Dickinson will take over the position on September 1 2008, after former executive director Mike Kirk steps down on August 31.
Dickinson was most recently vice president and chief IP counsel for General Electric. From 1999 to he was under secretary of commerce and director of the USPTO.
Upon leaving the USPTO, he joined Howrey as partner, where he led the firm's IP practice.
The AIPLA has nearly 17,000 members, including both owners and users of intellectual property and attorneys.
It has been active in discussions over patent reform in the US Congress, as well as other legislative initiatives.
AIPLA president James Pooley said that Dickinson's arrival would "serve our members and deepen AIPLA's impact on the future of IP law".
Dickinson was interviewed in Managing IP in November 2004, soon after joining GE. He has been listed in the magazine's list of the most influential people in IP three times.
Dickinson is known as a Democratic party supporter, but his appointment to the AIPLA role would appear to rule him out of a government position if Barack Obama wins the US presidential election.
