Brief History of AIPLA

On the afternoon of May 12, 1982, eleven IP attorneys gathered under the giant live oak trees at Scholtz’ Beer Garden to organize the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association. The group decided that the Association should be an informal one, with no officers or By-laws for the time being. Those in attendance signed in on a legal pad, and it was decided that each person on the list would host a future meeting, to be held every two or three months, in the order in which the names appeared on the legal pad.

The second meeting was held at Rita’s Cantina on June 30, 1982, and subsequent meetings were held periodically at various watering holes in or near downtown Austin.

By 1986, membership had grown to 27, and the group decided to create a formal structure. An organizational meeting was held in April 1986, and in June of that year, the association was incorporated as a Texas not-for-profit corporation. The association joined the National Council of Patent Law Associations. The charter officers, who served until 1988, were:

President — Louis T. Pirkey
President Elect — David Roth
Secretary — David Mossman
Treasurer — Jerry Keys
NCPLA Delegate — Andrea Bryant

The Association held a luncheon to celebrate its incorporation on September 25, 1986, at the Driskill Hotel. The featured speaker was William Hobby, Lieutenant Governor of Texas, who gave an interesting and timely talk about transitioning Texas from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. In attendance were more than 50 attorneys, including the presidents of the Houston Intellectual Property Law Association, the San Antonio Intellectual Property Law Association, and the Chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.

In the years since 1986, membership in the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association has grown rapidly and continues to grow today.

Austin Intellectual Property Law Association List of Past Presidents:

2022 Jerry Suva
2021 Aden Allen
2020 Jennifer Kuhn
2019 Steve Meleen
2018 Jennifer Nall
2017 Kim Vo
2016 Brian C. Nash
2015 J. Roger Williams, Jr.
2014 Susan Hightower
2013 Darryl Adams
2012 Michael Barrett
2011 Rob King
2010 David O’Brien
2009 Pierre Hubert
2008 Jeffrey Mills
2007 Peter Ayers
2006 Kent Chambers
2005 J.R. Bell
2004 Bob O’Keefe
2003 Amber Hatfield Rovner
2002 Jeff McDaniel
2002 Michael Davis
2000 Don Jones
1999 Shannon Vale
1998 Russ Culbertson
1997 Jack Musgrove
1996 Heinz Grether
1995 Bill Raman
1994 Chad Huston
1993 Patti Ohlendorf
1992 Nevin Shaffer
1991 Floyd Nation
1990 Jerry Kraft
1989 Jerry Keys
1988 Dudley Dobie
1986-87 Lou Pirkey