The AI Governance & Strategy Summit: Palo Alto

Stan Gibson, Chairman of JMBM’s Patent Litigation Group, is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with over 30 years of experience handling high-stakes technology and trade secrets disputes. He secured a $24.8 million jury verdict in a Bluetooth trade secrets case and led Medtronic v. Michelson to a $570 million verdict, resulting in a historic $1.35 billion patent portfolio acquisition. His expertise spans satellite technology, medical devices, software, and LCD manufacturing. Recognized in Best Lawyers in America® and leading a U.S. News & World Report First-Tier ranked practice, Gibson is frequently quoted by The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times on key IP issues. He also publishes the Patent Lawyer Blog, offering insights on patent and trade secrets litigation.

Brandon Reilly is the leader of Manatt’s Privacy and Data Security practice and is recognized globally for his work in privacy and cyber law and as a “Top 40 Under 40,” “Top Cyber,” and “Top Artificial Intelligence” lawyer in California. A trusted go-to advisor on privacy, data governance, data security and AI issues for a sophisticated client base, Brandon is skilled at developing business-focused privacy and security frameworks aimed at maximizing data asset value and mitigating future enforcement and litigation risk. His practice spans legal and consulting disciplines, including strategic advice, regulatory compliance, transactions, government policy, security compliance and procedures, data breach responses, litigation, and government investigations and enforcement actions.

https://www.manatt.com/brandon-reilly

Malgorzata “Gosia” Kulczycka is an experienced attorney in the firm’s San Jose office with a broad-based IP law practice. With more than 15 years of legal experience, Gosia works to protect and support her client’s intellectual property through patent preparation and prosecution and by employing trademark and brand protection strategies for and against infringement claims.

Inventor herself, Gosia practices in various IP areas and technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, communication technologies, complex software, and more.

Gosia also has extensive experience in computer graphics and computer networks. She has procured and managed large IP client accounts in computer graphics and AI.

Seth Schreiberg currently leads the privacy and product legal team at Ancestry.com, navigating complex and evolving privacy and AI issues to help users explore their past so they can discover, preserve, and share their unique family stories. Prior to joining Ancestry.com, Seth served first as litigation counsel and later as lead product counsel for driver and marketplace teams at Uber during its hyper-growth phase. Seth began his legal career as a litigator at Morrison & Foerster after earning a law degree from Berkeley Law.

Luke Burton is Senior Counsel, IP at Gilead Sciences, where he advises on strategic IP transactions, often involving AI/ML.  Luke has developed comprehensive IP strategies for machine learning programs, including harvesting innovations and prosecuting to issuance of a strategic patent portfolio and setting and implementing trade secret policies to protect sensitive competitive data from disclosure.

Rachel is Senior Legal Director, Data and Digital at Cepheid, helping the company lead the Company’s, data and AI legal strategy. An outcome-driven legal advisor, Rachel specializes in AI product counseling and designing and implementing AI governance and data sharing initiatives.

I am a risk-tolerant and growth-minded legal and compliance executive with 20 years of experience.

At Paradigm, I built the legal, compliance, privacy and security functions from the ground up. I have overseen these departments during a period of intense acquisitive growth by both headcount and product/service offerings as well as several changes in private equity ownership.

My specialty is developing and optimizing legal and compliance department processes during periods of rapid scaling. I am an able crisis manager and agile business partner who adjusts quickly to seize new opportunities.

Executive teams value me as a collaborative partner who listens actively and searches proactively for solutions. My passion for building high-performing teams is evident from the quality of their work and their commitment to carrying out my leadership philosophy.

Alexandra Ross is Senior Director, Senior Data Protection, Use & Ethics Counsel at Autodesk, Inc. where she provides legal, strategic and governance support for Autodesk’s global privacy, security, and Trusted AI programs. She is also an Advisor to BreachRx , an Advisor to the USF Strategic AI Program, and a Member of Women Leaders in Data and AI (WLDA). Previously she was Senior Counsel at Paragon Legal and Associate General Counsel for Wal-Mart Stores.  She is a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, FIP and PLS) and a frequent speaker at privacy and security conferences.  She holds a law degree from Hastings College of Law and a B.S. in theater from Northwestern University.

