CLE Meetings
Noon CLE meetings are typically held at the Belo Mansion on the fourth Thursday of every month (with some exceptions).
We also host periodic breakfast CLE roundtable discussions at a North Dallas location on important IP topics.
Dec. 3, 2026
(Hybrid, Noon)
IP Section CLE
"Hold the Secret, Win the Case: Key Federal and Texas Trade Secret Decisions of 2026"
CLE Credit: 1.00 hr
Speaker: Heath Coffman and Ifunanya Ngadi, Brackett & Ellis, P.C.
A practical look at the year’s most important Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) and Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act (TUTSA) decisions, covering trade secret identification, reasonable secrecy measures in the age of AI, damages trends, and what it all means for counseling clients and litigating in Texas and federal court.
New Slate of Officers and Directors for IP Section
Here is the 2027 slate of officers and directors:
Officers
Kirby Drake - Chair
Matt Acosta - Vice Chair
Stephanie Sivinski - Sec.
Craig Carpenter - Tres.
John Tower - Past Chair
Directors
Jeff Becker
Srini Chakravarthi
Bill McSpadden
Sarah Foley
Tiffany Johnson
Bethany Salpietra
David Diamond
Matt Cornelia
Lon Outland
Vishal Patel
By Xato (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Sheet music: "Beauiful Dreamer" by Stephen Foster
Nov. 19, 2026 IP Section CLE (Noon, Virtual)
(1 Hr CLE, Ethics)
"AI Ethics in Your IP Practice: An Interactive Roundtable on Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Litigation"
Speakers: Srini Chakravarthi, Slater Matsil LLP and Kirby Drake, Kirby Drake Law
Generative AI is now embedded in how IP practitioners draft, search, and litigate. In this interactive roundtable, held in Zoom breakout rooms, participants will work through realistic scenarios in patent prosecution, trademark, copyright, and patent litigation practice. They will compare how colleagues are handling these questions arising from the use of AI in their practice and leave with practical policies they can adopt.