Conference Panelists

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.

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.

Judge Robart became a United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington in June 2004.

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.

Leonard P. Stark is Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. He has been a District Judge since 2010 and for the previous three years was a Magistrate Judge on the same Court.

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

Federal District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division

Christine A. Nowak currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division. Judge Nowak was appointed to this position in 2015.

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

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 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.

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

Richard Linn was appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1999 and assumed the duties of the office on January 1, 2000.

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.

Adam Allgood is an attorney with Fisch Sigler LLP in Washington, D.C.  He focuses his practice on complex commercial and intellectual property disputes.

Jeff Bragalone is a founder of Bragalone Conroy PC in Dallas, Texas.

Brian Pandya serves as Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. The Office of the Associate Attorney General oversees DOJ’s litigating and grant-making components and works closely with the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General to implement department policies.

Steven Geiszler is U.S. Chief Intellectual Property Litigation Counsel for Huawei, one of the world’s largest technology companies.

Solo practitioner engaged in a general trial practice, including state and federal criminal defense, business dispute litigation, and personal injury litigation.

Board certified in civil trial law, Wesley Hill balances a successful practice in intellectual property and business litigation. With more than 30 trials to his credit, including over 20 patent cases, Mr. Hill brings broad courtroom experience to every case he handles.

George Pappas has served as lead counsel in hundreds of patent cases for U.S. and foreign companies, often coordinating with patent counsel in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

The Honorable Andrew J. Peck served for 23 years as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York, including a term as Chief Magistrate Judge from 2004 to 2005.

David Folsom is a partner in Jackson Walker’s Litigation practice group, and he leads the firm’s Texarkana office. As former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, David brings his experience and insight to cases both in and out of the Eastern District.

The Honorable Jose L. Linares chairs McCarter’s Alternative Dispute Resolution practice. He served as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, having been nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2002.

Jeannie Heffernan is an experienced trial lawyer who has won numerous patent and trademark trials across the country in a wide variety of industries, from telecommunications to medical devices to haute couture.

Donean Surratt has an active trial practice in civil litigation, focusing primarily in the products liability, insurance defense and professional liability areas.