Washington in the West 2026
by Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA)
Washington in the West 2026 is a full-day conference tailored for patent and trademark practitioners, organized by the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA). This annual event offers dedicated tracks for both patent and trademark law, providing attendees with exceptional programming and opportunities to connect with leaders shaping the future of intellectual property law.
The conference features a keynote luncheon discussion with Director John A. Squires of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, covering new developments in PTO policy, including emerging technologies like AI, patent eligibility, and IPR institutions. Additional sessions include topics such as developments in IPR trials at the PTAB, protecting innovation and managing global portfolios, recalibrating Section 101, patent damages trends, AI governance in private practice, effective use of consumer surveys in trademark litigation, strategies for navigating sports sponsorships and ambush marketing, advanced practice at the TTAB, and challenges in trademark enforcement during product launches.
The event will be held on January 29, 2026, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, offering first-class education and networking opportunities. Notable speakers include Kalyan Deshpande, Acting Chief Judge for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board; Jason Lott, Managing Attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach; and Christopher Larkin, Administrative Trademark Judge at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
This conference is ideal for patent and trademark attorneys seeking to stay abreast of the latest developments in intellectual property law, earn up to 5.5 MCLE-accredited hours, and network with top IP professionals.
Speakers(42)
Alidu Salifu
Counsel, Sponsorships & Licensing at US Soccer
Alidu Salifu will participate in the 'Game On! Winning Strategies for Navigating Sports Sponsorships and Ambush Marketing' panel.
Arka Chatterjee
Director & Principal IP Counsel at Natera
Arka Chatterjee will participate in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' panel.
Ashe Puri
Partner at Nixon Peabody
Ashe Puri will participate in the 'Recalibrating Section 101: Administrative Developments and the New Era of Patent Eligibility' panel.
Brian Horne
Partner at Knobbe Martens
Brian Horne will be a panelist in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' session.
Brian Rupp
VP, Legal, Intellectual Property at Warner Bros. Discovery
Brian Rupp will be a panelist in the 'From Clearance to Commercialization and Beyond – In House Perspective on How to Navigate Trademark Challenges in Product Launches and Trademark Enforcement' session.
Charlotte Wen
Partner at Irell & Manella
Charlotte Wen will participate in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' panel.
Christian Tregillis
Partner at Hemming Morse
Christian Tregillis will be a panelist in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' session.
Christopher Larkin
Administrative Trademark Judge at Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
Judge Larkin will participate in the 'Advanced Practice at the TTAB' panel.
Cynthia Cohen
Survey Expert at Verdict Success
Cynthia Cohen will participate in 'The Effective Use of Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation and PTO Update' panel.
Daniel Latimer
Sales and Product Counsel at Honda
Daniel Latimer will participate in the 'From Clearance to Commercialization and Beyond – In House Perspective on How to Navigate Trademark Challenges in Product Launches and Trademark Enforcement' panel.
David S. Meyer
Associate Director, Global Intellectual Property at Illumina
David Meyer will be a panelist in the 'Recalibrating Section 101: Administrative Developments and the New Era of Patent Eligibility' session.
Donald Bollella
Chief Patent Counsel at Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
Donald Bollella will be a panelist in the 'Protecting Innovation and Managing Global Portfolios' session.
Eric Lin
Vice President of Strategy at Patlytics
Eric Lin will participate in the 'AI in Private Practice: AI Governance and Best Practices' panel.
Erica Van Loon
Partner at Armond Wilson
Erica Van Loon will be a panelist in 'The Effective Use of Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation and PTO Update' session.
Graham Cole
Director, IP, Office of Technology Licensing at City of Hope
Graham Cole will be a panelist in the 'Protecting Innovation and Managing Global Portfolios' session.
Helen Omapas
Global Head of Trademarks, Design Patents, Brand Enforcement & Marketing at Harman International
Helen Omapas will participate in the 'From Clearance to Commercialization and Beyond – In House Perspective on How to Navigate Trademark Challenges in Product Launches and Trademark Enforcement' panel.
Jacob Peterson
Partner at Morgan Lewis
Jacob Peterson will participate in the 'Developments in IPR Trials at the PTAB' panel.
Jason Lott
Managing Attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach at USPTO
Jason Lott will be a panelist in 'The Effective Use of Consumer Surveys in Trademark Litigation and PTO Update' session.
Jennifer Chiang
IP Counsel at Anthropic
Jennifer Chiang will be a panelist in the 'AI in Private Practice: AI Governance and Best Practices' session.
