(Aug. 20) – Patterson + Sheridan, the Houston intellectual property boutique, announced on Monday that it has recruited John Barr, Jr. and Jay Yates to join the firm as partners.
Barr and Yates are from King & Spalding and Hogan Lovells, respectively. The two attorneys are both Bracewell alumni, where Barr served as co-chair of its IP litigation practice.
Patterson + Sheridan’s technology bench and seven office locations – including Dallas, San Jose, San Diego and Yokohama, Japan – attracted Barr to the Houston firm, he says.
“After 25 years with large law firms, I decided that I wanted to try something more entrepreneurial,” he adds. “The firm is committed to growing our practice in intellectual Property, energy, and business litigation and has asked me to lead that effort.”
Barr focuses his practice on IP and energy litigation. He has more than two decades of experience and has handled nearly 30 trials, arbitrations and appeals.
In 2012, Barr notched a significant win for Tomball, Texas pressure pumping services provider BJ Services. The case – Hagy et. al. v. Equitable Production Company, et. al. – was one of the first seeking major damages related to hydraulic fracturing.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia granted summary judgment and found there was no evidence of any negligent act by BJ Services.
Yates is an IP trial lawyer who also prosecutes patents and helps secure trademarks. He has represented companies in the energy, retail, Internet, e-commerce, banking and software industries. The move to Patterson + Sheridan was a “long time in the making,” he says.
“I knew Todd Patterson growing up in Richmond and have always liked the firm, both the people and the professionalism,” Yates says. “Growing litigation at P+S seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up.”
During Hurricane Harvey, Yates won a $24 million judgment for his client, a “pioneer” in pharmacy automation, after a three-week jury trial in Sherman, Texas.
“The inventors had a great story: changing the laws in the State of Texas in order to practice their invention, growing a specialized pharmacy business, and eventually filing a federal lawsuit against a former customer and prospective suitor in order to protect their intellectual property rights,” he explains.
“To me, the drama of the trial was heightened by worries of my family back at home.”
Barr and Yates both point to the changing landscape of venue after TC Heartland as a continued hot topic in patent litigation.