Associate • +1 310 859 7811 •
Jens Koepke joined GMSR in 2001. 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, constitutional and media law arenas. Being an appellate lawyer allows Jens to combine two of his passions, creative writing and rigorous analysis. Jens prides himself on understanding his clients' businesses and accomplishing their goals.
Jens is a Certified Appellate Specialist, as certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, and an active member of the local appellate bar. He sits on both the Appellate Courts and the State Appellate Judicial Evaluation Committees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and is a member of the Los Angeles Intellectual Property American Inn of Court. Before becoming an appellate lawyer, Jens spent 10 years as a litigator at O'Melveny & Myers and at Richman, Mann, Chizever, Phillips & Duboff, so he understands the realities of being a trial lawyer.
Before graduating from the UCLA School of Law in 1990, Jens was the Assistant Managing Editor and Comment Editor of the Federal Communications Law Journal and an Associate Editor of the UCLA Law Review. He graduated summa cum laude in 1987 from Texas A&M University with a journalism degree.
Jens' passion for comprehensive exploration of legal issues led him to teaching. He has taught Media Law & Ethics at California State University, Northridge since 1998. He also taught Media Law at California State University, Fullerton and was a teaching assistant for Legal Research & Writing at UCLA School of Law. Starting in law school and ever since, Jens has published articles and lectured on a variety of legal topics.
When he is not practicing appellate law, Jens enjoys backpacking, kayaking, tennis, yoga and spending time with his awesome wife and son and daughter among the critters and canyons of Topanga. He speaks fluent German and passable French, and has traveled extensively throughout the world. He is also a long-time member of the Board of Directors at Co-Opportunity, a cooperatively-owned natural foods grocery store in Santa Monica.
 Education Texas A&M University (Journalism), summa cum laude, university honors, B.A. (1987)
UCLA School of Law; UCLA Law Review (Associate Editor); Federal Communications Law Journal (Comment Editor, Assistant Managing Editor), J.D. (1990)
Professional Experience Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP (2001-present)
Richman, Mann, Chizever, Phillips & Duboff (1994-2001)
O’Melveny & Myers (1990-1992)
American Civil Liberties Union (legal extern) (1989)
Certified Appellate Specialist, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization (2009-present)
Authorship Instructions Manual, Los Angeles Daily Journal (June 9, 2009)
Don’t Lose Track: Handling Jury Instructions at Trial, "Appellate Tips for Trial Lawyers" (a newsletter of the Los Angeles County Bar Association), Vol. 1, No. 10 (October 2008)
Writers Blocked, Los Angeles Daily Journal (March 20, 2008)
What Triggers Your Time to Appeal: It's Not Sexy, But You Better Understand It, ABTL Report (Summer 2007)
Case Furthers Trend Limiting Post-Appeal Judge Challenges, Los Angeles Daily Journal (December 8, 2005)
Ruling Shows How to Identify Trade Secrets for Discovery, Los Angeles Daily Journal (November 7, 2005)
Not So Fast – A Stipulated Reversal of Judgment Belies Its Name, ABTL Report (Summer 2005)
An Agreement Does Not A Stipulated Reversal Make, Los Angeles Daily Journal (February 9, 2005)
First Amendment in the Electronic Age: Free Speech vs. Market Regulation (co-author), Glasser, Securities in the Electronic Age (3d ed. 2002)
Media Law and Defamation Torts: Recent Developments (co-author), Tort & Insurance Law Journal, Vol. XXVII, No. 2 (Winter 1992)
Reporter Privilege: Shield or Sword? Applying a Modified Breach of Contract Standard When A Newsperson "Burns" a Confidential Source, 42 Federal Communications Law Journal 277 (1990)
The University of California Hate Speech Policy: A Good Heart in Ill-Fitting Garb, 12 COMMENT 599 (1990)
The Legal Status of Reporter Privilege in Texas, 3 Southwestern Mass Communication Journal 33 (1987)
Teaching & Lecturing Los Angeles Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, “Buy Me Some Steroids And Cracker Jacks, We’ll Make Sure They Never Come Back” (September 2009)
Los Angeles Intellectual Property Inn of Court, “When There’s A Hit, There’s A Writ” (April 2009)
Beverly Hills Bar Association, Litigation Section, "Appellate Writs in the California Court of Appeal: What Works and What Doesn’t" (January 2009)
Continuing Education of the Bar, Civil Litigation Practice 27th Annual Recent Developments (January 2009)
Lecturer, Journalism Department, California State University, Northridge (media law) (1998-present)
Lecturer, Communications Department, California State University, Fullerton (media law) (1996-1997)
Teaching Assistant to Professor Geoffrey Cowan, UCLA Communications Studies Department (media law) (1990)
Teaching Assistant, UCLA School of Law (legal research & writing) (1988-1989)
Los Angeles County Bar Association, Appellate Court Experience Program, Venice High School (April 24, 2006)
Continuing Education of the Bar, Civil Litigation Practice 24th Annual Recent Developments (January 2006)
California State University Northridge Society of Professional Journalists First Amendment Freedom Forum, Battle in the Blogosphere: Bloggers, Reporters and the Future of Journalism (May 10, 2005)
Los Angeles County Bar Association, Days of Dialogue, Woodrow Wilson High School (2004)
Involvement President (2008), Board of Directors, Co-Opportunity Consumer Cooperative (1997-present)
Los Angeles County Bar Association: Member; Appellate Courts Committee; State Appellate Judicial Evaluations Committee; Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Section
Los Angeles Intellectual Property American Inn of Court: Member
Honors Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2005-2006)
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