EDTX logo

2023 EDTX Bench Bar Conference

Panelists & Special Guests

EDTX logo

2023 EDTX Bench Bar Conference

Panelists & Special Guests

  • Judge J. Campbell Barker

    District Judge, USDC EDTX

    The Honorable J. Campbell Barker was confirmed on May 1, 2019, to the seat vacated by the Honorable Leonard E. Davis, with a duty station in Tyler, Texas.

  • James Boone Baxter

    Magistrate Judge, USDC EDTX

    James Boone Baxter serves as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division.

  • Judge Cathy Bissoon

    District Judge, US District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania

    Judge Cathy Bissoon was appointed by President Barack Obama as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania on October 20, 2011, having previously served on the Court as a magistrate judge from 2008.

  • Senior US Circuit Judge William Bryson, CAFC

    Senior US Circuit Judge, CAFC

    William C. Bryson was appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1994. Prior to his appointment, Judge Bryson was with the United States Department of Justice from 1978 to 1994.

  • Senior District Judge Ron Clark, USDC Eastern District of Texas

    Senior District Judge, U.S. District Court, EDTX

    Ron Clark was sworn in as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas on 11/22/2002. He served as Chief Judge from 1/1/2015 to 2/28/2018 when he took Senior status.

  • Judge Raymond C Clevenger

    Senior US Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

    RAYMOND C. CLEVENGER, III was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990.

  • Marcia A. Crone

    District Judge, USDC EDTX

    Marcia A. Crone received a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1973 and a J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center in 1978.

  • Judge Dana Douglas

    Circuit Judge, US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

    Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Nominated by Joseph R. Biden on June 15, 2022, to a seat vacated by James L. Dennis. Confirmed by the Senate on December 13, 2022, and received commission on December 16, 2022.

  • Judge Jennifer Elrod

    Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

    Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Nominated by George W. Bush on March 29, 2007, to a seat vacated by Patrick E. Higginbotham. Confirmed by the Senate on October 4, 2007, and received commission on October 19, 2007.

  • Judge Beth Labson Freeman

    District Judge Federal Court Northern District of California

    Appointed by President Obama in 2014, Judge Freeman sits in the San Jose Division, hearing a broad array of cases.

  • Orlando L. Garcia

    U.S. District Judge

    Judge Garcia was born in Jim Wells County, in South Texas, and raised in nearby San Diego, Texas. Judge Garcia obtained his undergraduate Degree in 1975 from the University of Texas at Austin and his JD in 1978 from the University of Texas.

  • Chief District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, USDC Eastern District of Texas-2

    Chief District Judge, U.S. District Court, EDTX

    Judge Rodney Gilstrap was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas and was confirmed in 2011. He assumed the position of Chief Judge in 2018.

  • Judge James E. Graves, Jr.

    Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

    Judge James E. Graves, Jr. was nominated by President Barack Obama on June 10, 2010, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

  • Judge Zack Hawthorne

    U.S. District Court, EDTX

    Judge Hawthorn is a United States Magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Texas in the Beaumont and Lufkin Divisions. He was appointed in 2011.

  • Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson

    Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, EDTX

    Kimberly C. Priest Johnson currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division in Plano, Texas.

  • Judge Sean Jordan

    District Judge, USDC EDTX

    Judge Sean Jordan is a federal district judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division. Judge Jordan was nominated by President Trump on January 17, 2019 and confirmed on July 30, 2019.

  • District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle, USDC Eastern District of Texas

    United States District Judge, EDTX

    Jeremy Kernodle is a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler. Before taking the bench, Judge Kernodle was a partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP in Dallas, where he practiced complex commercial litigation and appeals.

  • Magistrate Judge John D. Love, USDC Eastern District of Texas

    Magistrate Judge, USDC EDTX

    On January 3, 2006, Judge Love was sworn in as United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Texas. He was reappointed for a second term which he began serving on January 3, 2014.

  • judge-amos-mazzant-headshot-2022

    District Judge, U.S. District Court, EDTX

    Amos Mazzant currently serves as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division.

  • Deborah Miron

    Executive Director, Federal Circuit Bar Association

    Deborah M. Miron, Esquire, is the first female Executive Director of the Federal Circuit Bar Association® (FCBA).

  • Judge Nicole Mitchell

    Magistrate Judge, USDC EDTX

    Judge Mitchell was sworn in as a United States Magistrate Judge on August 16, 2013. In her time on the bench and while working with Chief Judge Davis, Judge Mitchell has overseen numerous patent and general civil litigation cases. She also mediates cases pending in the Eastern District of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

  • District Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware

    The Honorable Maryellen Noreika was sworn in as a District Judge on August 10, 2018. Prior to that time, Judge Noreika was a partner at the law firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP in Wilmington, Delaware, where her practice focused on intellectual property litigation and unfair competition cases.

