Leadership
Directors and Officers
President J. Steven Baughman (Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP)

President-Elect W. Karl Renner (Fish & Richardson P.C.)

Vice President David Higer (Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP)

Treasurer Gene Lee (Perkins Coie)

Secretary Teresa Stanek Rea (Crowell & Moring LLP)

The America Invents Act may have taken at least seven years to come to fruition but it was worth the wait. The success of the AIA is best demonstrated by the popularity of the new trial proceedings before the PTAB. These new proceedings are now a mainstay of every litigators armamentarium. Their significance and value are appreciated by most practitioners in the United States but it is worthwhile to note that our international colleagues are immersed in the nuances of these proceedings as well. Many patent disputes can now be handled more efficiently, quickly and cost-effectively. We have the PTO to thank for getting everything up and running so quickly and for reaching out to our community as things progressed. The PTO remains flexible and continues to revise the rules as the need arises. That outreach is important and will be enhanced by the creation of our new bar association.
Past President Naveen Modi (Paul Hastings LLP)

Alison Baldwin (Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP)

Andrew Baluch (Smith Baluch LLP)

Courtenay Brinckerhoff (Foley & Lardner)

While a lot of attention is paid to AIA patent trials, the bulk of my PTAB practice involves representing clients in ex parte appeals from examiner rejections. The 60-70% affirmance rate and authority of the administrative patent judges to enter new grounds of rejection can make appearing before the PTAB a challenging undertaking, but we all share the same goal of strengthening the U.S. patent system through the grant of valid patents. Advocates for applicants can do their part by creating a strong record for appeal, focusing on controlling issues, and presenting their arguments clearly and succinctly, and administrative patent judges can do their part by taking an unbiased, fresh look at the record. The PTAB Bar Association provides a unique opportunity to work with USPTO and PTAB leadership to further these goals from all perspectives.
David Cavanaugh (WilmerHale)

Mita Chatterjee (Hologic, Inc.)

Herb Hart (McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd.)

David W. OBrien (Haynes and Boone, LLP)
Megan F. Raymond (Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP)

Li-Hsien (Lily) Rin-Laures (RinLaures LLC)

Tom Rozylowicz (Fish & Richardson)

Jason Stach (Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP)

Jon Wright (Sterne Kessler)
