Joseph Matal is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the Washington, D.C. office of Haynes and Boone, LLP.  Joe has served as both the Acting Director and the Acting Solicitor of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; in which roles he oversaw the operations of the USPTO and its 13,000 employees and handled appeals of patent and trademark cases to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  Prior to his service at the USPTO, Joe served as the Minority General Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in which role he participated in the negotiation and drafting of the America Invents Act.