  • Magistrate Judge Roy Payne, USDC Eastern District of Texas

    Magistrate Judge, USDC EDTX

    Judge Roy S. Payne is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, Texas, where he has served since 2011.

  • Judge Carlton Reeves

    District Judge, USDC for the Southern District of Mississippi

    United States District Judge Carlton W. Reeves, a native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, assumed office on December 30, 2010. Prior to his nomination by President Barack Obama, Judge Reeves, , was engaged in the private practice of law with Pigott Reeves Johnson, P.A., a law firm he co-founded in 2001.

  • Brenda Rhoades

    Chief Bankruptcy Judge, USDC EDTX

    The Hon. Brenda T. Rhoades currently serves as the Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

  • Priscilla Owen

    Chief Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

    Chief Judge Priscilla Richman joined the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 2005 after serving on the Supreme Court of Texas for more than ten years.

  • Senior District Judge Richard Schell, USDC Eastern District of Texas

    District Judge, USDC EDTX

    Judge Schell was appointed as a U. S. district judge for the Eastern District of Texas on June 6, 1988 and took the oath of office on August 15, 1988.

  • Judge Robert Schroeder

    District Judge, USDC EDTX

    Robert W. (Trey) Schroeder III is United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division.

  • Judge Joshua Searcy

    Bankruptcy Judge, USDC EDTX

    Joshua P. Searcy was appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Texas overseeing the Tyler, Marshall, Lufkin, and Beaumont divisions in March, 2021.

  • Carl E. Stewart

    Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

    Judge Carl E. Stewart received his B.A. degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Dillard University and his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans.

  • District Judge Michael J. Truncale, USDC Eastern District of Texas

    U.S. District Court, EDTX

    Michael Truncale was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 14, 2019, and appointed by President Donald J. Trump on May 16, 2019. As a nominee, he received the unanimous well-qualified rating by the American Bar Association.

  • Judge Gregory B Williams

    District Judge U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware

    The Honorable Gregory B. Williams was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in 2022.

  • Amir Alavi

    Partner, Alavi Anaipakos, PLLC

  • Jane Bambauer

    Brechner Eminent Scholar, Levin College of Law & College of Journalism and Communications

    Professor Jane Bambauer is the Brechner Eminent Scholar at the Levin College of Law and at the College of Journalism and Communications. She teaches Torts, First Amendment, Media Law, Criminal Procedure, and Privacy Law.

  • Tracey M. Batson

    Executive Assistant U.S.Attorney EDTX

    Tracey M. Batson currently serves as the Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. She joined the Eastern District in the Beaumont office in 1992 as one of four prosecutors nationwide to become an AUSA directly from law school.

  • Jason Bloom

    Founder and President, Bloom Strategic Consulting, Inc.

  • Joseph D. Brown

    Principal, Joe Brown, Attorney P.L.L.C

    Mr. Brown is the principal of Joe Brown, Attorney P.L.L.C. in Sherman, Texas, operating a private practice since July of 2020 after a twenty year career as a state and federal prosecutor.

  • Leon Carter

    Principal, Carter Arnett

    E. Leon Carter is a principal of Carter Arnett. In 2019, Leon was recognized as the Dallas Bar Association’s Trial Lawyer of the Year. Leon has over 30 years of trial and litigation experience working with an impressive client list.

  • Rafael De La Garza, De La Garza Law Firm PC

    Founder, De La Garza Law Firm, P.C.

    Attorney, Rafael De La Garza is a Board-Certified Criminal Law Specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has handled over 500 federal cases, including more than 25 federal jury trials and over 250 state jury trials.

  • Eric Dunn

    Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. DOJ Antitrust Division

    Eric Dunn serves as a Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, where his work focuses on digital platforms and labor issues.

  • Timothy Durst

    Partner, O'Melveny & Myers, LLP

  • Robert Earle

    VP - Patent Assertion and Enforcement, Ericsson

    Robert Earle is the Vice President for Patent Assertion and Enforcement at Ericsson.

  • Natalie Estrada

    Probation Officer Guidelines Specialist, EDTX

    Natalie Estrada is a U.S. Probation Officer Guidelines Specialist in the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division.

  • Erin Gibson

    Partner, DLA Piper

  • Thomas E. Gibson

    Assistant U.S. Attorney EDTX

    Tom Gibson is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, working in the Plano office of the Sherman Division. His work in the criminal division has focused on white collar and complex cases.

  • Jessica Hannah

    Partner, DLA Piper

  • Kenneth R. Hawk, II

    Assistant Federal Defender, U.S. District Court EDTX

    Ken Hawk came to the Federal Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas in 2006 after spending 10 years in State prosecution and 8 years at Perkins, Hawk, & Perkins, P.C. practicing medical malpractice litigation and criminal defense in Tyler, Texas.

  • Jeannie Heffernan

    Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

    Jeannie Heffernan is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who leads Kirkland’s IP litigation practice in Texas. She has won numerous trials in federal district courts across the country and at the International Trade Commission, with victories affirmed at the Federal Circuit.

