Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors manages the affairs and directs the conduct of the business of the organization

LAIPLA’s Board of Directors for the 2026-2027 Cycle

President: Jordan Nafekh, Irell & Manella LLP

Jordan Nafekh is an attorney at Irell & Manella in Los Angeles. Jordan’s practice includes a broad range of intellectual property disputes with a focus on high-stakes patent infringement litigation. Jordan has comprehensive experience through all stages of litigation, from pre-filing investigation to trials and appeals. He has experience drafting and arguing both discovery and dispositive motions, including claim construction motions, working with fact and expert witnesses, taking and defending depositions, and examining witnesses at trial.
Favorite LAIPLA Event:  Washington in the West – it is an honor to continue hosting representatives from the USPTO at this yearly event and being able to bring their insights to local practitioners.
Favorite LAIPLA Memory:  Too many to pick! Spring Seminar 2026 was a particularly memorable weekend conference. Reuniting with old friends and making new ones at the beautiful Ojai Valley Inn is tough to beat.

Vice President: Nick Fung, Partner, Morrison Foerster

Nick Fung is a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP. Nick advises clients on a broad range of intellectual property issues, with a focus on high-stakes patent litigation and trade secrets disputes. With a degree in electrical engineering and computer science, Nick has litigated matters spanning a broad range of technology, including semiconductors, medical devices, and computer hardware and software. Nick has counseled companies at all stages of their life cycles/growth, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, and has represented clients in federal and state courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). 
Nick received his J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law, where he was a semi-finalist in the Marden Moot Court Competition, a Robert McKay Scholar, and an Articles Editor for the Annual Survey of American Law. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
Nick is the Co-Chair of the Diversity Outreach Committee and is also a member of the Spring Seminar Committee.

Favorite LAIPLA Event:  Washington in the West!

Favorite LAIPLA Memory:  2026 Spring Seminar at the Ojai Resort—truly an amazing venue!

Treasurer: Adam Kwon, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

Adam Kwon is an attorney at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, where his practice focuses on patent and trademark litigations across a wide range of industries, including wireless communications, networking systems, semiconductors, software applications, e-commerce, financial services and more. Adam routinely provides strategic IP advice in complex patent matters and trademark disputes, representing both established technology leaders and emerging brands alike. As a litigator with both trial and appellate experience, Adam’s cases are spread across federal district courts, appellate courts, and administrative tribunals such as the PTAB and TTAB.
Adam received a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School, magna cum laude. He also previously served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Otis D. Wright II in the Central District of California, and for Judge Jimmie V. Reyna at the Federal Circuit.
Favorite LAIPLA Event:  Judges’ Night – There’s a reason it sells out every year!
Favorite LAIPLA Memory:   Impossible question. Spring Seminar 2022 or 2026.

Secretary: Patrick Maloney, Cork Maloney LLP

Patrick Maloney is a founding partner of Cork Maloney LLP, where he represents clients in intellectual property disputes with a particular focus on patent post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Since beginning his post-grant practice in 2013, shortly after IPRs were created by the America Invents Act, Patrick has represented clients in more than 200 IPRs, covered business method reviews, ex parte reexaminations, and other post-grant proceedings, securing wins at both the institution and final written decision stages. He also represents parties in district court litigation and Federal Circuit appeals and counsels startups and small businesses on developing and protecting their intellectual property.  

Favorite LAIPLA Event: 2013 Welcome Back Mixer, where I made connections that helped launch my career in patent law

Favorite LAIPLA Memory: Being asked to demonstrate one of the challenges at a Spring Seminar 2024 event, which involved me throwing ping pong balls at a former LAIPLA president’s head. 

Director: Josh Pollack, Nixon Peabody LLP

Joshua J. Pollack is Counsel in the Los Angeles office of Nixon Peabody and a member of the firm’s Litigation department and Intellectual Property practice group. A trial attorney with more than 28 years of experience, Josh has successfully represented clients in high-stakes litigation in federal and state courts across the country. Josh’s practice involves intellectual property and complex commercial litigation matters, including claims for copyright, trademark, and patent infringement, false advertising, breach of contract, fraud, negligence, strict liability, breach of warranty, unfair competition, and business interference. He has successfully represented a wide range of clients in IP litigation matters, including Reuben Klamer, Vanessa Hudgens, DECA International Corp., and most of the major motion picture studios and television networks. 

Josh earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was elected to Order of the Coif and served as Special Projects Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Prior to law school, Josh earned a B.A. in Political Science, summa cum laude, from Yeshiva University. 

Josh previously co-chaired the LAIPLA Copyright and Trademark Committee and Courthouse Lunch Program and has served on the Judges’ Night Committee. 

