Tsai Talks

The Tsai Center sponsors periodic presentations and discussions at the 无码专区 Dedman School of Law by professors, judges, and attorneys on topics at the intersection of law, science, and innovation. Organized by the Tsai Center Scholars and typically occurring over lunch, these presentations and discussions—often responding to hot topics and current events—bring the real world into the classroom. Tsai Talks help students make connections between the study and the practice of law, and challenge students to understand relationships between public policies and positive law. Tsai Talks invite students to explore differences between normative ideas about what the law should be and descriptive views of what the law is.

2024-2025 Tsai Talks

  • Tech Transactions Unveiled: Mergers, Acquisitions, and Tomorrow's Innovations
    Lauren Grau, Partner, Sidley
  • From Prototype to Patient Care: The Power of IP in Medical Device Innovation
    Andy Lowes, Partner and Chair of Intellectual Property Department, Haynes Boone
  • Legal Strategies and Response Tactics for Data Breaches
    Amanda Harvey, Partner, Mullen Coughlin
  • Healthcare on Trial: Exploring Medical Malpractice and Dr. Death
    Kay Van Wey, Founder and Principal Attorney, Van Wey, Metzler & Williams
  • Navigating Emerging Trends in IP Law: Intellectual Property Litigation and Patent Prosecution
    Moriah Bisewski, Associate, Fletcher Yoder; Freda Li, Associate, Fletcher Yoder; Rob Levy, IP Litigation Associate, Vinson & Elkins 

Past Tsai Talks

2023-2024

  • Hot Topics in Intellectual Property Law
    Carl Bruce, Principal, Fish & Richardson
  • Betting Big: The Ins and Outs of Sports Betting Law & Venture Capital
    Kevin Vela, Managing Partner, Vela Wood
  • Bar to Business: A Discussion on Running Your Own Firm
    Austin Champion ’08, Attorney and Proprietor, Champion LLP
  • The Inside Scoop on Working In-House & in IP at Caterpillar
    Elise Selinger, Corporate Counsel, Caterpillar Inc.
  • The Ledger and the Law: Tales from the Frontier of Cryptocurrency Litigation and Regulation
    Daley Epstein ‘18, Associate, McDermott, Will & Emery

2022-2023

  • Health Law Series: Opioid Litigation: A View from the Inside
    Darren Nicholson
  • Get Connected: The Internet of Things
    Luke McLeroy
  • Health Law Series: The Future of Medicine, Today
    A Conversation with Bethany McGaha '10, Director and Managing Attorney – Healthcare Transactions, UT Southwestern Medical Center

2021-2022

  • Let Them Play (And Get Paid): Name, Image and Likeness Deals and NCAA Compliance
    Damilola Sule, 无码专区 Director of Compliance
    Rob Heuer, 无码专区 Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance
  • White Coats and Black Robes: Pharmaceutical Innovation and the Law
    Frank Grassler, Member, Martin Fulton, PLLC
  • Regulating an Evolving AI Landscape
    Yoon Chae, Senior Associate, Baker McKenzie

2020-2021

  • COVID-19 and the Law: Technology & The Health Surveillance State
    Professor Chris Jenks
  • COVID-19 and the Law
    Director of the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center and Professor of Law
    Pam Metzger
  • COVID-19 and the Law: COVID-19 and the Constitution
    Professor Dale Carpenter
  • COVID-19 and the Law: Voting in the Pandemic
    Professor Grant Hayden
  • COVID-19 and the Law: Observing Online Courts: Lessons from the Pandemic
    Professor Beth Thornburg
  • COVID-19 and the Law: Law and the Search for a COVID-19 Vaccine
    Professor Nathan Cortez
  • Leggo My Logo! Using Trademarks to Protect a Brand
    Charles Phipps and Joe Unis, Locke Lord

2019-2020

  • IP in the Sky: Uber Elevate and Autonomous Driving Technology
    Chris Storm, IP Legal Director, Uber Emerging Technology Programs
  • Tales from the Crypt(o): How Cryptocurrency is Resurrecting the Legal Market
    Lacey Shrum, Vela Wood
  • Art Law and Copyright: How A Small Firm Takes on National Cases
    Thomas Maddrey '14, Maddrey PLLC
  • #Trending: Cybersecurity in Social Media and Advertising
    Brittany DeGan, General Counsel for rewardStyle
    Ryan Summer Parley, Director and Senior Counsel at Neiman Marcus Group
  • A Talk with IBM: Unconscious Bias and Artificial Intelligence
    Emi Olsson,Distinguished Engineer and Chief Technology Officer
    Michael Riep, Vice President, Sector Delivery Executive

2018-2019

  • An Inside View of Startup Law
    Timothy J. Harris, Managing Partner, Morrison Foerster, Palo Alto, CA
  • AT&T: Technology, Lawyers, & the Law 
    David Huntt Baker, Senior Legal Counsel, AT&T 
  • Is That Fair (Use)? Third Party Trademarks in Film, Print, Video Games and other Media
    Tamera H. Bennett, The Bennett Firm
  • A Discussion of Privacy Regulation and Cybersecurity
    Jim Elliott, Assistant Regional Director, Southwest Region, Federal Trade Commission
    Richard "Jay" Johnson, Partner, Jones Day

2017-2018

  • Advice for Practicing Technology Law In-House
    Irwin Barnes, SVP and Deputy General Counsel, Fidelity Investments (ret.)
  • Technology and Data Protection in the Aviation Industry
    Donald Broadfield, Jr., Chief Intellectual Property & Data Counsel, American Airlines, Inc.
  • Creating Growth-Oriented IP Strategies for Startups
    Michael Henry '12, Principal, Henry Patent Law Firm 
  • Inside the Energy Industry
    Michael Haynes, General Counsel for Riata Corporate Group
  • The Economics of Innovation
    Lonnie Brist, a PhD economist and Transfer Pricing Partner, Ernst & Young
  • Commercializing Technology for the Benefit of Patients
    Frank Grassler, VP of Technology Development at UT Southwestern Medical School

2016-2017

  • Legal Support of the Automotive Industry and Beyond
    Nilay S. Dave' and Frederick Mau, Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
  • Universities and Innovation
    Teresa Schultz, University of Texas at Arlington's Office of Technology Management, and Abigail Go, University of Texas at Dallas' Office of Technology Commercialization
  • What Every Intellectual Property Associate Needs to Know
    Lisa Evert, Hitchcock Evert LLP
  • Healthcare Employment Contracts
    Martin Merritt, an attorney at Friedman & Feiger, addressed unique aspects of employment contracts in the healthcare industry
  • Oh, There Goes Gravity...The Effects of Alice on a Software-Focused Patent Practice
    Brian McCormack and Sreenivas Vedantam, attorneys at Baker & McKenzie LLP, discussed the impact of the Supreme Court's landmark decision on the law governing patent eligibility in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International.
  • From a Single Patent to a Corporate Strategy: How Companies Use IP Assets to Further Business Goal
    Brianna Hinojosa-Flores, Senior Manager and Patent Counsel with Blackberry, Inc., discussed how companies use their intellectual property assets--patents and trademarks in particular--to further their business goals.
  • The FAA's New Drone Regulations
    Vincent Allen, an attorney at Carstens & Cahoon LLP, discussed the FAA's new regulations of drones.

2015-2016

  • Food, Drugs, and Rock and Roll – The FDA and the Evolution of Deference, Due Process, and the First Amendment
    Michael Walsh from Strasburger & Price, LLP discussed the recent decision of the 2nd Circuit to curtail the FDA’s power to bar a manufacturer from disseminating scientific and medical information.
  • Legal Issues Arising During the Construction of a Methanol Plant
    Ashley Duffie from Celanese Corporation discussed the legal issues that arise during the development and construction of a methanol production plant.  
  • Innovation—Thoughts on a Lawyer's Role
    Max Ciccarelli, Thompson & Knight LLP
  • Recent and Significant Issues in Environmental Law: A Potpourri
    Rick Addison, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr
  • Technology's Role in the Changing Face of Healthcare
    Michael S. Byrd, ByrdAdatto
  • Recent Invalidation of U.S. Safe Harbor Laws: Data/Privacy Implications for Certified Companies
    Mina Saifi, Hewlett-Packard Company
  • Patent Litigation Reform: Are We There Yet?
    Christa Brown-Sanford, Baker Botts LLP 
  • The Role of Privacy in Emerging Technologies
    Jamie Sorley, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services