Presentation -
This is a 50 minute introduction to the litigation process for non-lawyers. Learn about the entire process, from pre-dispute risk minimization to fee considerations through to what would happen in court. Learn to manage your risks and costs, and maximize your chances of a favorable outcome.

Author -
Paul Reidl is a California lawyer with nearly thirty years of experience. He is the principal attorney in the Law Office of Paul W. Reidl. After graduating from the George Washington University Law School in 1980, Paul spent the first decade of his career with the Washington, D.C. firm of Crowell & Moring. He represented clients in a variety of litigation matters. He spent the next eighteen years as Associate General Counsel of a multi-billion dollar global company, E. & J. Gallo Winery. His practice concentrated on intellectual property and international law. He managed Gallo’s global trademark program, which included clearance, licensing, acquisition, registration, and enforcement of Gallo’s trademarks. Paul’s current practice involves both trademark and wine law for clients in Canada, Italy and the United States. In the trademark area, he counsels clients in various industries on the full spectrum of global trademark-related issues, from strategic branding and trademark clearance through dispute resolution. His wine law practice counsels clients on legal and business matters in the United States and abroad. Recent litigation includes: E. & J. Gallo Winery v. Mira Enterprises, Inc. E. & J. Gallo Winery v. The Spanish Table, Inc. FWI, Inc. v. Perfecta Wine Company CytoSport, Inc. v. PVL, Ltd. He has also represented clients in numerous proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Paul is a frequent speaker and writer on trademark-related issues. He has been a member of the Practicing Law Institute faculty and has taught the basic trademark law course in San Francisco for ten years. He is also a member of the Association Internationale des Juristes du Droit de la Vigne et du Vin (“AIDV”). Paul has been an active member of the global association of trademark owners and professionals, the International Trademark Association, since 1992. He co-authored the Trademark Dilution Revision Act. In 2006, he was the association’s President and he represented it on public policy issues in Europe, Canada, China, and the United States. That year he was named one of the 50 most influential people in intellectual property by Managing Intellectual Property Magazine.