Ken is an internationally recognized arbitrator and mediator with close to thirty years of leading international law firm and in-house experience in corporate/commercial transactions and litigation practices.
He serves as an arbitrator on the commercial, consumer, intellectual property, M&A, and technology panels of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), as well as an arbitrator with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and Korea Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB) International. He is a neutral with Arbitration and Mediation Center of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a UN agency.
Ken also serves as as a Judge Pro Tem and Settlement Conference Officer for San Francisco Superior Court and as a Settlement Mentor for Contra Costa County Superior Court. He is known for his preparation, collaborative style, out-of-box thinking and abillity to connect with people from diverse backgrounds.
Ken's experience in dispute resolution covers a wide array of industries and subject matters, including:
. general and commercial contract disputes;
. personal injury;
. commercial real property leases;
. restaurant leases;
. condominium disputes;
. loan guarantees;
. fee disputes;
. partnership disputes;
. professional malpractice;
. fraud/misrepresentation;
. software development;
. open book accounting;
. trade secret misappropriation;
. patent infringement;
. employment agreements;
. employee classification;
. reasonable accommodations;
. Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act claims;
. Consumers Legal Remedies Act claims;
. landlord-tenant disputes; and
. unlawful detainer actions.
Ken is available for arbitration and mediation in-person and via Zoom.
Previously, Ken worked as Senior Vice President in charge of Samsung Electronics’ Silicon Valley IP Office and has managed several hundred intellectual property litigation matters including the Apple-Samsung litigation. He also has extensive transaction experience, having negotiated some of the biggest corporate, commercial and IP deals with top tech companies, universities, and PAEs and brings business perspective to mediation and arbitration matters. In addition, Ken has handled many SEP/FRAND disputes and IP related antitrust matters in both litigation and regulatory contexts.
Before in-house, Ken was a partner with leading international law firms such as Dechert, McDermott Will &Â Emery, and Greenberg Traurig, where he handled litigation and transaction matters. He successfully tried a Section 337 infringement action before USITC as first chair and obtained a jury verdict in a copyright and trademark case before a federal district court.
Prior to private practice, Ken served as a judicial law clerk to a federal judge and as a federal prosecutor, trying 10 jury cases and more than 40 cases as first chair.
Ken is a founding member of California Arbitration (CalArb) and a member of Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center (SVAMC). He is a guest lecturer for Northwestern University School of Law San Francisco Campus where he teaches M&A and IP laws.
