Ian DiBernardo, Chair IP Litigation, Co-Head US Technology Practice, Brown Rudnick LLP

Ian DiBernardo is a partner and chair of Brown Rudnick's Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group. He is also co-practice group leader of the U.S. Technology group. His dual leadership roles reflect his decades of experience counseling clients throughout the entire lifecycle of IP and technology, from creating worldwide patent portfolios, to bringing products to market, to licensing IP and technology, to litigating bet-the-company cases.  Ian counsels IP owners in creating, monetizing, asserting, and defending their IP assets, and investors in sourcing, evaluating, and executing on various IP-centric investments.  On behalf of IP owners and operating entities, he has litigated various types of intellectual property disputes, including patent, trade secret, trademark, unfair competition, and breach of contract claims. He has also been lead counsel in a number of post grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He frequently counsels clients on pre-litigation intellectual property matters, including issuing freedom-to-operate opinions, establishing “clean-room” and other procedures for on-boarding employees, and mitigating IP risk with departing employees, including managing IT forensic investigations and addressing concerns of trade secret misappropriation with subsequent employers.

Ian has structured and negotiated a range of intellectual property and technology transactions, including patent, trade secret, know-how, data, copyright, and trademark licenses, and professional services, outsourcing, cloud computing, supply, distribution, and joint development agreements. He has represented clients in a broad range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, and corporate finance transactions.  On behalf of private funds and other clients, Ian frequently conducts due diligence on and negotiates IP related investments, including patent acquisitions, IP-back loans, royalty transactions, and litigation financing.

He has worked with a number of high-tech and life science technologies, including: AgriTech, food science, and nutraceuticals; Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning; Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, image processing and computer vision; CleanTech/GreenTech, FinTech, including securities trading and back office systems and data; MedTech and digital health, including endoscopic, endoluminal, robotic and other surgical instruments, and bioinformatics; computer networking and software, and semiconductors.  Ian has a long history of pro bono service. He has been repeatedly recognized by Chambers USA and Super Lawyers, and he has been named an IP Star by Managing Intellectual Property and a leading individual for litigation and transactions by IAM Patent 1000. In the latest Chambers guide, clients have commented that Ian is “top notch in his analytical ability, client skills, and deep IP transactional and litigation experience” and “an outstanding patent litigation and licensing attorney. Ian’s advice cuts right to the heart of the issue at hand. He is very creative in his solutions and he identifies issues others miss.”

Stephen Fefferman, Executive Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs for Paramount Global

Stephen leads the Advertising, Global Sourcing and Enterprise Technology legal group, a team of approximately 30 lawyers and legal professionals. Stephen supports broad multi-disciplinary client groups within Paramount, providing transactional and advisory support to the advertising sales and operations, cross-brand marketing, research and insights, content protection, and technology divisions.  The Paramount Global domestic ad sales organization alone generates approximately $10 billion dollars in annual revenue and the cross-functional technology organization manages billions of dollars of infrastructure across the globe. 

Prior to joining Viacom in 2010, Stephen was Vice President, Assistant General Counsel for Marc Ecko Enterprises, a multi-billion dollar fashion, apparel and lifestyle brand.   Stephen began his legal career as an associate at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and later at Meister, Seelig & Fein.  He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Fordham University School of Law. 

Mark Leonard, CEO, ScaleIP

Mark Leonard is CEO of ScaleIP, a IP monetization software. He is restarting the LES Colorado Chapter. Mark is on a mission to improve science’s impact on society. His passion for Big Data, Machine Learning, and Data Modeling began during his PhD program at the University of Colorado and NOAA.

Alex Markov, Head of Licensing, ASM International

Alex Markov is currently the Head of IP Licensing at ASM International, CVD equipment manufacturing supplier in semiconductors industry. Alex has 25 years of semiconductor industry experience in the full array of semiconductor processes and operations. In his current role, Alex is responsible for all IP commercialization at ASM, both patents and trade secrets/know-how.

Jeff Stern is MSCI’s Deputy General Counsel, Head of Commercial Legal and Head of Compliance. Prior to joining MSCI, Jeff held a variety of positions in the Legal and Compliance Division of Morgan Stanley, including in its Technology Law Group and Infrastructure Compliance. Previously, Jeff was an associate at Latham & Watkins and at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Jeff attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review, and Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude.

Jeff believes passionately in diversity and inclusion as a means to attract top talent, turbocharge team performance, and achieve new levels of client-centricity. Jeff co-founded MSCI’s All Abilities Employee Resource Group for employees with disabilities, caregivers and allies. He also co-founded the All Abilities Group of the New York City Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel when he was Chapter President.

Kathleen Turland, former Chief Legal Officer, ArisGlobal

Global, strategic legal leader, known for ability to spot issues and mitigate risk. Expert at working collaboratively and bringing cross-functional teams together to solve business and legal problems pragmatically. Sought after colleague and manager. Broad based experience across multiple industries including energy, finance, construction, technology, and consumer products.

-- Proven success managing teams through large scale company transitions.
-- Able to deliver complex legal advice in a pragmatic and understandable way.
-- Highly adept at issue spotting, applying practical judgment, and devising business-oriented solutions.
-- Focused on mitigating risk while maximizing business strategy and growth.
-- Partner to HR and People Management teams on labor and employment issues.
-- Experienced at leading corporate governance, and corporate transactions/acquisitions/dispositions
-- Demonstrated ability developing right-sized legal, compliance and regulatory programs
-- Top-notch litigator and successful manager of complex litigation and investigation matters globally.
-- Known for authentic style, work ethic, and sense of humor.

Jennifer Vanderhart, PhD, Managing Director, Secretariat

Ray Van Dyke, Attorney, Van Dyke Intellectual Property Law

Raymond Van Dyke is an IP/Patent Attorney and Educator. In his practice he helps a variety of clients in their IP matters. He specializes in patent and trademark matters in various technologies, litigation, licensing, and procurement. After being a partner in big firms, he started his own IP consultancy in Washington, DC, with diverse domestic and international clientele and technologies, handling matters at the USPTO, Federal Circuit and local State and Federal courts. He is an Adjunct Professor at Geroge Washington University, and teaches IP courses for engineers, business people and other professionals at the University of Maryland and George Mason University, also teaching about the history and philosophy of IP, history of technology, famous inventors and deals, etc.  He has also taught at Southern Methodist University, American University, and across the world.  Ray also teaches at NIH and other institutions. He is the Senior Vice President of Special Events at LES and Chair of the LES DC Chapter; an AIPLA Fellow and former Chair of a number of Committees; Chair of the Montgomery County Bar Association IP Section, former Board Member of the DC Chapter of the ACM, former Board Member of ITechLaw (Computer Law Association); and continues his involvement in IPO, the MSBA, AIPPI, ABA, BIO, IEEE and other legal and technical organizations. Ray got his BS, MS in Computer Science and law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is licensed to practice in DC, MD, NY, NJ and TX, as well as the USPTO, and is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, Federal, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Circuit Courts and a number of District Courts, Court of International Trade and Federal Court of Claims.  Ray also continues in his efforts to fight on behalf of the small inventor community in protecting the principles of the patent system.