Tsai Talks

Tsai Center for Law, Science and Innovation

The Tsai Center sponsors periodic presentations and discussions at the SMU 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.

2023-2024 Tsai Talks

Hot Topics in Intellectual Property Law with Carl Bruce, Principal at Fish & Richardson, who weighed in on some of the trending topics across the IP legal landscape.
Betting Big The Ins and Outs of Sports Betting Law & Venture Capital
Managing Partner Kevin Vela from Dallas-based Vella Wood shared his perspectives on gaming laws and venture financing.
Bar to Business: A Discussion on Running Your Own Firm
As the proprietor of Champion LLP, business and intellectual property trial attorney Austin Champion ’08 went through the highlights and lowlights of owning your own firm.
The Inside Scoop on Working In-House & in IP at Caterpillar
Elise Selinger, Corporate Counsel at Caterpillar Inc., talked about her in-house role with a major industrial equipment manufacturer.
The Ledger and the Law: Tales from the Frontier of Cryptocurrency Litigation and Regulation
Daley Epstein ‘18, Associate at McDermott, Will & Emery, returned to the law school to discuss the cryptocurrency’s highly fluid regulatory environment.

2022-2023 Tsai Talks

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

2021-2022 Tsai Talks

Let them Play (and get Paid): Name, Image and Likeness Deals and NCAA Compliance. Damilola Sule, SMU Director of Compliance, and Rob Heuer, SMU Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, discussed the effects of the recent Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Alston on name, image, and likeness deals for student athletes, the innovative ways that student athletes can pursue these deals, and careers in NCAA compliance.
White Coats and Black Robes: Pharmaceutical Innovation and the Law. Frank Grassler, a Member of Martin Fulton, PLLC, discussed his career in pharmaceutical innovation and law, including his transition from a pharmacist to working as a patent attorney for GlaxoSmithKline.
Regulating an Evolving AI Landscape with Yoon Chae, Senior Associate, Baker McKenzie
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: Technology & The Health Surveillance State, presented by Professor Chris Jenks
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: with Director of the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center and Professor of Law Pam Metzger VIDEO
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: COVID-19 and the Constitution with Professor Dale Carpenter VIDEO
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: Voting in the Pandemic with Professor Grant Hayden VIDEO
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: Observing Online Courts: Lessons from the Pandemic with Professor Beth Thornburg VIDEO and PRESENTATION SLIDES
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: Law and the Search for a COVID-19 Vaccine with Professor Nathan Cortez. 12:00 pm-1:00 pm, 7/31 Recording of Presentation
Leggo My Logo! Using Trademarks to Protect a Brand featuring guest speakers Charles Phipps and Joe Unis of Locke Lord

2019 Tsai Talks

IP in the Sky: Uber Elevate and Autonomous Driving Technology featuring Chris Storm, IP Legal Director for Uber's Emerging Technology Programs
Tales from the Crypt(o): How Cryptocurrency is Resurrecting the Legal Market
Law, Ethics & Autonomy featuring Professor Chris Jenks and Dr. Rain Livoja, University of Queensland
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Oral Arguments, Q&A and Reception
Leadership Lecture featuring the Honorable Scott R. Boalick, Chief Judge for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
Art Law and Copyright: How A Small Firm Takes on National Cases featuring Thomas Maddrey

Past Tsai Talks

November 15, 2019	IP in the Sky: Uber Elevate and Autonomous Driving Technology Chris Storm, IP Legal Director, Uber Emerging Technology Programs
October 30, 2019	Tales from the Crypt(o): How Cryptocurrency is Resurrecting the Legal Market Lacey Shrum, Vela Wood
September 19, 2019	Art Law and Copyright: How A Small Firm Takes on National Cases Thomas Maddrey '14, Maddrey PLLC
March 5, 2019	Tsai Talk: #Trending: Cybersecurity in Social Media and Advertising Brittany DeGan, General Counsel for rewardStyle Ryan Summer Parley, Director and Senior Counsel at Neiman Marcus Group
March 21, 2019	Tsai Talk: A Talk with IBM: Unconscious Bias and Artificial Intelligence Emi Olsson,Distinguished Engineer and Chief Technology Officer Michael Riep, Vice President, Sector Delivery Executive

October 23, 2018	An Inside View of Startup Law Timothy J. Harris, Managing Partner, Morrison Foerster, Palo Alto, CA
September 5, 2018	AT&T: Technology, Lawyers, & the Law David Huntt Baker, Senior Legal Counsel, AT&T
March 1, 2018	Is That Fair (Use)? Third Party Trademarks in Film, Print, Video Games and other Media Tamera H. Bennett, The Bennett Firm
January 25, 2018	A Discussion of Privacy Regulation and Cybersecurity Jim Elliott, Assistant Regional Director, Southwest Region, Federal Trade Commission Richard "Jay" Johnson, Partner, Jones Day

November 2, 2017	Advice for Practicing Technology Law In-House Irwin Barnes, SVP and Deputy General Counsel, Fidelity Investments (ret.)
October 26, 2017	Technology and Data Protection in the Aviation Industry Donald Broadfield, Jr., Chief Intellectual Property & Data Counsel, American Airlines, Inc.
September 12, 2017	Creating Growth-Oriented IP Strategies for Startups Michael Henry '12, Principal, Henry Patent Law Firm
March 20, 2017	Inside the Energy Industry Michael Haynes, General Counsel for Riata Corporate Group
February 28, 2017	The Economics of Innovation Lonnie Brist, a PhD economist and Transfer Pricing Partner, Ernst & Young
January 26, 2017	Commercializing Technology for the Benefit of Patients Frank Grassler, VP of Technology Development at UT Southwestern Medical School

October 4, 2016	Legal Support of the Automotive Industry and Beyond Nilay S. Dave' and Frederick Mau, Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
September 6, 2016	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
February 3, 2016	What Every Intellectual Property Associate Needs to Know Lisa Evert, Hitchcock Evert LLP
February17, 2016	Healthcare Employment Contracts Martin Merritt, an attorney at Friedman & Feiger, addressed unique aspects of employment contracts in the healthcare industry.
March 2, 2016	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.
March 23, 2016	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.
March 30, 2016	The FAA's New Drone Regulations Vincent Allen, an attorney at Carstens & Cahoon LLP, discussed the FAA's new regulations of drones.

September 9, 2015	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.
September 15, 2015	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.
September 22, 2015	Innovation—Thoughts on a Lawyer's Role Max Ciccarelli, Thompson & Knight LLP
September 29, 2015	Recent and Significant Issues in Environmental Law: A Potpourri Rick Addison, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr
October 6, 2015	Technology's Role in the Changing Face of Healthcare Michael S. Byrd, ByrdAdatto
October 21, 2015	Recent Invalidation of U.S. Safe Harbor Laws: Data/Privacy Implications for Certified Companies Mina Saifi, Hewlett-Packard Compa
November 3, 2015	Patent Litigation Reform: Are We There Yet? Christa Brown-Sanford, Baker Botts LLP
November 10, 2015	The Role of Privacy in Emerging Technologies Jamie Sorley, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services