With over 15 years of experience in senior HR roles, Lindsay Harris has led impactful HR transformations. At Fitness & Wellness Professional Services, she managed an $8M staffing budget and grew the company from 500 to 1,600 employees. Now at Interstate Equities Corporation, she oversees HR strategy, talent acquisition, compensation, benefits, and regulatory compliance. Lindsay specializes in strategic leadership, talent management, compensation strategies, and organizational development. She has a proven track record of enhancing operational efficiency, leading teams, and aligning HR with business goals.

Qian Huang advises major players in technology sectors on intellectual property matters. An experienced attorney with a solid technical background, Qian handles patent matters for clients ranging from Fortune 500 to startup companies, advising on patenting strategy and procurement, legal opinions, freedom to operate, IP due diligence in business transactions, and litigation. With a Ph.D. specializing in AI, Qian has handled a large volume of AI related patent matters over the years, especially in the recent wave of AI, on inventions relating to machine learning models, generative AI, distributed learning, selective training for specialization, big data analytics, and AI-enabled applications, such as personalized services, data mining, unman vehicle, drug discovery, presurgical planning and AI-guided robotic in-surgery navigation, etc. Before becoming an attorney, Qian was a postdoctoral fellow at IBM Research, a research scientist at Siemens Corporate Research and Bell Labs at AT&T with a research focus on machine learning models and applications thereof. Qian calls upon this experience to provide valued legal services to high tech clients.

K.C. Halm is co-chair of DWT’s Technology, Communications, Privacy & Security practice, and co-lead of the AI Team. He provides strategic advice and regulatory counseling to companies developing and deploying AI.

K.C. guides AI developers and early adopters through the emerging regulatory and legal risks in this area. He regularly advises clients on the applicability of new laws and regulations to AI/ML platforms, including the E.U. AI Act, California’s automated decision-making regulations, and NYC Local Law 144. K.C. advises clients on issues surrounding the use of scraped data for training AI/ML models; compliance with new regulatory requirements and disclosures; and advocacy regarding the development of federal and state AI legal frameworks. K.C. also leverages this experience to help clients develop responsible AI policies.

Nancy Libin counsels clients in a wide range of industries regarding compliance with privacy laws and regulations. Nationally recognized by Chambers & Partners for her leadership and expertise in this area, Nancy considers each client’s business operations, objectives, and tolerance for risk to offer practical advice, so that clients can manage and use data effectively—and responsibly—to achieve their business goals.

A former chief privacy and civil liberties officer of the U.S. Department of Justice, and counsel to then-Senator Joe Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Nancy also brings a three-dimensional understanding of law, policy, and strategy that enables her to help clients effectively participate in legislative activity and government proceedings and understand regulatory trends. She has represented clients before federal and state agencies in rulemaking and other policy-related proceedings.

Shikha Mittal is a Senior Director of Product Management at ServiceNow, responsible for bulding AI-native IT workflow software. Shikha brings more than 20 years of experience in Product Management, Data Analytics & AI, and Growth across leading technology companies including Cisco, VMware, and Omnissa. She has a proven track record of building and scaling 0→1 enterprise SaaS products, driving innovation across Digital Workspace, Digital Employee Experience (DEX), AI-powered growth platforms, and SD-WAN/SASE. Beyond her product leadership, Shikha is a frequent keynote speaker, industry advisor, and mentor through her work with FalconX startup accelerator, DevNetworks, and California State University. 

Angela Dunning’s practice focuses on trademark, copyright, trade secrets, unfair competition, and other complex commercial litigation for the world’s top companies. She has tried numerous cases to a jury verdict and has substantial experience in the federal appellate courts, including successful arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in high-profile, published cases. In 2008, Angela served as an assistant district attorney for the City and County of San Francisco under then-District Attorney Kamala Harris, prosecuting criminal cases. Angela is an industry thought leader and regularly writes and speaks about AI issues and the IP, privacy and data security implications of generative AI. She teaches trademark law at UC Berkeley School of Law.

