People are critical to the success of an IP department and few tasks are more important than recruiting and retaining talent. This session will explore how world-class IP teams are built - from hiring the right talent to mentoring high performers and putting in place effective succession plans.
Deepak Parashar
Bridget Smith
Catherine Tornabene
Catherine Tornabene is the Deputy General Counsel, Intellectual Property at Aurora, a leading autonomous vehicle company. Catherine has been with Aurora since June 2017 and in her role works on all aspects of intellectual property. She has been an intellectual property attorney since 2007 and prior to Aurora, worked at Google Inc. and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Prior to attending law school, she worked as a software engineer at a startup that was ultimately acquired by Netscape and then AOL. Catherine earned BAs in Computer Science and History at UC Santa Cruz, an MS in Computer Science from Stanford, and her JD at UC Hastings. She is also an inventor on two patents.
Harry Harden
Harry heads Kilburn & Strode’s, San Francisco liaison office. With a background in physics, he primarily works on software, automotive and autonomous driving technologies.
His practice involves advising on filing strategies across the globe, particularly for Silicon Valley companies, with a focus on balancing efficiency with strength of IP protection.
Harry has particular expertise in risk assessment (freedom to operate) and patent portfolio strength analysis as companies approach IPO. Recent work has involved detailed
patent due diligence investigations to advise on commercial implications of patent portfolios.