ADAM BOYES, IRON GALAXY STUDIOS

As Chief Executive Officer of Iron Galaxy Studios, Adam Boyes is responsible for the Company’s finances, strategic development, partnerships and alliances. Most recently, Boyes was Vice President of Third Party Relations & Developer Technology Group at Sony Interactive Entertainment America where he oversaw Publisher & Developer Relations, Portfolio Strategy, Financial Strategy, Partner Alliance, Technical Account Management, Developer Technology Group and the 3rd Party Production team - driving them to record revenue and profitability numbers consistently year over year. Previously, Boyes was Executive Producer and Director of Product Development at Midway Games and Capcom respectively.

William Ward Bucher IV, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

William Ward Bucher IV is a litigation associate at Debevoise & Plimpton whose practice focuses on intellectual property, cybersecurity class actions, and emerging issues in interactive entertainment. Will received his J.D. with honors from the University of Chicago in 2015 and graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011. Will is the author of “Playing Around Hart and Keller’s Full-court Press: Designing a Federal Compulsory Licensing Regime for Rights of Publicity that Enables Developers and Compensates Rights Holders,” and his recent work has focused on rights of publicity and the FTC standards concerning social media influencers. Will is a member of the Video Game Bar Association.

Sam Castree III, Crawford Intellectual Property LLC

Sam Castree, III is the Head of Entertainment Law at Crawford Intellectual Property Law in Crystal Lake, Illinois. During his career, he has assisted numerous indie game developers with their various and sundry legal needs. Sam is also a regular speaker on topics of video game law at venues from international gaming conventions to local developer meet-up groups. He has published articles on such topics as game cloning, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and King.com's trademark practices. When not advising clients on all of the things that they shouldn't be doing, Sam enjoys introducing his children to games that are exponentially older than they are.

William K. Ford, The John Marshall Law School

William K. Ford is an Associate Professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He teaches courses in contract law and intellectual property, including a course on video game law. He has published law journal articles or book chapters on copyright issues in the early video game industry, the right of publicity and games, trademark issues and video games, and the litigation over state restrictions on minors’ access to violent video games. A forthcoming book chapter focuses on the use of scientific evidence in the state legislatures prior to enacting those restrictions on violent video games. Professor Ford received his J.D. from the University of Chicago in 2003.

Jason Greenglass, Morrison & Lee

Having worked on countless deals at the law firm Morrison/Lee, Jason knows what different organizations need and how to negotiate the best and safest deals possible for his clients. As an avid gamer, collegiate eSports coach, and attorney, Jason Greenglass understands the unique challenges and needs of the gaming and eSports community. Bringing vast experience working with players, content creators and influencers Jason works with talent directly whether it’s negotiating a contract or simply being an advocate. He is passionate about working with clients to achieve their goals and takes pride in being passionate about their passions. Expert understanding of the competitive landscape and the dynamic between players, sponsors and their organizations means Jason identifies and limits potential market vulnerabilities while helping clients turn their potential and passion into business.

Edward Grochowiak, GoEmpire Group

Born and raised in Chicago, Edward Grochowiak is the Founder and Executive Director of GoEmpire Group, the full-service sport agency out of Chicago. Grochowiak oversees agencys day-to-day operations, acting a liaison with coaches, players, owners and scouts. He is constantly looking for better and new opportunities for agency clients, both on and off the court. Conducts agency recruitment of all potential clients. GoEmpire clients play mainly in Europe and America (NBA D-League), while also working with a hand full of coaches as well. Has worked on a personal basis with over 70 basketball players worldwide. Grochowiak has a Masters degree in Sport Administration from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from the University of Dayton in Ohio.

Ross A. Hersemann, Loading Law

Ross is an attorney, writer, and gamer.

Ross is the Founder of Loading Law, a Chicago-based law practice, and provides legal counsel to video game developers and entrepreneurs in the tech sector. Ross is also the Organizer of the Chicago Video Game Law Summit and an Adjunct Professor of Video Game Law at DePaul University. He speaks frequently on hot topics in law and technology and has a book on Video Game Law in development. Ross also serves as Co-Chair of the CBA YLS Creative Arts Committee, Vice Chair of IGDA-Chicago, and as a Board Member of the VGA Gallery.

Suzanne Jackiw, Interactive Entertainment Law Group

Suzanne Jackiw is an associate at the Interactive Entertainment Law Group and a Certified Information Privacy Professional - US. She has written articles on the legal issues of game development for several online and print publications and has spoken at several industry conferences and online programs. She is Project Manager at the Video Game Bar Association, an organization that brings together attorneys who work primarily or exclusively in video games. Additionally, she’s Operations Director at Take This, a nonprofit that educates about and advocates for mental health in the games industry.

Scott M. Kelly, Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.

Scott M. Kelly is an intellectual property attorney and partner with Banner & Witcoff in the United States, and is a former USPTO patent examiner specializing in computer software. Scott helps large and small game studios protect their intellectual property by applying for patents, registering copyrights, and assessing risks presented by asserted IP rights. He also works with clients to develop effective responses to patent assertions, avoiding or reducing the cost of litigation through use of Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) and Ex Parte Reexaminations at the USPTO. Scott has helped protect games such as Wargaming’s World of Tanks and Techland’s Dying Light. He is an assistant editor at PatentArcade.com and a contributing author to the ABA Legal Guide to Video Game Development, 2nd Edition (2016).

William T. McGrath, Davis McGrath LLC

Bill McGrath has practiced intellectual property and business law since 1976. He is nationally recognized for his work in the field of copyright law, though his areas of concentration also extend to trademark and information technology law, as well as publishing law, trade secret law, and software licensing. Bills experience includes counseling, litigation, arbitration, and mediation. He has litigated matters at each level of the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also litigated matters before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Bill is Past President of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, and has served as Chair of the Patent, Trademark & Copyright Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Copyright Society of the USA, and is currently a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. He has been named to the "Illinois Leading Lawyers" network and has been recognized as an "Illinois Super Lawyer" by the publishers of Chicago Magazine.

Patrick Sweeney, Interactive Entertainment Law Group

Patrick has negotiated an array of game development agreement, resulting in the commercial release of more than 250 games across all distribution platforms and territories. In addition, he has represented clients with respect to the game rights for more than 50 major motion pictures and television properties, as well as negotiated numerous technology licenses and other agreements inherent to the games industry. Patrick is a founding member and co-President of the Video Game Bar Association, an invitation-only organization made up of the top legal practitioners in the games industry. He is a frequent speaker on game law issues, regularly authors articles for several outlets, and teaches Video Game Agreements at Southwestern Law School.

Marc Whipple, Crawford Intellectual Property Law LLC

Marc Whipple has been practicing intellectual property and technology-related law for over twenty years: he is a member of the Illinois Bar and a registered patent attorney. He likes to think of himself as an interpreter between creators, business people, and the legal system. Marc has served as General Counsel of Meyer/Glass Design, Meyer/Glass Interactive, and Incredible Technologies. He is now of counsel to Crawford Intellectual Property Law, LLC. You can find his blog, Legal Inspiration! here.