Protect the name before somebody else does.
Your Memphis brand, your invention, your code, your designs: if you do not register and police them, somebody else can use them, sell something close enough to confuse customers, or build patent claims that block your roadmap. These 10 Memphis intellectual property attorneys handle trademark searches and USPTO registration, patent prosecution, copyright registration, trade-secret protection, licensing, and IP litigation in the Western District of Tennessee.
These 10 Memphis firms cover intellectual property for everything from one-off projects to ongoing outside-counsel relationships. Most offer flat-fee work for routine matters and hourly billing or retainers for complex engagements. Use this guide as a starting shortlist, then call at least two firms before you sign anything.
How we picked these 10: We reviewed Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Chambers USA, Avvo, and Maryland or Tennessee bar association recognition; published court records and decisions; firm websites; and client review patterns across Google, Avvo, and Justia. Firms that appeared consistently across independent sources made the list. We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Patents, trademarks, IP litigation, USPTO prosecution
Bill Hulsey runs one of the longest-operating patent and trademark boutiques serving Memphis. Practice covers inventors and entrepreneurs across Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and surrounding states.
Practice focus: Trademark prosecution, patent litigation, brand portfolios
Hemant Gupta has been named Best Lawyers' Lawyer of the Year for Trademark Law (Memphis, 2021) and recognized for Patent Law and Trademark Law through 2026. Deep portfolio management for major brand-owners.
Practice focus: IP litigation, trademark disputes, trade-secret litigation
Douglas F. Halijan has been recognized by Best Lawyers for Litigation - Intellectual Property and Trademark Law since 2010. Strong choice when an IP dispute is already a court fight, not a clearance question.
Practice focus: Trademark prosecution, patent prosecution, IP litigation
William R. Bradley, Jr. has been recognized by Best Lawyers in Trademark Law since 2020. Multi-state IP practice that fits Memphis companies with regional or national brands.
Practice focus: IP transactions, technology licensing, trademark prosecution
Strong on the deal side of IP: licensing, technology transfer, IP due diligence in M&A. Less of a pure prosecution shop than the boutiques but stronger when IP is bundled with a transaction.
Practice focus: Trademark prosecution, trade secrets, IP enforcement
Regional firm with established IP practice. Useful for businesses that already use Wyatt for other corporate work and want to consolidate IP under the same roof.
Practice focus: Patents, trademarks, copyrights, corporate IP
Patrick Twisdale is authorized to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Boutique IP practice covering Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Virginia.
Practice focus: Intellectual property, trademarks, copyrights
Memphis and Collierville-based IP practice. Accessible boutique for individual inventors and small businesses seeking brand protection.
Practice focus: IP litigation, trademark prosecution, technology and entertainment IP
Multi-practice Memphis firm with established IP practice. Useful when IP work touches estate planning, tax, or other Glankler practice areas.
Practice focus: IP, trademark, technology contracts
Mid-market Memphis firm with IP capability bundled into a broader corporate practice. Good fit when IP is one piece of a larger commercial engagement.
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Request Free Consultation →Memphis trademark searches and federal applications: $750-$2,500 flat (one class, plus $350 USPTO filing fee). Patent applications run $7,500-$25,000+ depending on complexity. IP litigation in the Western District of Tennessee usually requires a $15,000-$75,000 initial retainer. Office-action responses (after USPTO rejection): $750-$3,500.
USPTO trademark registration currently takes 12-18 months from filing to registration if there are no office actions. Patent prosecution averages 18-36 months for utility patents. Copyright registration is typically 4-8 months. IP litigation in federal court runs 18-36 months to trial, longer for complex patent cases.
Most Memphis IP litigation is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. The federal court system has exclusive jurisdiction over patent and most trademark claims. Tennessee's Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-25-1701 et seq.) governs misappropriation claims. Tennessee right-of-publicity claims (the Elvis statute, Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-25-1101) are a uniquely strong protection for individual likeness rights, born out of Memphis's music industry.
The Shelby County court system, the local administrative culture, and the unwritten rules of practice all matter. A firm that knows the local courthouse, the local clerks, and the local opposing counsel has an advantage on every motion, every deposition, and every settlement conversation. That is most of why this guide focuses on Memphis-based or Memphis-experienced firms rather than national chains with thin local presence.
The legal directory you find on Google has hundreds of Memphis firms claiming intellectual property experience. Most are competent. A few are problematic. The patterns to avoid:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery, settlement number, or trial verdict, walk away.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior partner at intake, then never speak to them again. The matter is handled by an unsupervised junior or a paralegal. Ask in writing who will be your day-to-day attorney.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the engagement letter in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a sign of a volume shop, not a craftsperson's practice.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, bar association recognition, or representative matters. Vague claims like "we have helped thousands of clients" are marketing copy. Specific numbers, named cases, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. Every legitimate Memphis lawyer will give you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what is covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them. If you cannot get the fee in writing, that is your answer.
Most Memphis firms on this list offer a free initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions and write down the answers. Compare across at least two firms before you sign.
USPTO filing fees are $250-$350 per class (TEAS Plus or TEAS Standard). Memphis attorney fees for a clearance search plus federal application typically run $750-$2,500 flat per mark per class. Add $500-$1,500 if the USPTO issues an office action that needs a substantive response.
You get some common-law trademark rights from use alone, but they're limited to the geographic area where you actually use the mark. Federal registration gives you nationwide rights, the right to use the registered symbol, and access to federal court, all of which matter when you discover somebody else using your brand.
Trademarks protect brand identifiers (names, logos, slogans). Copyrights protect creative works (writing, music, code, art). Trademarks must be used in commerce to maintain rights; copyrights exist from the moment of creation but federal registration is required to sue.
Currently 12-18 months from filing to registration if there are no office actions. With office actions or oppositions, it can stretch to 24-36 months. Patent timelines are longer: 18-36 months for typical utility patents.
No. Ideas alone are not patentable. You can patent inventions (specific, novel, non-obvious, useful) and certain methods. Business methods can sometimes be patented, but the Supreme Court's Alice decision (2014) narrowed software-based business-method patents significantly.
A trade secret is information that derives economic value from not being generally known and that you take reasonable steps to keep secret (NDAs, restricted access, employee training). Tennessee's Uniform Trade Secrets Act provides remedies including injunctions and damages for misappropriation.
Document the infringement (screenshots, dates, products sold). Then talk to a Memphis IP attorney about a cease-and-desist letter. Most disputes settle on a letter. If not, federal court is the next step, and federal court trademark damages can include the infringer's profits.
Tennessee's Personal Rights Protection Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-25-1101) gives individuals and their estates long-running rights over their name, likeness, and persona. Originally enacted in part to protect Elvis Presley's estate, it remains one of the strongest right-of-publicity statutes in the U.S.
More from LawFirmSquare on this topic: the full Intellectual Property & Trademarks guide, all Memphis law firms by need, request a free consultation, what lawyers actually cost, and how to compare firms.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many matters like mine have you handled in the last three years? The answer tells you everything. — The LawFirmSquare team