Joseph Lipner

Lecturer in Law

  • B.A. Yeshiva College, 1985
  • J.D. Harvard Law School, 1988

Joseph Lipner teaches Professional Responsibility. His research and teaching interests are primarily in ethics and intellectual property.

Lipner graduated magna cum laude from Yeshiva College before graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. After earning his law degree, Lipner served as a clerk for Judge Ruth Ida Abrams of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He then worked as an associate of Professor Alan Dershowitz, litigating with him criminal and civil appeals.

Lipner joined Irell & Manella in 1991 and became a partner in 1997. In addition to his trial and appellate practice, he is also the chair of the firm’s ethics committee, providing guidance on a variety of issues under the legal ethics rules. Lipner has been selected for inclusion in Southern California “Super Lawyers” by Los Angeles Magazine every year since 2006.

In February 2018, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Mr. Lipner to the Los Angeles County Superior Court as a trial judge. He is currently assigned to the Family Law division where he presides over matters involving divorce, parentage, custody, child support, spousal support, asset distribution and domestic violence.

Lipner’s scholarship has appeared in Intellectual Property Today, the Daily Journal, and the George Washington Law Review.