UCLA School of Law professor Mark McKenna has been named a recipient of the Vanguard Award from the California Lawyers Association.

According to the CLA, “the people selected for the 2025 Vanguard Awards are recognized for developing practices and standards which IP attorneys in California rely on every day.”

An eminent scholar of intellectual property, McKenna’s core expertise is in trademark law, where he is widely recognized as a leading expert. His research interests also include privacy, copyright, design patent, the right of publicity, and more general inquires into the regulation of new technologies.

He joined the UCLA Law faculty in 2021 and currently serves as the law school’s Vice Dean of Faculty and Intellectual Life. He is the faculty co-director of the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law and Policy, and he was previously the faculty co-director of the Ziffren Institute for Entertainment, Media, Technology and Sports Law.

McKenna earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

“There are so many exceptional IP lawyers,” says Jonathan Lurie, the chair of the CLA’s intellectual property section. “I think the thing that sets the award recipients apart is that they are always thinking about change, making change, or finding ways to do something about change.”