Jim Amend brings over 50 years of intellectual property experience to Validity, including as partner at Kirkland & Ellis from 1968-2007 and as chief circuit mediator for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from 2007-2013. At the court and as a mediator for JAMS, Jim mediated over 500 cases involving claims of patent infringement and counterclaims for patent invalidity, inequitable conduct, and unfair competition across a diverse set of technologies, including computers, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, mechanical inventions, and industrial processes.

Jim was a visiting professor on Patent and Intellectual Property Law at Stanford University Law School from 1996-1999. He served as chairman of the ABA Section of Litigation, Copyright Subcommittee and chairman of the International Trademark Association, Expert Neutrals Panel, and has worked as special master to several District Court Judges to conduct claim instruction hearings and recommend claim constructions.

Jim is the author of Patent Law – A Primer for Federal District Court and Magistrate Judges (Eds. 1998 and 2006). He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from University of Michigan, Order of the Coif and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering summa cum laude, also from the University of Michigan. Jim was recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” by U.S. News and World Report, 2019-2020.