The IP Section has created the Larry Maxham Award to recognize and celebrate long-standing dedication to the Intellectual Property Section.

Announcing the 2026 Larry Maxham Award Recipient

Neil Smith, Attorney at Law Patents and Intellectual Property

Neil Smith practiced intellectual property law in San Francisco for  50 years, after clerking for Judge Giles Rich, on the predecessor to the Federal Circuit. First with Limbach & Limbach, an IP boutique, and then with other CA firms, until he was appointed as the first Judge for the USPTO Patent Trial & Appeal Board in Silicon Valley. After that, he has been doing principally IP, mediation and arbitration, and counseling. while continuing his extensive volunteer service, leadership, and education of IP lawyers. Neil is Of Counsel to IP firm, KB-ASH. 

Neil has great dedication to the State Bar/CLA.  Neil was on the IP Executive Committee, and also on ExComs of International Law, and CLA’s ADR Committee, where he served as Chair, Neil was presented the “Distinguished Service Award,” by the CLA Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution. He is on the ADR panels of AAA and FedArb, NDCA, the Federal Circuit, and FedArb, and was just appointed to the Panel of Mediators, Arbitrators and Experts for the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the Unified Patent Court.

Inaugural Larry Maxham Award Honoree: Larry Maxham

Amongst many other accomplishments, Larry attended our Annual IP Institute for the past 40 years and while practicing IP law for more than 50 years he helped countless clients in patent, copyright, trademark, and other IP matters. Accordingly, it is only fitting that our inaugural recipient of this award is Larry – albeit posthumously.

Past Larry Maxham Award Honorees