2026

Last month, Santa Clara Law alumni Colin Kemp, J.D. ’01, Justin Hovey, J.D. ’97, and David Tsai, J.D. ’06 invited local alumni and 3L students to the Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP San Francisco office for an evening of networking, learning, and empowerment. Dean Michael Kaufman opened the evening with an introduction and an invitation for attendees to join the Santa Clara University tradition of professing a “collective thanks” to those who made the gathering possible. “It all comes down to values, and I know Pillsbury really counts their values. We are a value-laden law school… And as a consequence, we care deeply about each other. We call it cura personalis, which means care for the whole person,” Dean Kaufman explained.

Kemp followed by sharing his reflections on the impact his Santa Clara Law education has had on his career and why it’s important to continue giving back to the law school. 

“When I was on campus, I had a feeling that this would be a good place for me… And I was right. If you look at all the schools in the Bay Area—and there are many—I don’t think any have the reputation that Santa Clara has as being a great place with a great group of colleagues where you’re working together on learning the law,” said Kemp.

Learn more about the Pillsbury partners: 

Colin Kemp is the Managing Partner of the Pillsbury San Francisco office and focuses his practice on assisting clients with high-stakes litigation matters. He has tried patent, trademark and insurance cases, as well as criminal cases as a visiting Alameda County deputy district attorney in 2005. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America (published by BL Rankings LLC) for Litigation - Intellectual Property (2021-2026). 

Justin Hovey is a Partner at Pillsbury and currently practices in the areas of startup formation, venture and seed financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. He has been recognized by Thomas Reuters for Standout Lawyer (2025) and by Best Lawyers in America (published by BL Rankings LLC) for Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions(2024–2026).

David Tsai is a Partner at Pillsbury and its Taiwan practice co-leader. He is a first-chair trial lawyer and focuses his practice on intellectual property and complex commercial litigation, including patent, trade secret, trademark, copyright, breach of contract, and product defect disputes in federal and state courts, as well as international arbitration tribunals. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America (published by BL Rankings LLC) for Litigation - Patent (2022-2026).