Once again, Botkin Chiarello Calaf partners are teaching at The University of Texas School of Law, sharing their expertise in patent and trade secret law.‍

María Amelia Calaf (MAC) and Leah Bhimani Buratti are co-teaching a course on Trade Secret Law, and Ryan Botkin is serving as a Teaching Assistant for U.S. District Judge Alan Albright’s Patent Advocacy class at the University of Texas School of Law.

MAC and Leah have considerable experience in trade secret law, having successfully litigated two recent Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals cases that have shaped the contours of trade secrets jurisprudence: Direct Biologics, L.L.C. v. McQueen, 63 F.4th 1015, 1017 (MAC and Leah) and CAE Integrated, LLC v. MOOV Technologies (MAC).

Their seminar will provide an in-depth study of federal and state trade secrets law and the legal tools companies use to protect their intellectual property. The course will also explore trade secrets litigation and compare trade secret law with other legal doctrines, such as patent law.

“We are excited to share with the next generation of attorneys some of the hard-earned wisdom we have learned in the courtroom litigating trade secrets cases,” MAC said.

For Judge Albright’s popular patent law class, Ryan is one of three veteran coordinators, alongside Kat Li, a patent litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis, and Evan Pearson, an associate at Quinn Emmanuel and former law clerk to Judge Albright.

Classes are held in the Austin Federal Courthouse and are structured as hearings before Judge Albright and other federal judges, including Hons. Derek Gilliland, Susan Hightower, Mark Lane, and Dustin Howell. The weekly class also features guest coaches from across the country—including Leah Buratti—drawn from a roster of prominent patent litigators, in-house counsel, and technical experts. In addition to weekly prep sessions, the students receive substantive feedback on each argument from Judge Albright, Ryan, Kat, Evan, and the guest coaches.

“Judge Albright’s class is the kind of hands-on practice seminar that I recommend to every law student in every practice area,” Ryan says. “Courtroom advocacy is best learned through experience, and these students have the opportunity to learn from the premier patent judge in the country, as well as some of its best practitioners. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

Ryan’s trial practice focuses on representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex business disputes. Ryan handles matters in technology and intellectual property, corporate governance, e-commerce and digital media, financial services, software development, private equity, commercial contracts, business torts, and more.