Marcela Robledo is a Privacy and Cybersecurity expert who specializes in technology transactions and has advised numerous high-profile corporations in complex IP and privacy issues, particularly around generative AI. Marcela has been advising technology companies for decades and has participated in some of the most significant technology transactions. A thought leader in technology, intellectual property, and data privacy field, Marcela often attends and speaks at industry-led events and authors articles on topical issues. She is a regular contributor to Cleary IP and Technology Insights blog and Cleary Cybersecurity and Privacy Watch blog.

Robert Hinckley is Managing Shareholder of Buchalter’s Denver office and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Group. Mr. Hinckley practices in both Colorado and California and is also a member of the Los Angeles and Orange County offices. A former prosecutor, Mr. Hinckley is an aggressive and effective trial lawyer, with first-chair experience in more than forty jury trials and more than twenty bench trials and arbitration hearings. Mr. Hinckley has litigated and tried cases in Colorado, California, Florida, Texas, Delaware and elsewhere for a diverse group of business clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small and medium-sized privately held companies.

Mr. Hinckley is a trusted adviser who applies practical solutions to the complex business challenges facing his clients on a daily basis. Mr. Hinckley specializes in commercial and corporate litigation, which includes prosecuting and defending all manner of contractual disputes, including partnership/LLC disputes, stockholder actions and business separations. Mr. Hinckley also commonly litigates real estate disputes, civil fraud, defamation, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference and other business-centered torts. Mr. Hinckley likewise has a significant employment practice on behalf of employers, to include risk management and litigation counseling as well as serving as litigation counsel in the areas of trade secrets, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, wrongful discharge, harassment, discrimination and retaliation.

Mr. Hinckley also frequently litigates complex product contamination matters on a national and international basis on behalf of specialty insurance carriers through subrogation, related to large losses in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.

Mr. Hinckley currently serves as Vice President of the Executive Committee for the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association, the preeminent legal organization in Colorado dedicated to the defense of civil actions and the promotion of fairness and integrity in the civil justice system.

Lestin is a leading PTAB litigator and IP strategist, specializing in IP portfolio development and monetization. He has successfully led over 100 PTAB proceedings, including IPR, PGR, and CBM reviews, across the electronics, mechanical, and life sciences industries, securing favorable outcomes for both petitioners and patent owners. Recognized nationally for his expertise, Patexia ranked him among the most active and best-performing PTAB attorneys (2018-2023), including a top 50 ranking for Best Performing Attorneys Representing Patent Owners and a top 100 ranking overall. Beyond litigation, Lestin leverages his PTAB expertise to help clients build, strengthen, and monetize their IP portfolios. He works closely with startups, mid-sized enterprises, and multinational corporations to craft patent strategies that maximize commercial value, whether through licensing, enforcement, strategic acquisitions, or defensive positioning. His holistic approach ensures that clients’ IP assets align with business objectives, generate revenue opportunities, and provide a competitive edge in evolving markets.

Thomas Yeh specializes in high-stakes patent and trade secret litigation, representing clients before U.S. district courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and the International Trade Commission (ITC). Over the past decade, Thomas has recovered nearly $1 billion in jury verdicts and settlements for his clients. His recent successes include consecutive jury trial wins and a landmark ITC complainant-side victory that culminated in a nine-figure global settlement. In addition, Thomas served as global coordinating counsel for one of the largest worldwide patent enforcement actions in history on behalf of a leading global semiconductor company, simultaneously filing more than 20 patent cases in U.S. district courts, the International Trade Commission, and around the world.

Shruti Arora is Counsel at Google. She is responsible for addressing matters that are high-risk, high profile and involve regulatory scrutiny, for example enforcement actions, internal investigations, shareholder litigation, data incidents and insider risk, as well as proactive strategic projects to mitigate other emerging risks relating to the workforce across all of Alphabet globally. In the decade prior to joining Google, Shruti was a trial attorney in the UK and represented the UK government in a number of high-profile public inquiries. She has a Masters degree from the University of Oxford and is dual qualified (UK and California).