Director: Nina Boyajian, Greenberg Traurig

Nina D. Boyajian is a shareholder in the litigation and intellectual property practice groups of Greenberg Traurig’s Los Angeles office. Her areas of concentration include trademark, copyright (including DMCA), privacy, and First Amendment counseling and litigation. Nina has been involved in all stages of litigation from pre-litigation diligence and enforcement through preliminary injunction proceedings, discovery, summary judgment, trial, and appeal. Nina has represented clients across a variety of industries, both in enforcing their intellectual property rights and defending against claims of infringement. As a corollary to her trademark litigation practice, Nina also provides strategic trademark portfolio management counseling. In addition to her intellectual property and privacy litigation practice, Nina also has broad experience litigating general business disputes, particularly in the media and entertainment space. Her litigation and trial experience extends to both state and federal courts nationwide. 

Nina received her BA, cum laude, College Honors, from UCLA, a diploma in French Language and Civilization from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, and her JD from USC Gould School of Law. 

Before joining the Board, Nina co-chaired LAIPLA’s Copyright and Trademark Committee.

Director: Nancy Olson, Olson Stein LLP

Nancy Olson is a partner at Olson Stein LLP. Nancy’s practice focuses on all areas of IP and related complex litigation in federal court. She has litigated matters involving patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets. Before founding Olson Stein LLP, Nancy gained a variety of experience, including as a law clerk to the Patent Program for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California; a federal prosecutor; a biglaw litigation attorney; and an elbow law clerk to U.S. district court and Ninth Circuit judges. Stemming from her extensive experience in patent litigation and working for the federal courts, Nancy also serves as a court-appointed special master in patent cases. 

Favorite LAIPLA Event: Judges Night, which she has co-organized for the past several years.

Favorite LAIPLA Memory: Moderating Judges Night with Judge Stoll, Judge Staton, and Judge Donahue sitting on the panel.

Director: Daniel Latimer, Honda

Daniel Latimer is an accomplished attorney with extensive expertise in intellectual property matters, including trademark, copyright, and publicity rights. As a key member of the legal team at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Daniel represents the company in various areas, such as trademark clearance and prosecution, copyright clearance, advertising material review, and technology/sponsorship/IP licensing agreements. 

Daniel holds a J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law, where he also served as an editor on the Dispute Resolution Law Journal. Prior to joining Honda, Daniel clerked for the Los Angeles Superior Court, gaining valuable insights into the legal system. 

With a background in Civil Engineering (B.S.) from Loyola Marymount University, Daniel brings a unique perspective to his legal practice. Additionally, Daniel has been an active co-chair of the LAIPLA Diversity Committee for the past two years. 

Favorite LAIPLA Event: Spring seminar 2026 at the Ojai Valley Inn

Favorite LAIPLA Memory: Washington in the West 2026, where the trademark track included a panel comprised of In-House Counsel who discussed wide-ranging topics including trademark prosecution strategy and tips for outside counsel. 

Director: Mai Lin, Womble Bond Dickinson

Mai Lin is a Partner at Womble Bond Dickinson in Los Angeles. She has been helping companies protect their IP in China since 2007. Her practice spans trademark prosecution, enforcement, anti-counterfeiting, registry disputes, and commercial IP transactions. She has helped many companies reclaim trademarks from squatters and develop proactive strategies to safeguard their portfolios in China.

Mai draws on her cross-cultural fluency as a Chinese-American, formally trained in the U.S., with on-the-ground experience in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. She not only bridges the cultural gap but also empowers clients to navigate China’s distinct and often challenging trademark protection and enforcement system.

Mai earned her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law and graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in Ethics, Politics & Economics. Mai is the Co-Chair of the Women in IP Committee.

Favorite LAIPLA Event:  Washington in the West 

Favorite LAIPLA Memory:  “I decided to stick around a little longer with some LAIPLA members after my first Washington in the West conference wrapped up — and ended up building a core group of awesome friends”.

Director: Jack O’Donnell, Jones Day

Jack O’Donnell represents clients in technical and high-stakes litigation, focusing on patent, trade secret, and software copyright disputes before U.S. District Courts, the International Trade Commission (ITC), the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and in arbitration. He has been an active member of the LAIPLA for eight years.  Before joining Jones Day, he served as the patent program judicial clerk at the United States District Court for the Central District of California, where he advised seven judges on hundreds of patent cases. He graduated with a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) and with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Favorite LAIPLA Event: Judges’ Night Gala, where the IP community can hear direct feedback from the judges and meet them in a fun environment.

