The Federal Circuit's Appellate Mediation Program

Program Description

On October 3, 2005, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit initiated the Appellate Mediation Program. The program is authorized by an en banc order, revised September 18, 2006, and is operated in accordance with the Guidelines, last revised on May 14, 2007. The court has approved a list of individuals to serve as media­tors. The operation and results to-date for the pro­gram will be presented by Chief Circuit Mediator James Amend.

Program Faculty

James Amend is the chief circuit mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC. Previously, Mr. Amend litigated numerous patent, trademark, and unfair competition matters during his 38-year tenure with Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He has served as a mediator of intellectual property disputes and was appointed special master by the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and the District of Arizona to conduct claim construction hearings. Mr. Amend is the author of Patent Law-A Primer for Federal District Court Judges, 1st ed., published by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, 1998, 2nd ed. 2006.

Wendy L. Dean is the circuit mediation officer for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC. Ms. Dean administers the program, serves as deputy to the chief circuit mediator, and mediates matters involving all areas of the court’s subject matter jurisdiction. Ms. Dean previously served in the court’s Senior Staff Attorney Office for five years. In this capacity, she advised the court on complex jurisdictional, substantive, and procedural issues in all subject matters within the court’s jurisdiction. Ms. Dean also assisted the court with dispositions of motions and petitions and provided research and advice as requested by the court on substantive, procedural, and administrative matters.

CLE Credit*

1.5 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states/1.8 hours of CLE credit in 50-minute states have been requested in states accrediting ABA teleconferences and live audio webcasts.*

NY-licensed attorneys: This non-transitional CLE program has been approved for experienced NY-licensed attorneys in accordance with the requirements of the New York State CLE Board for 1.5 total NY CLE credits.

The following states accept ABA teleconferences for mandatory CLE credit:
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, KY, LA, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NH, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.

*States currently not accrediting ABA Teleconferences: DE, IN, PA, KS, OH