Continuing Legal and Professional Education

The 8th annual Charles Green Lecture in Law and Technology

On Monday, October 25 from 4:00-5:30pm in the auditorium, please plan on attending the 8th annual Charles Green Lecture in Law and Technology. This year's lecture, "The Role of En Banc Review at the Federal Circuit" will be given by the Honorable Arthur J. Gajarsa, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The Federal Circuit is unique among the federal circuit courts of appeal because its decisions set nation-wide legal standards. Its national jurisdiction also results in few splits in authority between it and the regional circuits, which is often a reason the Supreme Court agrees to hear a given case. Consequently, when the court decides an en banc case, its impact is of considerable importance. It has immediate national impact and can send a signal to the Supreme Court for possible review. Notwithstanding the importance of these cases, much ambiguity surrounds how the court decides to take a case en banc. Judge Gajarsa will address the en banc process at the Federal Circuit, the reasons why the court would take the extraordinary step of granting en banc review, and whether the court, given its unique role, should take more or fewer cases en banc in order to promote uniformity in U.S. patent law.

The Green lecture will be preceded in the day by the inaugural Federal Circuit Roundtable from 1:30-3:30 p.m. The Roundtable is an annual event in which a panel of prominent Chicago-area practitioners who are former Federal Circuit Clerks will address current issues in patent law. There will also be a reception following the lecture from 5:30-6:30 p.m.