Hon. Kathleen McDonald O'Malley

Irell & Manella LLP

Judge O’Malley was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit by President Obama in 2010. Prior to her elevation to the Federal Circuit, Judge O’Malley was appointed to the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio by President Clinton in 1994. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge O’Malley served as First Assistant Attorney General, Chief of Staff, and Chief Counsel to the Attorney General for the State of Ohio. Judge O’Malley was also in private practice with Jones Day and Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur. Judge O’Malley began her legal career as a law clerk to the Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1982, summa cum laude and Order of the Coif, she received her A.B. from Kenyon College in 1979, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and she also received an honorary LL.D. from Kenyon in 1995. Judge O’Malley is a Judicial Advisor for The Sedona Conference Working Group 9 on Patent Damages and Remedies (WG9) and The Sedona Conference Working Group 10 on Patent Litigation Best Practices (WG10) Steering Committee. For her contributions to intellectual property law during her 25 years on the bench, Judge O’Malley has been awarded the Sedona Conference Lifetime Achievement Award, the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association Jefferson Medal, and the New York Intellectual Property Law Association Outstanding Public Service Award, and named to Globe Business Media Group’s IP Hall of Fame.