Tsai Talks
The Tsai Center sponsors periodic presentations and discussions at the SMU Dedman School of Law by professors, judges, and attorneys on topics at the intersection of law, science, and innovation. Organized by the Tsai Center Scholars and typically occurring over lunch, these presentations and discussions—often responding to hot topics and current events—bring the real world into the classroom. Tsai Talks help students make connections between the study and the practice of law, and challenge students to understand relationships between public policies and positive law. Tsai Talks invite students to explore differences between normative ideas about what the law should be and descriptive views of what the law is.
2022-2023 Tsai Talks
October 27, 2022
Tsai Talk - Health Law Series: Opioid Litigation: A View from the Inside with Darren Nicholson
October 6, 2022Tsai Talk: Get Connected: The Internet of Things with Luke McLeroy
September 22, 2022
Tsai Talk - Health Law Series: The Future of Medicine, Today. A Conversation with Bethany McGaha '10, Director and Managing Attorney - Healthcare Transactions, UTSouthwestern Medical Center
2021-2022 Tsai Talks
October 6, 2021Tsai Talk: Let them Play (and get Paid): Name, Image and Likeness Deals and NCAA Compliance. Damilola Sule, SMU Director of Compliance, and Rob Heuer, SMU Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, discussed the effects of the recent Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Alston on name, image, and likeness deals for student athletes, the innovative ways that student athletes can pursue these deals, and careers in NCAA compliance.
September 9, 2021
Tsai Talk:White Coats and Black Robes: Pharmaceutical Innovation and the Law. Frank Grassler, a Member of Martin Fulton, PLLC, discussed his career in pharmaceutical innovation and law, including his transition from a pharmacist to working as a patent attorney for GlaxoSmithKline.
March 16, 2021
Tsai Talk: Regulating an Evolving AI Landscape with Yoon Chae, Senior Associate, Baker McKenzie
January 28, 2021
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: Technology & The Health Surveillance State, presented by Professor Chris Jenks
November 12, 2020
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: with Director of the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center and Professor of Law Pam Metzger VIDEO
October 28, 2020
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: COVID-19 and the Constitution with Professor Dale Carpenter VIDEO
October 8, 2020
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: Voting in the Pandemic with Professor Grant Hayden VIDEO
September 24, 2020
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: Observing Online Courts: Lessons from the Pandemic with Professor Beth Thornburg VIDEO and PRESENTATION SLIDES
July 31, 2020
Tsai Talk Series – COVID-19 and the Law: Law and the Search for a COVID-19 Vaccine with Professor Nathan Cortez. 12:00 pm-1:00 pm, 7/31 Recording of Presentation
January 23, 2020
Tsai Talk: Leggo My Logo! Using Trademarks to Protect a Brand featuring guest speakers Charles Phipps and Joe Unis of Locke Lord
2019 Tsai Talks
November 15, 2019
Tsai Talk: IP in the Sky: Uber Elevate and Autonomous Driving Technology featuring Chris Storm, IP Legal Director for Uber's Emerging Technology Programs
October 30, 2019
Tsai Talk: Tales from the Crypt(o): How Cryptocurrency is Resurrecting the Legal Market
October 24, 2019
Law, Ethics & Autonomy featuring Professor Chris Jenks and Dr. Rain Livoja, University of Queensland
October 1, 2019
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal CircuitOral Arguments, Q&A and Reception
September 25, 2019
Leadership Lecture featuring the Honorable Scott R. Boalick, Chief Judge for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
September 19, 2019
Tsai Talk: Art Law and Copyright: How A Small Firm Takes on National Cases featuring Thomas Maddrey
Past Tsai Talks
| November 15, 2019 |
IP in the Sky: Uber Elevate and Autonomous Driving Technology Chris Storm, IP Legal Director, Uber Emerging Technology Programs |
| October 30, 2019 |
Tales from the Crypt(o): How Cryptocurrency is Resurrecting the Legal Market Lacey Shrum, Vela Wood |
| September 19, 2019 |
Art Law and Copyright: How A Small Firm Takes on National Cases Thomas Maddrey '14, Maddrey PLLC |
| March 5, 2019 |