Daniel Pietragallo is an Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional who currently works as Special Counsel for Buchalter and serves as co-chair of the AI Governance Practice Group. Mr. Pietragallo is a former Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State of Colorado, who focuses his practice areas on white collar litigation, cybersecurity, data privacy, and the emerging field of AI governance.  For the past seven years, Mr. Pietragallo has worked as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, where he created and teaches the class called Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, AI Governance Practicum.  Mr. Pietragallo holds several advanced certifications in privacy and AI governance through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).  Specifically, he has earned the AIGP certification in artificial intelligence governance, a CIPP/US certification in US information privacy law, and the distinction of Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP).  Mr. Pietragallo earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan and earned his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is also currently pursuing his master’s degree in Cybersecurity Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  Mr. Pietragallo sits on the steering committee for the Rocky Mountain Cyber Fraud Task Force, where he collaborates with Federal partners, local law enforcement, academia, and private stakeholders to provide quarterly training on emerging trends in cybersecurity. In addition, he is an active member of the Sedona Conference’s Working Group 13 on Artificial Intelligence and the Law.

Glenn Forbis is a Chambers®-rated litigator and the leader of Harness IP’s Litigation Practice Group. With more than 200 intellectual property cases handled across the country—including 18 Federal Circuit appeals (15 favorable results) and 9 cases to verdict—he is known for developing focused strategies and delivering persuasive presentations in court. Glenn has secured numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for clients in patent, trademark, and copyright matters, including a string of favorable jury verdicts in recent years. He is regularly recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Managing Intellectual Property, and AIM as one of the nation’s leading IP litigators.

Martin A. Schwertmann is a Partner in the Technology & IP Transactions Practice at Kirkland & Ellis, based in Palo Alto. He advises leading companies and investors on complex, high-stakes transactions where software, data, and technology assets drive enterprise value—including M&A, carve-outs, financings, and joint ventures. With experience across global portfolios and cross-border deals, Martin combines legal, technical, and commercial fluency to help clients navigate evolving risks in IP, data privacy, open-source software, and AI use. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers as “One to Watch” in Technology Law.

Julie Honor is a founding member and leading lawyer of the Artificial Intelligence Industry Team at Thompson Hine. She advises Fortune 500 companies to startups on both developing and deploying AI. Julie counsels companies and individuals that are building AI to incorporate trustworthy, secure, and transparent principles throughout the development lifecycle, all through a lens of compliance by design. For organizations acting solely as a deployer, she helps them understand their many compliance obligations, advising them on the steps necessary to build a robust AI program, including drafting corporate and governance policies, and developing and leading training programs. Julie brings a wide lens to how AI is affecting her clients given her experience as a general counsel and having practiced in several areas of law throughout her career, including litigation, IP advising, employment law, corporate growth, and commercial contracting. Her years of experience as an executive team member informs her practice and enables her to provide practical, business-forward, and results-oriented advice to clients, enabling them to take a nimble compliance approach with the ever-changing global legal landscape. Julie recently earned the certified Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) credential through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Anisha is a technology attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area with experience in privacy, product, and commercial transactions. She is currently an Assistant General Counsel at Intuit — the global financial technology platform that makes TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp – where she supports innovation from a product, privacy, and AI lens. Previously, Anisha worked at organizations like Zendesk, Tipalti, the Wikimedia Foundation, and the Minnesota Judicial Branch. She has also served as a board member of the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California, and a fellow and mentor with the Internet Law and Policy Foundry.

Linda Nyberg is a Senior Product Counsel at Google and an experienced technology lawyer specializing in artificial intelligence. At Google, she provides strategic advice on generative AI product launches in Google Cloud and model serving infrastructure, navigating complex legal and regulatory issues related to data governance, ethics, copyright, and privacy. She collaborates closely with cross-functional legal and product teams and is passionate about the responsible and ethical use of AI to drive innovation and transformation across industries.

Dr. Jiaping (Charlene) Liu is an intellectual property lawyer with an extensive knowledge of patents and a focus on patent prosecution and assertion matters. Charlene performs client counseling, portfolio development and management in various technological fields, and in particular focusing on AI and deep learning, medical devices, semiconductors, integrated circuits, financial service, and network security. Charlene also frequently counsels clients on assertions and licensing disputes, such as in the realm of standard essential patents.

Before her legal career, she obtained her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Princeton University, and was a Gordon Wu fellowship recipient. Her doctoral work focused on stochastic modeling of data networks, and she worked on wireless transmission protocols for ad hoc networks at Bell Labs during graduate school.