Judges’ Night Gala with The Honorable Paul R. Michel (Ret.), Former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 

The Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA), the Orange County Intellectual Property Law Association (OCIPLA), and the Judge Paul R. Michel Intellectual Property American Inn of Court invite you to our annual Judges’ Night Gala. 

Judges’ Night honors those members of the judiciary who handle intellectual property matters and features an interactive discussion of current topics with a panel of prominent judges and scholars. We are extremely pleased to announce that this year’s guest of honor will be The Honorable Paul R. Michel, Former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. 

Judge Michel will join in a panel discussion with Judge Philip S. Gutierrez of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and Professor Pamela Samuelson of Berkeley Law. The panel discussion will be moderated by Daralyn Durie of Durie Tangri LLP. 

The LAIPLA will present its 2019 Distinguished Public Service Award to Judge Otis D. Wright II of the United States District Court for the Central District of California at the Judges’ Night Gala.

**Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (provider # 2083) will seek approval from the State Bar of California for MCLE credit in the amount of 1.0 hour. 

CO-SPONSORS
OCIPLA 
Judge Paul R. Michel Intellectual Property American Inn of Court 

MENU 
Chicken or Vegetarian 

ATTIRE 
Business Attire 

PARKING 
Valet parking at the hotel is available for $24. Alternatively, you may park across the street in Pershing Square for $20 before 5:00 PM, and $9 after 5:00 PM. 

PRICING
Tables: 
Tables seat 10 total – 8 guests with an additional 2 seats reserved for a judge and guest or for in-house counsel (if available) 

SCHEDULE

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Cocktail Reception 
6:30 PM: Dinner Begins 
7:30 PM – 8:45 PM: Panel Discussion 

GUESTS OF HONOR

The Honorable Paul R. Michel (Ret.), Former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Judge Michel was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.  He served as Chief Judge from 2005 until his retirement in 2010. 

Judge Michel served as Legislative Assistant, Counsel and Administrative Assistant to U.S. Senator Arlen Spector from 1981 to 1988.  He served as Acting Deputy Attorney General from December 1979 to February 1980, and as Associate Deputy Attorney General from 1978 to 1981.  From 1976 to 1978, Judge Michel served as Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section of the Justice Department.  Before joining the Justice Department, Judge Michel served as Assistant Counsel to the new Senate Intelligence Committee from 1975 to 1976, and as an Assistant Special Watergate Prosecutor, a position to which he was appointed in March 1974.  While in law school, Judge Michel was hired by then District Attorney of Philadelphia Arlen Specter.  He was sworn in as an Assistant District Attorney in 1967 and, following a leave of absence to serve on active duty for training the Army Reserves, Judge Michel headed first the Motions Division and then the Adult Prosecution Division of the District Attorney’s Office until 1972, when he was named Deputy District Attorney for Investigations.

Judge Michel received his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1966 and his A.B. from Williams College in 1963. 

The Honorable Philip S. Gutierrez, United States District Court for the Central District of California 

Judge Gutierrez was appointed to the United States District Court for the Central District of California by President George W. Bush in 2007. 

Judge Gutierrez is the newest judge participating in the Central District of California’s Patent Pilot Program.  

Judge Gutierrez was first appointed to the bench in 1997, when California Governor Pete Wilson appointed him to the Whittier Municipal Court.  He served as a Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court from 2000 to 2007, following the unification of the Los Angeles Court System.  Prior to serving on the Superior Court, Judge Gutierrez was in private practice.  Following his graduation from law school, Judge Gutierrez worked as an associate at Wolf, Pocrass & Reyes. From 1986 to 1988, Judge Gutierrez worked at Kern & Wooley, and in 1988, he joined Cotkin and Collin, where he became managing partner of the Santa Ana offices. 

Judge Gutierrez received his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 1984 and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1981. 

Pamela Samuelson, Richard M. Sherman Distinguished Professor of Law and Information, University of California, Berkeley

Pamela Samuelson is the Richard M. Sherman Distinguished Professor of Law and Information at Berkeley Law, as well as a Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information and Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology.  She has held a joint appointment at Berkeley Law School and UC Berkeley’s School of Information since 1996.  Professor Samuelson is also the co-founder and chair of the board of Authors Alliance, and serves on the board of directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.  She also serves on the advisory boards for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Center for Democracy & Technology, Public Knowledge, and the Berkeley Center for New Media.   

Professor Samuelson has written extensively in the areas of copyright, software protection, and cyberlaw, and she is widely recognized for her work on digital copyright law, intellectual property, cyberlaw, and information policy. 

Professor Samuelson earned her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1976, her M.A. from the University of Hawaii in 1972, and her B.A. from the University of Hawaii in 1971.

PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

LAIPLA to Present Public Service Award to Judge Otis D. Wright II of the United States District Court for the Central District of California

The Honorable Otis D. Wright II, United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Wright’s long-standing dedication to public service goes back more than half a century, when he joined the United States Marines Corp in 1963. Thereafter, Judge Wright served in the United States Marines Corps Reserve, and later as a Deputy Sheriff at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department until 1980.

In 1980, Judge Wright began his legal career as a Deputy Attorney General at the Office of the Attorney General, California Department of Justice. Judge Wright then spent 12 years in private practice with Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP in Los Angeles, where he was a partner until his appointment to the California Superior Court of Los Angeles County in 2005. In 2007, Judge Wright was nominated by President George W. Bush and later confirmed as a District Court Judge for the Central District of California. At the Central District of California, Judge Wright was one of the first judges who volunteered to participate in the Patent Pilot Program when the Program was first created in 2011.

Judge Wright is a graduate of Southwestern Law School and earned his bachelor’s degree at California State University, Los Angeles.

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