and is a fortune 200 company. Melanie earned her BSBA from the University of Louisville and her juris doctorate from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. Prior to joining Dollar General in 2008, she was in private practice in Kentucky and focused her practice on employment law and business litigation. She was the first female partner in her law firm's 100 plus year history. She is admitted to practice law in Kentucky and Tennessee.


Lisa R. Curcio, Ret
Ret Judge
ADR Systems

Lisa R. Curcio, Ret Bio Requested


Charles T. (Charlie) Frazier, Jr.
Partner
Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP

Charles T. (Charlie) Frazier, Jr. is a partner in the Dallas office of Alexander Dubose Jefferson & Townsend, LLP, an appellate boutique. Certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Charlie's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, insurance-related disputes, and professional-liability claims in trial and appellate courts, including successfully arguing before the Supreme Court of the United States He is a long-time active member of the DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee, and currently chairs its Appellate Rules Subcommittee.


Hon. Alberto R. Gonzales
Belmont University College of Law


Peter J. Henein
Partner
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Peter J. Henein is a partner in the Advocacy Department of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP who specializes in the areas of intellectual property (including trademark, copyright and entertainment matters), product liability and class actions. He chairs the Product Liability practice at Cassels Brock. He works with a wide variety of clients, including numerous Canadian and international intellectual property rights holders, Canadian copyright collectives and trade associations, film and television producers, rock stars, franchisors, certification bodies, international auto manufacturers and numerous other manufacturers and distributors around the world.


Hon. Martin J. Hoffman
68th Civil District Court


The Honorable Wallace B. Jefferson, Ret.
Alexander Dubose Jefferson LLP

The Honorable Wallace B. Jefferson, Ret. is a partner with the appellate boutique firm of Alexander Dubose Jefferson & Townsend LLP in Austin, Texas. He served as chief justice on the Supreme Court of Texas from 2004 to 2013 and as an associate justice from 2001 to 2004.


Sidney K. (Sid) Kanazawa
Partner
McGuireWoods LLP

Sidney K. (Sid) Kanazawaa Los Angeles McGuireWoods partner, is a frequent speaker/writer on crisis leadership, trials, depositions, negotiations, and diversity/inclusion and is a graduate of the University of Hawaii (B.Ed.), the University of Southern California (J.D.) and the Pepperdine and Harvard mediation and negotiation programs. He is also a former Chair of the DRI Trial Tactics Committee, a former General Counsel of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the author of "Apologies and Lunch.".


Toyja E. Kelley
Partner
Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP

Toyja E. Kelley is a partner in the law firm of Tydings & Rosenberg LLP in Baltimore, where he is a member of the litigation department. His areas of concentration include commercial, construction and insurance coverage litigation, and the defense of manufacturers in product liability litigation. Mr. Kelley is the chair of his firm's Recruitment Committee and a member of its Diversity Committee. He is the DRI President.


Mary Re Knack
Ogden Murphy Wallace PLLC

Mary Re Knack is a member of the Healthcare and Litigation Departments at Ogden Murphy Wallace. Her practice focuses on insurance, healthcare and civil matters. Re provides a wide range of legal services to members of the healthcare industry including regulatory compliance, confidentiality and privacy-related compliance services including HIPAA and state laws, licensing and risk management related services and related investigations, federal and state agency investigations, guidance and representation related to medical staffing, and defense of professional negligence claims. Re also provides guidance and advice to the insurance industry and self-insureds with respect to their obligations under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act and Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act (MMSEA). Re was named to the Washington Super Lawyers by Super Lawyers magazine for 2005 and 2010 – 2017. She has also been recognized by Seattle Met magazine as a "Top Lawyer" in Health Care for 2011 and has been designated as one of the "Top Women Attorneys in Washington" for 2012 – 2017.


