Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court 15th Annual Reception January 23, 2023 Union League Club
The Honorable William C. Conner
Program 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Cocktail Reception 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Dinner Congratulations to The 2023 Conner Inn Excellence Award Honorees Hon. Kara F. Stoll Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Presented by Hon. Richard Linn Hon. Laura Taylor Swain Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Presented by Hon. Colleen McMahon Hon. Brian Cogan Senior District Judge, U.S. District Court, Easterm District of New York Presented by Hon. Ann Donnelly Dinner Committee Jeffrey M. Butler and Melvin C. Garner
At the Inaugural Dinner in 2009, members of the Conner Inn presented Mrs. Janice Files Conner with a bouquet of her favorite flowers - yellow roses. Honorable William C. Conner passed away on July 9, 2009 and Mrs. Janice Files Conner passed away on September 12, 2011. The Conner Inn continues to commemorate Mrs. Conner every year with yellow roses on each table at the Annual Dinner.
Mission of the Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court, to promote excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills for judges, lawyers, academicians, and students of law and to advance the education of the members of the Conner Inn, the members of the bench and bar, and the public in the fields of intellectual property.
Message from the Conner Inn Executive Committee Chair Welcome to the 15th Annual Reception and Dinner of the Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court. This year, we are very proud to present the 2023 Conner Inn Excellence Awards to three outstanding jurists -- Hon. Kara F. Stoll, Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Hon. Laura Taylor Swain, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and Hon. Brian Cogan, Senior District Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York -- for their dedication to the promotion of excellence in our profession. Please enjoy this commemorative journal, including biographies of our award recipients and an article written by Melvin C. Garner that highlights the many excellent programs that were presented by judges, senior lawyers, junior lawyers, and law student members of the Conner Inn during its fourteenth year of substantive IP programs. As we continue to have in-person programs and events like this, we look forward to continuing to build on Judge Conner’s legacy of excellence and professionalism through the enthusiasm of our membership. As chair of the Executive Committee, I would like to thank our Conner Inn President, Hon. J. Paul Oetken for his continued leadership; the other members of the Executive Committee: Jeffrey M. Butler, Amy Gallup Klann, Melvin C. Garner, Patrice P. Jean, and Anne E. Li for their commitment; Jeffrey M. Butler and Melvin C. Garner for coordinating this event and putting together this commemorative journal; Hon. Richard Linn for his vision and initiative; and each of you for your enthusiastic support of the Conner Inn and its mission to promote professionalism, legal skills, ethics and civility in the practice of intellectual property law which Judge Conner exemplified. Anthony Giaccio Executive Committee Chair
Conner Inn Leadership Officers President: Hon. J. Paul Oetken, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Secretary/ Treasurer: Anthony Giaccio Executive Committee Chair: Anthony Giaccio Members: Jeffrey M. Butler, Amy Gallup Klann, Melvin C. Garner, Patrice P. Jean, Anne E. Li Judicial Members of the Inn Hon. Laura Taylor Swain, Southern District of New York Hon. Margo K. Brodie, Eastern District of New York Hon. Kerry Begley, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Gary R. Brown, Eastern District of New York Hon. Sarah L. Cave, Southern District of New York Hon. John P. Cronan, Southern District of New York Hon. Thomas L. Giannetti, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Cynthia M. Hardman, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Lewis J. Liman, Southern District of New York Hon. Kimberly McGraw, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Shelia McShane, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. J. Paul Oetken, Southern District of New York Hon. Donna Praiss, USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Barbara S. Jones, Southern District of New York (Ret.) Visiting Judicial Members of the Inn Hon. Timothy B. Dyk, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Richard Linn, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Pauline Newman, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna, US. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Paul R. Michel, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit (Ret.)
Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court Activities for the Year 2022 The Conner Inn held its 14th Annual Reception and Dinner on May 24, 2022, at the Union League Club. Thirty-one federal judges attended. At the dinner a Conner Inn Excellence Award was presented to Judge Debra Ann Livingston of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by Judge Dennis Jacobs of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. A second Excellence Award was presented to Judge Evan J. Wallach of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit by Judge Raymond T. Chen of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The final Excellence Award was presented to Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by Conner Inn President, Judge J. Paul Oetken. Fenwick & West LLP was the scene of the Conner Inn’s kick-off cocktail reception, which was held in-person on September 29, 2022. This annual event, which is free for Inn members, judges, law clerks and government employees, signals the beginning of the Inn membership year. It occurred on a pleasant fall evening and it was a great opportunity for old members and potential new members of the Inn to meet each other as well as the members of the Executive Committee. The Conner Inn’s first substantive program was entitled “A Conversation with New Judges of the U.S. District Court: Southern District of New York.” It was in a panel format and included Judge John Cronan, Judge Lewis Liman, Judge J. Paul Oetken, and Judge Sarah Cave of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York. It was held at the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse on November 2, 2022. The panelists discussed ways to improve IP litigation and the dos and don’ts of litigation. In addition, attendees were able to meet members of the Federal Judiciary in a casual yet informative and open Q&A format. On December 7, 2022, the Conner Inn held a Holiday Cocktail Reception at Crowell & Moring LLP. The Conner Inn invited members of the Inn, the Executive Committee, and non-members to network and celebrate the upcoming holidays. Melvin C. Garner Executive Committee Member
Southern District of New York Hon. John Cronan, District Judge Hon. Paul Engelmayer, District Judge Hon. Jesse Furman, District Judge Hon. Philip Halpern, District Judge Hon. J. Paul Oetken, District Judge Hon. Jennifer Rearden, District Judge Hon. Jennifer Rochon, District Judge Hon. Kevin Castel, Senior District Judge Hon. Alvin Hellerstein, Senior District Judge Hon. Colleen McMahon, Senior District Judge Hon. Sidney Stein, Senior District Judge Hon. Stewart Aaron, Magistrate Judge Hon. Sarah Cave, Magistrate Judge Hon. Barbara Moses, Magistrate Judge Hon. Ona Wang, Magistrate Judge United States Patent & Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board Hon. Thomas Giannetti, Administrative Patent Judge Hon. Sheila McShane, Administrative Patent Judge United States Court Executives and Clerks Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Pete Marksteiner, Circuit Executive United States District Court, Eastern District of New York Eugene Corcoran, District Executive Brenna Mahoney, Clerk of Court United States District Court, Southern District of New York Ruby Krajick, Clerk of Court
Honored Guests in Attendance Special Guests of Honor Hon. Kara F. Stoll Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Laura Taylor Swain Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Brian Cogan Senior District Judge, U.S. District Court, Easterm District of New York United States Court of Appeals Federal Circuit Hon. Richard Linn, Circuit Judge Hon. Sharon Prost, Circuit Judge Hon. Leonard P. Stark, Circuit Judge Hon. Richard Taranto, Circuit Judge Second Circuit Hon. Pierre Leval, Senior Circuit Judge United States District Courts Eastern District of New York Hon. Pamela Chen, District Judge Hon. Ann Donnelly, District Judge Hon. Hector Gonzalez, District Judge Hon. Nina Morrison, District Judge Hon. Nicholas Garaufis, Senior District Judge Hon. Dora Irizarry, Senior District Judge Hon. Eric Vitaliano, Senior District Judge Hon. Peggy Kuo, Magistrate Judge Hon. James Wicks, Magistrate Judge
Honoree Hon. Kara F. Stoll U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
Laura Taylor Swain was appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on July 11, 2000, and entered on duty August 31, 2000. She became Chief Judge of the court on April 10, 2021. Her judicial career began in November 1996, when she was appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Judge Swain served in that capacity until her elevation to District Court. A native of Brooklyn, New York, and a graduate of public schools in New York City, Judge Swain received her B.A. degree, cum laude, in Government from Radcliffe College of Harvard University in 1979 and her J.D. degree from the Harvard Law School in 1982. She was a law clerk to the Honorable Constance Baker Motley, who was then in her first year as the first woman and first person of color to serve as the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1982 to 1983. Judge Swain practiced law as an associate and as Counsel with the New York-based firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, concentrating on employee benefits, ERISA, employment law and related litigation, until 1996. In 1986, while she was in private practice, she was appointed as one of the five members of the New York State Board of Law Examiners. She was the first woman, and the first person of color, to serve as a member of that Board, and held that position for ten years, until her first judicial appointment. Judge Swain’s work within the judiciary has included service on the Advisory Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States on the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, which she chaired from 2007 to 2010, and service on the Electronic Public Access Working Group. Judge Swain was also a member of the board of directors of the Federal Judges Association, chairing the Judicial Independence Committee and leading the development of a civic education resource database for federal judges. She has received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Suffolk University in 2008 and from Fordham University in 2022. Judge Swain taught as an Adjunct Professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (Yeshiva University). Her community volunteer work has included service as a board member of Episcopal Charities, Inc., and as a founding member of the board of directors of the Coalition for Consumer Bankruptcy Debtor Education (later known as the Coalition for Debtor Education). She was also a founder, and served as the first board chair, of the Community Partnership Charter School, which opened in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. Judge Swain is currently a member of the board of managers of the Havens Relief Fund Society. In 2008, she received the Servant of Justice award from the Guild of St. Ives of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Judge Swain received the Cecelia Goetz Award from the New York Institute of Credit in 2016. The New York County Lawyers Association conferred the Edward Weinfeld Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Administration of Justice on Judge Swain in 2019. The Judicial Friends conferred its Hon. Jane Bolin Award on Judge Swain in 2022. In May 2017, the Chief Justice of the United States and the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit appointed Judge Swain to preside over the debt restructuring proceedings for Puerto Rico and its instrumentalities under the federal PROMESA statute. She serves concurrently as a district judge for the Southern District of New York and for the District of Puerto Rico.
Honoree Hon. Laura Taylor Swain U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Judge Kara Farnandez Stoll was appointed by President Barack H. Obama in July 2015. Prior to her appointment, Judge Stoll practiced law for seventeen years with the firm of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett and Dunner, LLP, where she specialized in patent litigation. Judge Stoll is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School and taught at George Mason University School of Law from 2008 to 2015, and at Howard University School of Law from 2004 to 2008. From 1997 to 1998, she clerked for the Honorable Alvin A. Schall of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Judge Stoll worked at the United States Patent and Trademark Office from 1991 to 1997 as a patent examiner, at the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, and in the Solicitor's Office. She received a J.D. from Georgetown University School of Law in 1997 and a B.S.E.E. from Michigan State University in 1991.
Judge Cogan was appointed United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York on May 4, 2006, and he entered into service on June 12, 2006. He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1975, majoring in Political Science with a self-directed minor in Chinese History and Political Science, and his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1979, where he was a member of the Board of Editors of the Cornell Law Review. Following graduation from law school, Judge Cogan served as a law clerk to the Hon. Sidney M. Aronovitz, United States District Judge in the Southern District of Florida. He then became an associate at the commercial law firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, where he spent his entire career, becoming a partner in 1988 and General Counsel to the Firm in 2004. Judge Cogan has written a number of articles, including Practice in the Commercial Division, in 3 Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts 501 (R. Haig ed., 4th ed. 2020), and coauthoring Bankruptcy Code Impact on Civil Litigation in the Federal Courts, in 4 Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts 803 (R. Haig ed., 4th ed. 2020). Prior to his appointment, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Mayor’s Committee on the Appointment of City Marshals; as a member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Appellate Division, First Department; and as Treasurer of the Federal Bar Foundation. Judge Cogan is a member of the Committee on Grievances, Eastern District of New York. As Chair of the District Judge Education Committee of the Federal Judicial Center, he also has served as a “mentor judge” for the Federal Judicial Center’s introductory program for newly appointed judges, and lectures frequently at the Federal Judicial Center. In addition, Judge Cogan has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Brooklyn Law School. He also has served as a Judge Advocate General in the New York Guard, holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Honoree Hon. Brian Cogan U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Previous Recipients of the Conner Inn Excellence Award 2022 Hon. Debra Ann Livingston, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Evan J. Wallach, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Jed S. Rakoff, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 2021 Hon. Alan D. Lourie, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Richard C. Wesley, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Margo K. Brodie, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Paul A. Engelmayer, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 2020 Hon. Richard G. Taranto, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Denise L. Cote, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Pamela K. Chen, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York 2019 Hon. Raymond T. Chen, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Richard J. Sullivan, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Kiyo A. Matsumoto, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York 2018 Hon. Pierre N. Leval, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2017 Hon. P. Kevin Castel, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Dora L. Irizarry, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Kathleen M. O'Malley, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2016 Hon. Timothy B. Dyk, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2015 Hon. Denny Chin, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Sharon Prost, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2014 Hon. Robert A. Katzmann, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Hon. Richard Linn, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2013 Hon. Barbara Jones, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Colleen McMahon, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 2012 Hon. Carol Bagley Amon, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Pauline Newman, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Hon. Kimba M. Woods, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 2011 Hon. Dennis Jacobs, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit 2010 Hon. Raymond J. Dearie, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York Hon. Loretta A. Preska, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Hon. Paul R. Michel, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2009 Hon. William C. Conner, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court 2022 Annual Reception and Dinner
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