Judges’ Night Gala 2021

** Membership for Law Students is free

CANCELLATION POLICY

Pre-registration deadline is Friday, February 12.  After the deadline, the registration fee increases as shown above.  Cancellations must be received by the deadline.

Guests of Honor

The Honorable Raymond T. Chen,
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals
for the Federal Circuit

Circuit Judge Raymond T. Chen was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit by President Barack H. Obama in 2013, confirmed by the Senate on August 1, 2013 and assumed his office on August 5, 2013.

Judge Chen served as Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property Law and Solicitor at the United States Patent and Trademark Office from 2008 to 2013.  He was an Associate Solicitor in that office from 1998 to 2008.  From 1996 to 1998, Judge Chen served as a Technical Assistant at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  Before joining the court staff, Judge Chen was an associate with Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear from 1994 to 1996.  Before entering law school, Judge Chen worked as a scientist at the law firm of Hecker & Harriman from 1989 to 1991.

Judge Chen received his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1994 and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1990.

The Honorable George H. Wu,
Judge of the United States District Court
for the Central District of California

Judge George H. Wu is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, sitting in Los Angeles.  Wu was nominated to the Federal Bench by President George W. Bush on January 9, 2007, to a seat vacated by Ronald S.W. Lew.  He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 27, 2007, and received his commission on April 17, 2007.

Born in New York City, New York, Wu is the great-grandson of Wu Tingfang, the first ethnically Chinese barrister in England, and the grandson of Wu Chaoshu.  Wu received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1975.  Wu was also a law clerk for Judge Stanley Barnes, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1976-1977 and in 1979.

After clerking for Judge Barnes, Wu was in private practice in Los Angeles, California.  He was also briefly an assistant professor of law at the University of Tennessee College of Law from 1979 to 1982.  Additionally, he was an Assistant United States Attorney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California from 1982 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1993.

In 1993, Wu was appointed as a state court judge to the Los Angeles Municipal Court.  In 1996, he was elevated to a California Superior Court trial judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court and held this post until 2007.

The Honorable Shashi H. Kewalramani,
Judge of the United States District Court
for the Central District of California

Shashi H. Kewalramani was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge in 2017.  Prior to his appointment, Judge Kewalramani maintained a private practice handling intellectual property and commercial litigation on the defense and plaintiff side for his clients, federal criminal defense, and state and federal investigation matters. He is a registered patent attorney, previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central and Northern Districts of California, and was a law clerk to the Honorable Richard A. Schell, the then-Chief Judge in the Eastern District of Texas.

Judge Kewalramani received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a member of several engineering honor societies, and his J.D. from Baylor Law School, graduating cum laude, where he was also an editor of the Law Review.

Yolanda M. King,
Associate Dean and Professor
at the Northern Illinois University College of Law

Yolanda M. King is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor of Law at Northern Illinois University College of Law in DeKalb, Illinois.  She teaches Property and various intellectual property law-related courses, such as Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Trademark Law.  Her scholarly interests include the copyrightability of tattoos, the enforcement of tattoo copyrights, right of publicity protection for celebrities’ tattoos and choreography, and music licensing.

Dean King is Of Counsel at Chicago-based intellectual property law firm Advitam IP, where she advises clients on trademark protection and prosecutes federal trademark applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

She graduated from Harvard Law School and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Diamond Sponsor

For over 20 years, ForensisGroup has provided the nation’s top law firms with highly qualified expert witnesses and consultants. Experts referred by ForensisGroup have been thoroughly evaluated based on experience, education, track record, client feedback and much more. Over 8,000 clients have retained our experts in more than 10,000 cases nationwide. ForensisGroup takes a multi-disciplined approach, referring our clients to experts of various disciplines that may have an impact on the issues of the case. Clients benefit from free initial discussions with experts to gain better technical or scientific knowledge about their case. We offer free no-obligation recruiting.

Gold Sponsors

Judicate West is one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services with a distinguished roster of proven neutrals, including retired state and federal court judges plus attorney mediators and arbitrators from a wide variety of practice areas. Founded in 1993, the firm prides itself on maintaining the utmost integrity in delivering innovative solutions to all types of civil cases. The firm’s successful formula involves top-tier neutrals and an experienced staff who is dedicated to being the gold standard in alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Judicate West has offices in Santa Ana, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco.

TSG Reporting offers complete court reporting solutions with an impeccable attention to detail that lets you focus on the big picture.

Our elite staff of professionals consistently service the most demanding and complex litigation for some of the largest law firms and corporations in the world.

Our personal touch and client focus are traits our competitors can’t offer.

Silver Sponsors

Jeff Kichaven is “Ranked in Chambers USA 2020” as one of the country’s top mediators. He is one of the few mediators with an active patent practice. He is an Honors Graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D. Cum Laude, 1980) and a Phi Beta Kappa Graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (A.B. Economics, 1977). He practiced scorched-earth business litigation for 15 years before he started his mediation practice in 1996. He has Chaired the ADR Committee of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law and the Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property Section (ELIPS) of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has been named California Lawyer Attorney of the Year in ADR and for the past six years has moderated California Lawyer’s Roundtables on patent law. He is a Member of the American Law Institute and his views on mediation have been cited in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Founded in 1979, JAMS is the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services worldwide. With 28 locations, JAMS and its nearly 400 panelists are responsible for resolving thousands of the world’s important cases every year.

JAMS successfully resolves and manages business and legal disputes by providing efficient, cost-effective and impartial ways to overcome barriers at any stage of conflict. JAMS offers customized dispute resolution services locally and globally through a combination of industry-specific experience, first-class client service, top-notch facilities and highly trained panelists. More information is available at www.jamsadr.com, and you can connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Questions? Contact the LAIPLA office at office@laipla.net or call 323-285-1654.

Sponsorship? See LAIPLA Sponsorship Opportunities 2021 for this event and others.