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Each year at the IP Institute, the Section honors outstanding legal professionals in the judiciary, private practice, in-house practice, academia, and public policy advocacy for their contributions to the advancement of intellectual property law.

IP Vanguard Awards nomination period for 2023 is now closed.

IP Institute held at the Omni Hotel in San Diego on November 2-4, 2023.

2023 IP Vanguard Awards Honoree

Private Practice

Stephen Doniger, Partner at Doniger / Burroughs

Academic

Orly Lobel at the University of San Diego School of Law

Award Criteria

Achievements are honored in the following categories:

  • In-House Counsel
  • Private Practice
  • Academic / Public Policy
  • Judicial

In-House Counsel

Presented to an outstanding lawyer working in-house for a company or organization and who works substantially in the field of intellectual property law. Criteria to be considered include whether the in-house lawyer has:

  • made significant contributions to, or produced significant impact on, IP law
  • achieved noteworthy success for the lawyer’s company on IP matters
  • demonstrated leadership in the IP bar, the legal profession, and/or the California community

While achievements over a lawyer’s career will be considered, special consideration shall be given to accomplishments in the 2-3 years preceding the award.To be eligible, the recipient must be a member in good standing of the State Bar or be a Registered In-House Counsel in good standing with the State Bar.

Private Practice

Presented to an outstanding lawyer working in private practice, and who works substantially in the field of intellectual property law. Criteria to be considered include whether the private practice lawyer has:

  • made significant contributions to, or produced significant impact on, IP law
  • achieved noteworthy success for the lawyer’s clients on IP matters
  • demonstrated outstanding client service
  • demonstrated leadership in the IP bar, the legal profession, and/or the California community

While achievements over a lawyer’s career will be considered, special consideration shall be given to accomplishments in the 2-3 years preceding the award. To be eligible, the recipient must be a member in good standing of the State Bar.

Academic or Public Policy

Presented to an outstanding law professor, instructor, or academic professional who teaches, lectures and/or writes substantially in the fieldof intellectual property law or to a professional working at a legal or public policy organization who is substantially involved in providing education on topics involving or affecting intellectual property law. Criteria to be consideredinclude whether the individual has:

  • made significant contributions to, or produced significant impact on, IP law through teaching,
  • published writings and/or research.
  • in the case of teaching professionals, demonstrated outstanding teaching ability.
  • demonstrated leadership in the IP bar, the legal profession, and/or the California community

While achievements over a lawyer’s career will be considered, special consideration shall be given to accomplishments in the 2-3 years preceding the award.To be eligible, the recipient need not be a member in good standing of the State Bar but should work substantially in California.

Judiciary

Presented to an outstanding judge or judicial officer who has rendered decisions that affect IP law as practiced in California, even if the individual is not a member of the California bar, and do not work in a court in the State of California. Criteria to be considered include whether the judicial officer has:

  • made significant contributions to, or produced significant impact on, intellectual property law through cases over which the individual has presided
  • made significant contributions to the body of IP law through written case decisions
  • demonstrated leadership in the IP bar, the legal profession, and/or the California community

While achievements over an individual’s career will be considered, special consideration shall be given to case decisions and other accomplishments in the 2-3 years preceding the award.

2022 IP Vanguard Awards Honoree

Private Practice Award

Joseph Gratz (he/him), Partner, Durie Tangri LLP

Academic or Public Policy

Jennifer M. Urban (she/her), Clinical Professor of Law, Director of Policy Initiatives, Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, Faculty Co-Director, Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, UC Berkeley, School of Law 

2021 IP Vanguard Awards Honoree

Lifetime Achievement Award

Professor J. Thomas McCarthy

2019 IP Vanguard Awards Honorees

In-House Counsel

Catherine Lacavera, Vice President of Google LLC

Private Practice

Francoise Gilbert, CEO of Data Minding Legal

Judiciary

Hon. Michael Fitzgerald, United States District Court, Central District of California

Academic

Anthony Reese, Chancellor’s Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine

2018 IP Vanguard Awards Honorees

In-House Counsel

Mallun Yen
Co-founder & COO, SaaStr

Private Practice

Kelly Klaus
Litigation Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson

Judiciary

Pauline Newman
United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Academic

Peter Menell
Koret Professor of Law, Berkeley Law, University of California

2017 IP Vanguard Awards Honorees

Private Practice

Carole Handler
Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP

Judiciary

Honorable Gerard F. Rogers 
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Academic

Colleen V. Chien
Santa Clara University School of Law

2016 IP Vanguard Awards Honorees

In-House Counsel

Fred von Lohmann
Legal Director, Copyright
Google, Inc.

Private Practice

Heather J. Meeker
Technology Transactions Partner
O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Judiciary

Honorable Ronald M. Whyte
United States District Court
Northern District of California

Academic

Kevin J. Greene
Professor of Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law

2015 IP Vanguard Award Honorees

In-House Counsel

Mei-lan Stark
Senior Vice President, Intellectual Property
Fox Entertainment Group, USA

Private Practice

Jonathan Pink
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith

Judiciary

Honorable M. Margaret McKeown 
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Academic or Public Policy

Dan L. Burk 
Chancellor’s Professor of Law
University of California , Irvine School of Law

2014 IP Vanguard Award Honorees

In-House Counsel

Dean S. Marks
Senior Vice President
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Private Practice

Andrew P. Bridges
Partner
Fenwick & West LLP

Judiciary

Honorable Paul S. Grewal
United States Magistrate Judge
for the Northern District of California

Academic or Public Policy

Diane Peters
General Counsel
Creative Commons

2013 IP Vanguard Award Honoree

In-House

Lee Cheng
Chief Legal Officer
Newegg

Private Practice/Outside Counsel

I. Neel Chatterjee
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Judicial

Honorable Lucy Koh
United States District Court
Northern District of California

Academic

Neil W. Netanel
Professor
UCLA School of Law

2012 IP Vanguard Awards Honorees

In-House Counsel

Alexander Macgillivray
General Counsel, Twitter

Private Practice

Kate H. Murashige
Morrison Foerster

Judiciary

Honorable William Alsup
United States District Court
Northern District of California

Academic or Public Policy

Pamela Samuelson
Faculty Director
Berkeley Center for Law & Technology

2011 IP Vanguard Award Honorees

In-House Counsel

Jay Monahan
Deputy General Counsel,
Zynga Inc.

Private Practice

Adrian Pruetz
Pruetz Law Group

Judiciary

Hon. Alex Kozinzki
Chief Judge, U.S. Court of
Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Academic or Public Policy

Eric Goldman
Associate Professor of Law,
Director of the High Tech
Law Institute,
Santa Clara University School of Law

2010 IP Vanguard Award Honorees

In-House Counsel

Brett Alten 
Director of Patent Development
Apple, Inc.

Private Practice

Ian C. Ballon
Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Judiciary

Hon. Jeremy D. Fogel
U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of
California

Academic or Public Policy

Cindy Cohn
Legal Director
Electronic Frontier
Foundation

2009 IP Vanguard Awards Honorees – Inaugural Year

In-House Counsel

Gregory P. Goeckner
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc.

Private Practice

Jane Shay Wald
Partner and Chair of Trademark Practice Group
Irell & Manella LLP

Judiciary

Hon. A. Howard Matz 
Judge of the United States District Court
Central District of California

Academic or Public Policy

Mark A. Lemley
William H. Neukom Professor of Law
Stanford Law School;
Director, Stanford Program in Law,
Science and Technology

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