David H. Levitt
Partner
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

David H. Levitt is a partner in the Chicago office of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. He received his J.D. in 1979 and his L.L.M. in Intellectual Property in 2000. Mr. Levitt is past-chair of DRI's Intellectual Property SLG and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Defense Research Series book entitled "Defending Intellectual Property Claims." A frequent speaker and author on a variety of topics, Mr. Levitt was also the Chair of DRI's Third Party Litigation Funding Working Group and principal author of that Group's White Paper: "THIRD PARTY LITIGATION FUNDING: CIVIL JUSTICE AND THE NEED FOR TRANSPARENCY," published in October, 2018 His practice includes litigation and transactional work in the areas of copyright, trademark, trade secret, and right of publicity, as well as information technology transactions.".


Kevin T. McCarthy
Larson King LLP

Kevin T. McCarthy is an attorney with Larson King in Minnesota. Kevin focuses his practice in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, professional liability, and products liability matters. Kevin is originally from Detroit, Michigan and graduated from the Michigan State University College of Law. Outside of his law practice, Kevin enjoys spending time outdoors hunting and fishing.


Douglas F. McMeyer
U.S. Attorney's Office

Douglas F. McMeyer is a partner with Chapman Spingola in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, breaches of fiduciary duty, trade secrets, toxic torts, product liability, and internal investigations. Doug has significant experience in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Prior to entering private practice he was a law clerk to the Honorable Rita B. Garman, former Chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Doug maintains his commitment to public service through an active pro bono practice.


Ariana Pellegrino
Associate
Dickinson Wright PLLC


E. Todd Presnell
Partner
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP


Rachael L. Rodman
Partner
Ulmer & Berne LLP

Rachael L. Rodman is a partner with Ulmer & Berne LLP in Columbus, Ohio, where she focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation, including patent infringement litigation, trademark and copyright litigation, and trade secret litigation. Ms. Rodman has handled intellectual property litigation involving a variety of products, including metal beverage cans and closures, recreational vehicles, commercial security systems, and software applications. She is the 2019 Program Chair for DRI's IP Litigation Seminar and was the Editor-in-Chief for Remedies in IP Litigation, the Defense Library Series publication for the IP Litigation Committee.


Eileen Hintz Rumfelt
Miller & Martin PLLC

Eileen Hintz RumfeltCommittee Vice Chair, is a member in Miller & Martin PLLC's Atlanta, GA office who concentrates her practice in the area of complex commercial litigation with a special focus on intellectual property litigation and white collar crime/corporate investigations. She is the firm's eDiscovery Practice Group leader, and regularly advises her colleagues and clients on the management of eDiscovery issues in commercial litigation. Ms. Rumfelt's intellectual property practice spans a wide range of disputes, including trademark and trade dress infringement, trademark dilution, patent infringement, false advertising, and unfair competition. Ms. Rumfelt has appeared in federal and state courts across the country, before the Federal Circuit, and in the International Trade Commission..


Eman Sojoodi
Dell Inc.

Eman Sojoodi is Senior Legal Counsel for Dell Inc. Eman focuses on portfolio management, pre-litigation assertions, and general counseling regarding IP matters. Prior to joining Dell, Eman was a Senior Associate at Fenwick & West LLP where his practice focused on patent and intellectual property litigation and counseling. Prior to joining Fenwick & West, Eman served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Circuit Judge Kathleen M. O'Malley with the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.


Kara A. Specht
Associate
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP

Kara A. Specht focuses on patent litigation before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board as well as district courts, the International Trade Commission, and appeals to the Federal Circuit. Before the PTAB, Kara has extensive experience representing clients in Inter Partes Review and Covered Business Method proceedings, including petition preparation, trial proceedings, and appeals. Her practice covers a wide range of electronic and electrical technology areas related to consumer electronics, information processing systems, graphical user interfaces, 3D printing and additive manufacturing systems, automotive systems, telecommunications systems, and computer implemented business methods.


