Dear Members of the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court:

You are part of something special.  The Giles S. Rich Inn is a close-knit group of law students, judicial law clerks, academics, practicing attorneys, and judges who share the common goal of burnishing the virtues of ethics, civility, professionalism, and mentorship within the intellectual property legal community.  The mechanism for accomplishing that goal is so simple it can be easily overlooked:  we achieve our purpose when members spend time talking with each other and dining together.  As a judge who deals with international trade, I often think about these words of Montesquieu:  “Peace is the natural effect of trade.”  He explained, “Commerce is a cure for the most destructive prejudices . . . [W]herever we find agreeable manners, there commerce flourishes; and . . . wherever there is commerce, there we meet with agreeable manners.”  The same is true within our Inn.  When we exchange ideas and spend time together, “we find agreeable manners,” and the commerce of our intellectual property community flourishes.

This Membership Handbook provides some basic information that will help you be an active part of the Inn, such as meeting dates, a roster of Inn members, the rules of the Inn, and the rules governing our use of the National Courts Building.  It closes, as always, with “Recollections of Judge Giles S. Rich,” the namesake of our Inn, written by Paul Michel, former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

As we move through the year together, I hope you will participate in an essential feature of our Inn:  the Pupilage Group.  Every member of the Inn is assigned to a Pupilage Group, led by one or more Program Chairs, and each Group is responsible for organizing the program for one of our monthly meetings.  The Pupilage Group not only provides opportunities for professional development but also can be a lot of fun.  Don’t miss out on getting to know your Pupilage Group!

And one last note.  Your sustained membership and dues are vital to the success of the Inn.  Please contact an Inn officer if you have any questions about your membership or dues.

I know your time is precious.  Thanks for caring enough about our profession to share some of it with the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court. 

See you at the Inn!

Clark S. Cheney
Chief Administrative Law Judge
U.S. International Trade Commission

Inn President, 2023-2024