Jennifer Pascua
Vice President, Global Intellectual Property at Illumina
Jennifer Pascua will participate in the 'Protecting Innovation and Managing Global Portfolios' panel.
Jessica Hudak
Vice President, Corporate Counsel at Edwards Lifesciences
Jessica Hudak will be a panelist in the 'Recalibrating Section 101: Administrative Developments and the New Era of Patent Eligibility' session.
John A. Squires
Director at United States Patent and Trademark Office
Director Squires will cover new developments in PTO policy, including emerging technologies like AI, patent eligibility, IPR institutions, and more in a keynote luncheon discussion.
John R. Sommer
Attorney at Sommer Law
John Sommer will be a panelist in the 'Beyond Confusion: When Trademarks Fail to Function, Surname Refusals, and Other Challenges' session.
Jonathan Hyman
Partner at Knobbe Martens
Jonathan Hyman will be a panelist in the 'Beyond Confusion: When Trademarks Fail to Function, Surname Refusals, and Other Challenges' session.
Kalyan Deshpande
Acting Chief Judge at Patent Trial and Appeal Board
Judge Deshpande will participate in the 'Developments in IPR Trials at the PTAB' panel.
Mark Kachner
Partner at Knobbe Martens
Mark Kachner will participate in the 'Patent Damages Trends from Trial to Appeal' panel.
Mary Beth Myles
Of Counsel at Greenberg Traurig
Mary Beth Myles will be a panelist in the 'Advanced Practice at the TTAB' session.
Melinda Michalerya
IP Counsel at Advanced Bionics
Melinda Michalerya will participate in the 'AI in Private Practice: AI Governance and Best Practices' panel.
Michael McCue
Partner at Womble Bond Dickinson
Michael McCue will be a panelist in the 'From Clearance to Commercialization and Beyond – In House Perspective on How to Navigate Trademark Challenges in Product Launches and Trademark Enforcement' session.
Miranda Salazar
Counsel, Intellectual Property at LA28
Miranda Salazar will be a panelist in the 'Game On! Winning Strategies for Navigating Sports Sponsorships and Ambush Marketing' session.
Nicholas Fung
Partner at Morrison Foerster
Nicholas Fung will be a panelist in the 'AI in Private Practice: AI Governance and Best Practices' session.
Patrick Maloney
Partner at Cork Maloney
Patrick Maloney will be a panelist in the 'Developments in IPR Trials at the PTAB' session.
Peter Jovanovic
Legal Director, IP at Dell
Peter Jovanovic will be a panelist in the 'Developments in IPR Trials at the PTAB' session.
Raffi Zerounian
Partner at Hanson Bridgett
Raffi Zerounian will participate in the 'Advanced Practice at the TTAB' panel.
Rebecca Liebowitz
Partner at Venable
Rebecca Liebowitz will participate in the 'Beyond Confusion: When Trademarks Fail to Function, Surname Refusals, and Other Challenges' panel.
Sarah Brooks
Partner at Venable
Sarah Brooks will participate in the 'Advanced Practice at the TTAB' panel.
Sasha Sokhis
VP, Head of Client Relations and Business Development at Unified Patents
Sasha Sokhis will participate in the 'Developments in IPR Trials at the PTAB' panel.
Sepp Zanganeh
Partner at Patterson + Sheridan
Sepp Zanganeh will be a panelist in the 'Recalibrating Section 101: Administrative Developments and the New Era of Patent Eligibility' session.
Silvia Dondi
Partner at Bugnion S.p.A.
Silvia Dondi will participate in the 'Protecting Innovation and Managing Global Portfolios' panel.
Simon Ford
Senior Lead IP Legal Counsel at Dexcom
Simon Ford will participate in the 'Recalibrating Section 101: Administrative Developments and the New Era of Patent Eligibility' panel.
Susan Natland
Partner at BakerHostetler
Susan Natland will moderate the keynote luncheon discussion with Director John A. Squires.
Theresa Conduah
Partner at Alston & Bird
Theresa Conduah will be a panelist in the 'Game On! Winning Strategies for Navigating Sports Sponsorships and Ambush Marketing' session.
Event Details
- Date
- March 20, 2026
- Location
- 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United States
- Millennium Biltmore Hotel
- Audience
- Patent and trademark practitioners
- CLE Credits
- Up to 5.5 MCLE-accredited hours