The Honorable Lee Yeakel Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
History of the Honorable Lee Yeakel Intellectual Property
American Inn of Court 
The Austin IP Inn was formed at the confluence of two
efforts led by Masters with long histories of dedication to the
American Inn of Court movement: Judge Richard
Linn, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and
Judge Lee Yeakel, of the U.S. District Court for the Western
District of Texas. Judge Linn, past President of the Giles S. Rich
Inn in Washington, D.C., was working to establish Inns across the
country that focused on intellectual property law. Meanwhile, Judge
Yeakel, a past President of the Robert W. Calvert Inn in Austin,
Texas, was working to meet the growing need for an additional Inn
in the area. After discussing their separate efforts at a reception
in 2008, the judges began working together on a new Inn for
Austin.
Starting in 2009, Judge Yeakel met with Brian Nash and
Doug Wilson, two former law clerks for Judge Linn that practiced
intellectual property law in Austin. Together, they began the
process for establishing a new American Inn of Court. By August,
they had formed an Organizing Committee that also included: U.S.
Magistrate Judge Robert Pitman, of the Western District of Texas;
Lou Pirkey, a nationally-respected trademark attorney and founding
partner of Pirkey Barber, PLLC; Bill Schuurman, a
nationally-respected patent attorney and partner at Vinson &
Elkins LLP; Alan Albright, a nationally-respected patent attorney
and partner at Bracewell& Giuliani; and John M. Golden, a
professor at the University of Texas School of Law. The first
meeting of the Organizing Committee was held in Judge Yeakel's
chambers on September 2, 2009.
The members of the Organizing Committee applied for a charter on
September 29, 2009. The American Inns of Court approved the
application in October 2009.
There was strong support in the Austin community for a new Inn
focused on intellectual property. By spring of 2010, the Organizing
Committee recruited 25 people to become founding members of the new
Inn as Masters of the Bench. The Masters held their first meeting
on April 1, 2010, and the Inn's Bylaws were adopted by unanimous
consent. The Masters also elected the Inn's officers: Judge Yeakel,
President; Lou Pirkey, Membership Chair; Bill Schuurman, Program
Chair; Doug Wilson, Treasurer; and Brian Nash, Secretary.
The Inn's first year began with 83 total members, which included
Masters, Barristers, Associates, and law students from the
University of Texas. The first meeting was held on September 13,
2010 at the AT&T Executive Education Center at the University
of Texas. At the meeting, Judge Linn and Anne Paul, Director of
Chapter Relations at the American Inns of Court Foundation,
presented the Official Charter Number 421 to the Austin
Intellectual Property American Inn of Court.
The Inn is organized and modeled after the venerable English Inns
of Court system. The Inn is focused on intellectual property law,
and it attempts to balance its membership across all areas of the
intellectual property community. The Inn's membership includes
judges, judicial clerks, special masters, in-house counsel,
litigators, prosecutors, transactional attorneys, professors, and
law students.
In 2015, the Executive Committee of the Inn asked to rename the
Inn in honor of its founder, Judge Lee Yeakel. The Executive
Committee sought a way to recognize Judge Yeakel's efforts to found
the Inn and his ongoing contributions in helping the Inn grow,
thrive, and achieve excellence as recognized by the National
American Inns of Court. The motion to rename the Inn was
unanimously approved, and when consulted, Judge Yeakel conceded to
the Committee's request. Over the summer of 2015, the Inn was
renamed the Honorable Lee Yeakel Intellectual Property American Inn
of Court.
In addition to bringing together the Austin intellectual property
community, the Inn maintains close relationships with other Inns
and with the University of Texas School of Law. The Inn hosts joint
meetings with the Robert W. Calvert Inn of Court and the Lloyd
Lochridge Inn of Court.
The Inn also works with the University of Texas Intellectual
Property Law Journal to host an annual dinner and program. The Inn
also participates in the Linn Inn Alliance, a group of over 15
American Inns of Court throughout the country that are focused on
intellectual property law.
The Inn's programming teams are formed to achieve balance among
Master, Barrister, Associate, and law student members. During its
first two years of operation, the Inn's programming was nationally
recognized by the American Inns of Court Foundation. The Inn has
also hosted a number of notable guest speakers, including Judge
Richard Linn, Judge Paul Michel, Judge Timothy Dyk, Judge T. John
Ward, and Judge Leonard Davis.
If you are interested in applying for membership, e-mail our
Administrator, Darla Thomas.
