Speakers

For almost 30 years Chris has been an independent organizational behavior consultant. He is a trusted partner to some of the world’s largest companies in the professional services, tech, and pharma industries hired to solve some of their most chronic business problems by offering user-friendly solutions aligned with the company’s strategic initiatives. Before striking out on his own he was the Director of Training and Development for the American Medical Association and was part of the Human Resource Development group for Brunswick Corporation.

Judge Owens clerked for Judge J. Clifford Wallace on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The following year, he clerked for Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the United States Supreme Court. After these distinguished clerkships, Judge Owens worked as trial attorney in the Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Litigation (now Consumer Protection Branch) from 1998 to 1999, and as a litigation association at O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Washington, D.C. from 2000 to 2001. In 2001, Judge Owens became an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California. He transferred to the Southern District of California in 2004. In 2008, he was named Deputy Chief of Major Frauds in that district, and he was elevated to Chief of the Criminal Division in 2010. In 2012, Judge Owens joined the firm of Munger, Tolles, & Olson as a partner.

Mary Abbajay, author of the best-selling Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss is the president of Careerstone Group, LLC, a full service organizational and leadership development consultancy that delivers leading-edge talent and organizational development solutions to business and government.

Until recently, Myra managed a group of patent lawyers who support the Immunology, Infectious Disease and Vaccine Therapeutic Areas for Johnson & Johnson's Pharmaceutical sector where she oversaw the patent portfolios, products, licensing, M&A and diligence activities for J&J's pharm sector particularly in these therapeutic areas.

James Pooley is one of the world’s foremost experts in trade secret law and management. His legal treatise, “Trade Secrets,” updated semi-annually, is the leading lawyer’s desk reference on the subject. His latest business book is “Secrets: Managing Information Assets in the Age of Cyberespionage” (Verus Press, 2015).

Mark Whitaker is the co-chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Intellectual Property Litigation practice group, with more than 30 years of experience crafting legal strategies in high-stakes patent and trade secret litigation.