Thomas J. Smegal

Mr. Smegal received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from what was then the Michigan College of Mining and Technology in 1957, and graduated Cum Laude with a Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School in 1961. A specialist in providing expert witness testimony in intellectual property disputes, Mr. Smegal has been a frequent lecturer on intellectual property law and litigation at the Center for American and International Law and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, as well as in educational seminars sponsored by the state and national intellectual property law associations. Mr. Smegal was a partner in the San Francisco office of Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear from 1998, when he opened that office, through 2005, and now practices law in his own San Francisco firm.

He has been nominated by two presidents to serve on the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation, and in recognition of his life-long dedication to delivering legal services to the indigent, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association honored him in 1987 as the recipient of its prestigious Arthur Von Breson Award. He has been long active in professional associations, including positions as President of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (1986), Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law (1990-1992), and President of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Intellectual Property Lawyers (1995-2001). Mr. Smegal is the author of numerous articles regarding intellectual property law, and has practiced full-time in the field for 43 years.

From 1995 Induction to the Department of Chemical Engineering Academy