Knobbe Martens is pleased to announce that Founding Partner Don Martens has been honored with the prestigious Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler Award from the Orange County Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. The award, bestowed October 19 during the Annual Judges’ Night at The Duke Hotel in Newport Beach, recognizes distinguished service to the legal profession and outstanding contributions to the Central District. Mr. Martens is only the second non-judge recipient of the award since its inception in 2000.
Judge Stotler, the first woman to hold a full-time position as an Orange County Deputy District Attorney, served on the Orange County Municipal Court and the Orange County Superior Court. She was then appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California where she served for 25 years, acting as Chief Judge from 2005-2009.
Mr. Martens, helped grow Knobbe Martens from just a handful of lawyers in 1965 to about 300 attorneys and scientists today. He is repeatedly celebrated as one of the world’s top patent lawyers. In 1988 he received the Orange County Bar Association’s Franklin G. West Award for lifetime achievement in justice and the law, and his other honors include the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s Excellence Award and the Orange County Intellectual Property Law Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. PLC Global Counsel Magazine named Mr. Martens one of “The Top 10 Patent Lawyers in the World,” and the Global Counsel’s Handbook recognized him as one of the nation’s two “Leading IP Lawyers.”
Mr. Martens has served as a court-appointed Special Master for six U.S. District Courts, including the Central District of California, the Western District of Pennsylvania, the District of Connecticut, the Southern District of Ohio, and the Northern and Southern Districts of Texas. He has also presided as a mediator and arbitrator over major significant intellectual property disputes, including patent license and infringement cases. Mr. Martens’ varied leadership roles have included President of the American Intellectual Property Law Association; Chair of the ABA IP Law Section; President of the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation; President of the Orange County Bar Association; and President of the Orange County Intellectual Property Law Association.
Over the course of his distinguished career, Mr. Martens has traveled the world to educate lawyers and policymakers in developing countries. He retired in 2016 after more than 50 years with Knobbe Martens.