  • Johanna Carrane Hillard

    President, JuryScope

  • Eric Holder

    Senior Counsel, Covington

    Eric Holder advises clients on complex investigations and litigation matters, including those that are international in scope and involve significant regulatory enforcement issues and substantial reputational concerns. Eric, who was a partner at Covington from 2001 to 2009, rejoined the firm after serving for six years as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States.

  • Sheraun Howard

    Supervisory Special Agent, FBI

    Supervisory Special Agent Sheraun Howard is a 17 year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During his career he has investigated all manner of Cyber related crimes to include Cyber Terrorism, Espionage, and Financially Motivated Cyber Crime.

  • Sarah Jacobs

    Assistant Federal Public Defender EDTX

    Sarah is an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Texas. Prior to this she practiced state, federal, and juvenile criminal defense in the Dallas area for over a decade.

  • Mark Lanier

    Founder and CEO, Lanier Law Firm

    Mark Lanier is consistently recognized as one of the top civil trial lawyers in America. For almost 40 years, Mark has taken on some of the biggest challenges in the legal field.

  • Brett Leatherman

    Section Chief, National Security Cyber Operations at FBI Washington, D.C.

    Mr. Leatherman is Assistant Special in Charge for National Security in FBI Dallas, managing teams responsible for investigating counterterrorism, counterintelligence, weapons of mass destruction, and cyber threats throughout North Texas.

  • Ryan Malphurs

    Managing Partner, Delphi Litigation Strategies

  • John D. McElroy

    Chief Federal Public Defender, EDTX

    John D. McElroy is the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Texas. Mr. McElroy was appointed to his current position by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in January 2021.

  • Abe McGlothin Jr.

    First Assistant United States Attorney, EDTX

    Abe McGlothin, Jr. serves as the First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. In this role, he serves as the office’s second-in-command and assists in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the office and the supervision of over 110 employees, including attorneys and support staff.

  • Brian Pandya

    Partner, Duane Morris

    Brian Pandya is a first-chair trial and appellate lawyer who represents technology and healthcare companies in high-stakes intellectual property, competition, and white-collar disputes.

  • Matthew Powers

    Partner, Tensegrity Law Group, LLP

    Matt Powers is known for taking tough cases to trial and winning them. He tries patent cases, trade secret cases, fraud cases, fiduciary duty cases, antitrust cases and contract cases.

  • Dick Sayles

    Founder, Sayles Law Firm

  • Jason A. Sickler

    Regional Counsel, South Central Region, Federal Bureau of Prisons

    Jason Sickler is the Regional Counsel for the South Central Region of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Jason began his career with the Bureau in 1997. After completing his appointment through the Attorney General’s Honors Program in the South Central Regional Office, he served as Staff Attorney at the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont, Texas.

  • Sean Taylor

    Deputy Criminal Chief of Complex Fraud & Public Corruption, U.S. Attorney’s Office EDTX

    Sean Taylor serves as the Deputy Criminal Chief of Complex Fraud & Public Corruption for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

  • Russell Turkel

    Attorney, Scott H. Palmer, P.C.

    Attorney Russell Turkel is a former US Probation Officer for the Eastern District of Texas. During his twenty-year tenure with the federal courts, he proudly served as a presentence investigation officer, team leader, sentencing guidelines specialist, and supervisor of the Plano pretrial/presentence unit.

  • Kathi Vidal

    Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, USPTO

    Kathi Vidal serves as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) – America’s Innovation Agency.

  • Bradley Visosky

    Chief of the Appellate Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office, EDTX

    Bradley Visosky serves as the Chief of the Appellate Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas. Mr. Visosky clerked for U.S. District Judges Jane J. Boyle (NDTX) and Harry Lee Hudspeth (WDTX) and was an associate at Thompson Knight and Carrington Coleman.

  • Eugene Volokh

    Professor, UCLA School of Law

    Eugene Volokh is a professor at UCLA School of Law, where he has written extensively about law and technology; starting in July 2024, he will be a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, where he will continue his research into these topics.

  • James P. Whalen

    Founder, Whalen Law Office

    James P. Whalen is a dedicated criminal defense attorney renowned for his client-first approach. Committed to personal care, he offers discreet and assertive representation to those facing state and federal criminal charges.

  • Sarah Wirskye

    Founder, Wirskye Law Firm

    Sarah Wirskye has been defending clients in white collar criminal and civil fraud disputes with the government for twenty-five years. She founded the Wirskye Law Firm after 20 years with a firm, and she has continued to represent closely held entities and individuals.

  • Jim Wren

    Leon Jaworski Chair of Practice & Procedure, Baylor Law

    Professionally, Jim Wren is a trial lawyer first and foremost. Before becoming a law professor, he was designated each year as a Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation, former national president of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and board certified nationally and in Texas in multiple trial specializations.