The 2026 Trade Secret Summit is a premier conference dedicated to the exploration and advancement of trade secret law, organized by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). This event brings together a diverse group of professionals, including private practitioners, in-house counsel, government officials, and academics, to discuss the latest developments and challenges in the field.
The summit's agenda covers a wide range of pertinent topics, such as the nuances of trade secrets in Texas, industry-specific panels focusing on financial services, and discussions on government enforcement and legislation concerning non-compete agreements. Attendees will also delve into recent trends in trade secret damages, the role of forensics in litigation, and the intersection of artificial intelligence with trade secrets.
In addition to the comprehensive sessions, the summit offers ample networking opportunities, including breakfasts, lunches, and a dedicated networking reception. Notable speakers include Russell Beck, founder of Beck Reed Riden LLP; Lea Dearing, shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn PC; and Mark Klapow, partner at Crowell & Moring LLP, among others.
This summit is ideal for legal professionals, corporate counsel, and academics specializing in intellectual property and trade secret law. Attendees will gain valuable insights into current trends, legal strategies, and best practices, enhancing their expertise and professional networks in this critical area of law.
Speakers(9)
Cathy Lui
Litigation Partner at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
Cathy Lui is a litigation partner at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and she is based in the San Francisco office. Cathy primarily specializes in trade secrets litigation and her practice crosses all industries and sectors including tech, life sciences, retail, and financial services, among others. Cathy also engages in complex commercial litigation including employee mobility, false advertising, and other commercial disputes. Her matters are often high-profile and industry changing. For her achievements, Legal500 has repeatedly recognized her as a 'Next Gen Lawyer' in Trade Secrets and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association honored Cathy as a 2019 Best Lawyer Under 40. Cathy is also very involved in her community and with DEI initiatives. She previously served as Orrick’s hiring partner for San Francisco, was a Fellow with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and a former co-chair of the Judiciary Committee for the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area.
Dean A. Pelletier
Founder at Pelletier Law
Dean has been practicing IP law for 25 years and focuses on leveraging patents and trade secrets. Dean’s litigation, trial and appellate experience includes experience in federal and state courts and at the ITC.
Erik Weibust
Partner at Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
Erik Weibust is a Partner in the Boston office of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., where he is Vice Chair of the firm’s Trade Secret & Employee Mobility practice group. Many of the world’s leading pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, technology, financial services, staffing, and insurance companies look to Erik for thoughtful and practical advice concerning how best to protect their trade secrets and customer relationships from misappropriation by former employees, ex-business partners, competitors, and hostile actors in the United States and abroad, and to avoid liability when hiring from competitors. When necessary, clients rely on Erik for aggressive representation in litigation, where he has won substantial victories in court and at the negotiating table, including broad-reaching injunctive relief and multimillion-dollar payouts, in trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition, and breach of restrictive covenant cases.
John Marsh
Member at Bailey Cavalieri LLC
As the Co-Chair of the Firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group, John’s commercial litigation practice concentrates on trade secrets and the enforcement of restrictive covenants throughout the United States. John has been consistently recognized by Best Lawyers of America for Intellectual Property Litigation, including Lawyer of the Year in Columbus in 2022 and 2024.
Lea Dearing
Shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn PC
A Shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn, Lea counsels companies regarding disputes that arise in every day operations.
Mark A. Klapow
Partner at Crowell & Moring LLP
Mark A. Klapow is a partner in the firm's Litigation Group. He litigates complex commercial and intellectual property disputes, including trade secrets cases. Mark has represented Fortune 500 companies including Alcoa, AT&T, Caterpillar, Dow, Ericsson, ExxonMobil, Intel, Lenovo, Molson Coors, and Western Union in federal and state courts across the country.
Michael D. Weil
Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Michael Weil represents employers in a wide range of employment disputes, with a focus on class and representative actions asserting multimillion dollars in damages and high stakes noncompete, employee mobility, and trade secrets matters arising from a variety of industries, including life sciences, technology, retail, and financial services, throughout the United States.
Rachel Powitzky Steely
Partner at Foley & Lardner LLP
Rachel Powitzky Steely is a leading female trial lawyer in Texas. Rachel has been recognized as one of the top 50 female lawyers in Texas, selected as a Houston elite 100 lawyer and was named a top 20 female trial lawyer by Texas Lawyer Magazine, the only trade secret/employment attorney to receive the honor. Rachel’s trial experience includes employment, commercial, corporate and insurance matters. She has won multimillion dollar verdicts and defended companies against claims exceeding 100 million dollars.
Russell Beck
Founder at Beck Reed Riden LLP
Russell Beck is a business, trade secrets, and employee mobility litigator, nationally recognized for his trade secrets and noncompete experience. He was invited to the Obama White House to develop guidelines for the proper use of noncompetes, and has been cited as an expert on trade secrets and noncompetes by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the White House, the Treasury Department, National Public Radio, the BBC World News Service, PBS Newshour, Le Monde, and many others.
Event Details
- Date
- April 23-24, 2026
- 2 days
- Location
- 🇺🇸 Arlington, United States
- Texas A&M Law Center
- Pricing
- $55 - $895
- Audience
- Legal professionals, corporate counsel, academics specializing in intellectual property and trade secret law.
- CLE Credits
- CLE Pending