Favorite LAIPLA Memory: Spring Seminar in Ojai, where he met many new lifelong friends and enjoyed the beautiful Ojai Valley resort and scenery.

Director: Ben Shiroma, Partner, Knobbe Martens

Ben Shiroma is a Partner in Knobbe Martens’ Los Angeles office. Ben is a client-focused litigator, who represents clients of all sizes in high-stakes intellectual property litigation, including patent and trade secret litigation. Ben has leveraged his background in electrical engineering in many contexts ranging from cloud computing and consumer electronics to biomedical devices. Ben has also represented clients in other cutting-edge areas such as X-ray microscopy.
Ben earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. Before coming to Los Angeles, Ben grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Ben previously co-chaired the Patent and Trade Secrets Committee as well as the Young Lawyers Committee. Ben looks forward to planning Washington in the West and other events this upcoming year.

Favorite LAIPLA Event: Judge’s Night is always an outstanding event that brings together an unparalleled wealth of legal knowledge and insight from the bench.

Favorite LAIPLA Memory: The holiday party at the Magic Castle is always a special night to reconnect with colleagues in a fun and social setting.

Director: Judge A. Joel Richlin, Magistrate Judge, C.D. Cal

Judge Richlin is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California and presides over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division. Prior to his appointment, Judge Richlin served as the General Counsel and Chief Litigation Officer of a national hospital system where he supervised and led litigation in 14 states. Judge Richlin also previously worked in the Los Angeles Office of an international law firm where he was a Senior Counsel in the Business Litigation Group. At the beginning of his career, Judge Richlin served as a law clerk to three federal judges for nearly five years at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, as well as the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. Outside of the Court, Judge Richlin is a law professor who teaches written and oral advocacy, and mentors students pursuing judicial clerkships.
Judge Richlin earned his J.D., cum laude, from Loyola Law School Los Angeles and his B.A. in economics, with honors, from Northwestern University. 
Favorite LAIPLA Event: Judges Night (of course)!

Director: Theresa Conduah, Partner, Alston & Bird

Theresa Conduah is a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation Group. She focuses her practice on trademark and copyright portfolio management, licensing, and enforcement strategies, and IP litigation.

Theresa has experience in the technology, consumer products, entertainment, and sports industries. She counsels clients in developing and scaling global IP portfolios, design patents, global brand protection, and anti-counterfeit programs. She has prosecuted dozens of Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy cases before the National Arbitration Forum and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Theresa is recognized as a leading trademark professional in California by WTR 1000 (2022–2025) and noted as “an incredibly smart lawyer who possesses unique insight thanks to vast in-house experience”. She is also a frequent speaker on intellectual property, brand protection, and diversity issues in the law.
Favorite LAIPLA Event: Washington in the West

Favorite LAIPLA Memory: My first event, LAIPLA Welcome Back Mixer. I had just moved to Los Angeles, and I found a new community of friends and colleagues.

Director: Katherine McNutt, Associate, Cooley LLP

Katie McNutt is an associate at Cooley LLP, where she represents clients in high-stakes patent, copyright, trade secret, and trademark disputes before federal and state courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Her practice spans all phases of complex IP litigation, from pre-filing risk assessment and negotiation through trial and appeal, and she combines technical fluency with strategic judgment to provide her clients with constructive and practical advice.
Katie received her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Stanford Technology Law Review, and her B.S. in Neuroscience from Duke University. Before joining Cooley, she clerked for Judge Kara F. Stoll of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and Judge Richard G. Andrews of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, and litigated IP disputes at both a boutique trial firm and a large multinational firm.
Favorite LAIPLA Event: Judges’ Night
Favorite LAIPLA Memory: Moderating a panel on skinny labels at Washington in the West 2025

Past President: Sarah Cork, Cork Maloney LLP

Dr. Sarah M. Cork is an associate in Quinn Emanuel’s Los Angeles office. Her practice focuses on patent litigation in the life sciences sector, with an emphasis on pharmaceutical, medical device, Hatch-Waxman, and BPCIA matters, and she has represented both patentees and patent challengers in district courts and at the Federal Circuit. Leveraging her extensive scientific training, Sarah understands her clients’ technology at a deep level, and she is skilled at translating complex technical concepts for a lay audience.

Sarah earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review. Before law school, she received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Emory University, where her dissertation research focused on characterizing novel therapeutics for brain tumors. She earned B.S. degrees in Biological Anthropology/Anatomy and Biology from Duke University.

Favorite LAIPLA Event: The 2020 Fall Patent Program (co-chair).

Favorite LAIPLA Memory: Being called up on stage to participate in a magic trick during the 2019 holiday party at the Magic Castle.