Learn about "The Ins and Outs of Expert Witness Work" from our panel of experts at PATCA's first 2009 dinner meeting. Plan now to attend at a new-to-PATCA venue: Old Ironsides Cafe in Santa Clara, California, with reduced 2009 dinner rates.

Expert witness work can involve a myriad of areas including patents, trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, forensic investigations, class actions, contract disputes as well as mergers and acquisitions. It is a type of work that is definitely not for everyone, but it can be fascinating and rewarding. Four consultants who include expert witness work within their consulting practices will each provide their personal perspective on being an expert. The speakers, whose backgrounds include hardware, software and business development, will discuss how they have applied their professional skills to being effective in this line of work.

Date: January 8, 2009

Time: 6:00-8:30pm

Pre-registration Cost: $17 for PATCA members, $22 for non-members, and $17 for first-time guest(s) of member

Walk-in Cost: $27 for members, $32 for non-members, and $27 for first-time guest of member

Location: Old Ironsides Cafe, 4655 Old Ironsides Dr # 150, Santa Clara, CA 95054 (from Great America Parkway turn at light on Patrick Henry, then right on Old Ironsides Drive. Cafe is on the right)

Reservations: Click "Register Now" button to register online by Noon Jan 7 or if register at door on night of meeting, see "Walk-in Cost" above. You can also call or email the PATCA office for advance reservations: 800-747-2822 or info@patca.org.

Brian A. Berg is a Senior PATCA member who has been consulting for 30 years. He specializes in storage systems and interfaces including flash memory and USB, and he has spoken at and helped organize over 50 technical conferences. He has had over 50 expert engagements involving patents, trade secrets, class actions, contractual disputes, computer forensics and patent portfolio reviews.

Ron Bader is a Senior Member of PATCA and an interdisciplinary systems, hardware and firmware consultant with over thirty one years of industry experience. Ron has been retained by both Plaintiffs and Defendants as both a testifying expert and forensic consultant on patent infringement, product liability, class action and breach of settlement agreement litigations, several of which resulted in eight figure settlements for the clients that retained him.

Joel Williams is a Senior Member of PATCA and has been a consultant for over 25 years. He develops embedded Linux systems and communications software. Additionally, he has contributed to standards organizations and has developed certification programs. He has provided expert witness services in 20 cases and patent portfolio reviews.

Glen Balzer is a marketing and sales consultant. He assists young companies create marketing and sales presences in American and Asian markets. He engages with suppliers, distributors and manufacturers' representatives in litigation involving representative and distributor agreements, as well as mergers and acquisitions.