Jens Koepke has nearly three decades of experience handling appeals and writs in many different practice areas.
He has handled appeals in a range of practice areas — from medical malpractice to partnership disputes — but his substantive experience and expertise is greatest in the intellectual property, anti-SLAPP, probate, arbitration, media law, commercial litigation, and product liability arenas. He has regularly represented large and small companies, individuals, and public entities in high-stakes appellate matters. His appeals regularly end in published victories for his clients.
He has long been certified as a specialist in appellate law and has taken an active leadership role in the appellate bar.
He has been certified as an appellate specialist by the State Bar of California for almost 15 years. Jens was the chair of the Appellate Courts Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), and also served on LACBA’s State Appellate Judicial Evaluation Committee for almost 10 years. He is a member of the select California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Jens has also been active in the intellectual property bar, serving on the executive committee of LACBA’s Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property Section and serving as an officer of the Judge Paul R. Michel Intellectual Property American Inn of Court.
Jens often works with trial counsel on issue preservation during trial and other pre-appeal counseling.
Before becoming an appellate specialist, he was a trial lawyer for almost 10 years. Given that background, Jens often assists trial counsel to prepare more effective motions, preserve appellate issues and strategize with clients on maximizing chances on appeal.
He lectures and publishes on appellate law and legal writing, and has taught college classes on those topics.
He has published almost 40 newspaper, journal, newsletter and law review articles on a variety of topics, and given some 30 lectures or continuing legal education seminars. Jens has also been quoted and interviewed many times in the press. He taught Media Law & Ethics at California State University, Northridge, and California State University, Fullerton, for more than 20 years. He was also a teaching assistant for Legal Research & Writing at UCLA School of Law.
Jens gives back to the legal and wider community.
He has participated in LACBA’s Days of Dialogue and Appellate Court Experience for high school students, and has served as a first-year mentor for UCLA Law School. Jens is also a long-time member of the Board of Directors at Co-Opportunity, a cooperatively-owned natural foods grocery store in Santa Monica and Culver City.
He is a graduate of UCLA School of Law.
Jens was an editor on the Law Review there as well as another law journal. He received his undergraduate degree in journalism summa cum laude from Texas A&M University.
Law School
UCLA School of Law
Bar Admissions
California
U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
Certifications
Appellate Law
Some of Jens's cases
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Halicki v. Carroll Shelby International
Obtained reversal of a summary judgment in a precedent-setting copyright and trademark case involving an automobile character in the film “Gone in 60 Seconds.”
California Court of Appeal
Bernstein v. LaBeouf
Won affirmance in a published anti-SLAPP case involving what counts as a “public issue” under the statute.
California Court of Appeal
Yu v. Superior Court
Obtained partial reversal on a writ petition, creating new law regarding general reference trial procedure.
California Court of Appeal
Gall v. Smith & Nephew, Inc.
Successfully defended product liability summary judgment in case with highly significant financial risk to the client.
California Court of Appeal
VVA-TWO LLC v. Impact Development Group
Won precedent-setting case on the scope of an arbitrator’s authority in high-stakes partnership dispute.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Jules Jordan Video, Inc. v. 144942 Canada, Inc.
Obtained reversal of judgment after trial in a copyright and right of publicity matter.
California Court of Appeal
State Ready Mix, Inc. v. Moffatt & Nichol
Won affirmance of a demurrer/dismissal in a case involving indemnity obligations between contractors and the economic loss rule.