Christopher T. Stidvent
NTT Data Services LLC

Christopher T. Stidvent is the Vice President for Commercial Litigation at NTT DATA Services, LLC, where he manages the company's global litigation function. Prior to joining NTT DATA, Chris spent more than ten years as a Legal Director for Litigation at Dell Inc. In these roles, Chris has managed all types of complex commercial and intellectual property litigation matters. He has served as a client representative at more than 40 mediations, and received his Mediator Training Certificate from the Dispute Resolution Center in Austin, Texas, in 2014.


Jonathan Strauss
Senior Vice President
Paramount Pictures

Jonathan Strauss is the Senior Vice President Rights, Research & Assets at Paramount Pictures. Based in Hollywood, California, he supports groups across the studio with respect to all manner of intellectual property issues, including copyright, right of publicity, trademark and patent, and manages the studio's IP-related litigation. Before joining Paramount, Jonathan was a partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP, where he practiced in all areas of complex commercial litigation, with particular focuses on intellectual property and entertainment-related matters.


The Honorable Michael J. Talbot, Ret.
Judge
Bodman PLC

The Honorable Michael J. Talbot, Ret. is a retired Chief Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals who now practices as a neutral with the Bodman Law Firm in Detroit, Michigan. Judge Talbot was appointed to Michigan's First District Court of Appeals in 1998 and was appointed to Chief Judge, Michigan Court of Appeals in 2014. Prior to his tenure on the Court of Appeals, Judge Talbot served as a trial judge in the Wayne County Circuit Court. Judge Talbot reviewed briefs and heard oral argument on a number of complex cases during his tenure, both at the circuit and appellate levels, and has incredible insight to provide attendees.


Amy M. Turk
Partner
McGuireWoods LLP


Robert C. Van Arnam
Williams Mullen

Robert C. Van Arnam represents clients of all sizes in protecting, licensing and enforcing IP rights involving patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. He has litigated high-stakes IP cases throughout the country and in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), including through trial and appeal. Rob also counsels clients regarding the protection of data, drafting and reviewing privacy and cybersecurity policies, and represents clients seeking to prevent, detect and respond to data breaches. Among other honors, he is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Patent Litigation, Patent Law, Copyright Law and Intellectual Property Litigation (2014-present).


Erica J. Van Loon
Partner
Lathrop Gage LLP

Erica J. Van Loon is a Partner at Lathrop Gage LLP in Los Angeles, California. She is a leading trial lawyer in high-stakes copyright, trademark and patent litigation matters nationwide. She has been repeatedly selected as a recommended expert in trademark litigation and prosecution by the World Trademark Review and was named one of the "Most Influential Women Attorneys" by the Los Angeles Business Journal for 2018. She has successfully represented a wide range of clients in IP litigation matters including Bally Gaming, VIZIO, British Broadcasting Corporation, Target Corporation, Walmart, Conan O'Brien, Morgan Creek Productions, Lionsgate Films, Topson Downs of California, Red Bull, ASCAP, Abbott Laboratories, Nike, and Harley-Davidson.


Marc Vockell
Dell Inc.

Marc Vockell Vice President of Legal for Dell Inc. Experienced in risk management, complex negotiations, strategic business counsel. Current responsibilities include patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret licensing and disputes. Responsible for budget, outside spend, and risk management. Other responsibilities have included responsibility for class actions, cybersecurity, governmental investigations, business litigation, products liability, subpoenas, M&A due diligence, ethics and compliance, and litigation avoidance.


Robert L. Wagner
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Robert L. Wagner For more than 15 years, Dr. Wagner has assisted clients with complex commercial litigation and intellectual property matters. He has a strong background in civil litigation involving technical issues in the energy industry and in patent infringement and trade secret litigation. As he is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Rob handles patent prosecution on behalf of clients, particularly in the optical, electrical, computer, and mechanical industries. Additionally, clients look to Rob for filing of provisional, non-provisional, and PCT patent applications, trademark registration, and intellectual property audits to assist them in evaluating, strengthening, and protecting their intellectual property, technology, and brands.