Tsai Talk: #Trending: Cybersecurity in Social Media and Advertising Brittany DeGan, General Counsel for rewardStyle |
| March 21, 2019 |
Tsai Talk: A Talk with IBM: Unconscious Bias and Artificial Intelligence Emi Olsson,Distinguished Engineer and Chief Technology Officer |
| October 23, 2018 |
An Inside View of Startup Law Timothy J. Harris, Managing Partner, Morrison Foerster, Palo Alto, CA |
| September 5, 2018 |
AT&T: Technology, Lawyers, & the Law David Huntt Baker, Senior Legal Counsel, AT&T |
| March 1, 2018 |
Is That Fair (Use)? Third Party Trademarks in Film, Print, Video Games and other Media Tamera H. Bennett, The Bennett Firm |
| January 25, 2018 |
A Discussion of Privacy Regulation and Cybersecurity Jim Elliott, Assistant Regional Director, Southwest Region, Federal Trade Commission |
| November 2, 2017 |
Advice for Practicing Technology Law In-House Irwin Barnes, SVP and Deputy General Counsel, Fidelity Investments (ret.) |
| October 26, 2017 |
Technology and Data Protection in the Aviation Industry Donald Broadfield, Jr., Chief Intellectual Property & Data Counsel, American Airlines, Inc. |
| September 12, 2017 |
Creating Growth-Oriented IP Strategies for Startups Michael Henry '12, Principal, Henry Patent Law Firm |
| March 20, 2017 |
Inside the Energy Industry Michael Haynes, General Counsel for Riata Corporate Group |
| February 28, 2017 |
The Economics of Innovation Lonnie Brist, a PhD economist and Transfer Pricing Partner, Ernst & Young |
| January 26, 2017 |
Commercializing Technology for the Benefit of Patients Frank Grassler, VP of Technology Development at UT Southwestern Medical School |
| October 4, 2016 |
Legal Support of the Automotive Industry and Beyond Nilay S. Dave' and Frederick Mau, Toyota Motor North America, Inc. |
| September 6, 2016 |
Universities and Innovation Teresa Schultz, University of Texas at Arlington's Office of Technology Management, and |
| February 3, 2016 |
What Every Intellectual Property Associate Needs to Know Lisa Evert, Hitchcock Evert LLP |
| February17, 2016 |
Healthcare Employment Contracts Martin Merritt, an attorney at Friedman & Feiger, addressed unique aspects of employment contracts in the healthcare industry. |
| March 2, 2016 |
Oh, There Goes Gravity...The Effects of Alice on a Software-Focused Patent Practice Brian McCormack and Sreenivas Vedantam, attorneys at Baker & McKenzie LLP, discussed the impact of the Supreme Court's landmark decision on the law governing patent eligibility in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International. |
| March 23, 2016 |
From a Single Patent to a Corporate Strategy: How Companies Use IP Assets to Further Business Goal Brianna Hinojosa-Flores, Senior Manager and Patent Counsel with Blackberry, Inc., discussed how companies use their intellectual property assets--patents and trademarks in particular--to further their business goals. |
| March 30, 2016 |
The FAA's New Drone Regulations Vincent Allen, an attorney at Carstens & Cahoon LLP, discussed the FAA's new regulations of drones. |
| September 9, 2015 |
Food, Drugs, and Rock and Roll – The FDA and the Evolution of Deference, Due Process, and the First Amendment Michael Walsh from Strasburger & Price, LLP discussed the recent decision of the 2nd Circuit to curtail the FDA’s power to bar a manufacturer from disseminating scientific and medical information. |
| September 15, 2015 |
Legal Issues Arising During the Construction of a Methanol Plant Ashley Duffie from Celanese Corporation discussed the legal issues that arise during the development and construction of a methanol production plant. |
| September 22, 2015 |
Innovation—Thoughts on a Lawyer's Role Max Ciccarelli, Thompson & Knight LLP |
| September 29, 2015 |
Recent and Significant Issues in Environmental Law: A Potpourri Rick Addison, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr |
| October 6, 2015 |
Technology's Role in the Changing Face of Healthcare Michael S. Byrd, ByrdAdatto |
| October 21, 2015 |
Recent Invalidation of U.S. Safe Harbor Laws: Data/Privacy Implications for Certified Companies Mina Saifi, Hewlett-Packard Compa |
| November 3, 2015 |
Patent Litigation Reform: Are We There Yet? Christa Brown-Sanford, Baker Botts LLP |
| November 10, 2015 |
The Role of Privacy in Emerging Technologies Jamie Sorley, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |