Mark Lezama

Mark Lezama, chair of the firmwide diversity committee at IP law firm Knobbe Martens, has been passionately championing D&I and accessibility in the legal community throughout his career. 

As chair of the firm’s diversity committee, Lezama spearheads initiatives aimed at fostering D&I within the firm, which has been recognised repeatedly as among the most diverse mid-size law firms in the US. 

Lezama is a past president and board member of the Orange County Coalition for Diversity in the Law, an organisation committed to increasing diversity and inclusion within the Orange County legal community, where he organised events and programming that helped diverse attorneys further their careers. 

This included arranging for federal judges to discuss career paths to the judiciary, setting up deposition workshops, and inviting PR professionals to teach how to seek and handle media opportunities. 

He has also served as a mentor with the Foundation for Advancement of Diversity in IP Law, an organisation with a mission to offer career-preparation, career-readiness, and career-advancement support to individuals underrepresented in the US patent law profession.