Got a brand, an invention, or a piece of code worth defending? Dallas is one of the most active IP venues in the country. The 8 firms below handle USPTO trademark and patent filings, IP litigation in the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas, trade-secret theft, licensing, and copyright disputes for everyone from one-founder startups to Fortune 500 GCs.
The moment you have something other people might want to copy, you have an IP problem in waiting. For most Dallas businesses, that moment comes earlier than they expect. A trademark search before you print T-shirts. A patentability opinion before you spend $400,000 on tooling. A cease-and-desist when someone runs an Amazon ad with your product photos.
Texas is unusual in two ways that change the IP-lawyer equation. First, the Eastern District of Texas — Marshall, Tyler, Sherman — has hosted a huge share of the country's patent trials for over twenty years. Even after TC Heartland tightened venue rules in 2017, E.D. Tex. still runs one of the most efficient patent dockets in the U.S., and Dallas firms maintain deep trial benches there. Second, Texas adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act and has aggressive injunction practice, so trade-secret cases — particularly departing-employee disputes — move faster here than in many states.
The most common situations: a founder choosing a name and wanting a clearance search before the website goes live; a consumer-product company filing for trademark and design-patent protection at launch; a software company needing licensing agreements and open-source review before a Series A; a medical-device or oil-and-gas company filing utility patents; a brand owner sending takedowns on Amazon, eBay, or Shopify; an employer chasing a former engineer who left with the customer list and the algorithm; a startup defending an inter partes review filed by a competitor; a content creator filing a DMCA counter-notice or a copyright suit.
The right Dallas firm depends on the matter. Trademark prosecution and small-business IP work belong with a boutique that quotes flat fees and handles the USPTO day in and day out. Patent litigation — particularly contingency-fee plaintiff work in E.D. Tex. — is the territory of trial boutiques like Skiermont Derby and McKool Smith. Mid-market business IP, licensing, and combined IP+commercial work fits a mid-sized firm with both patent agents and litigators on staff. BigLaw IP groups make sense when the matter pairs with regulatory, M&A, or international portfolio work.
Practice focus: Patent litigation, inter partes review (IPR), trade secrets, copyright. Skiermont Derby tries patent cases in E.D. Tex., N.D. Tex., and federal courts nationwide. Frequently appears on both plaintiff and defense sides, including contingency engagements for inventors and small companies who cannot afford BigLaw hourly rates.
Practice focus: Trademark, copyright, patent, trade-secret prosecution and litigation. Full-service Dallas IP boutique handling both prosecution and trial work, with jury verdicts on both plaintiff and defense sides. Strong in brand protection for consumer goods and software.
Practice focus: Trademark prosecution and patent prosecution. Founder Robert "Bob" Johnston recognized by D Magazine as Best Lawyer in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Heavy USPTO filing volume; favored by Dallas small businesses and product startups for flat-fee trademark and design-patent work.
Practice focus: Patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights. 20+ years of IP practice with primary focus on patent prosecution and post-grant proceedings. Often works with mid-market manufacturing and tech clients across DFW.
Practice focus: Patent litigation, trade secrets, antitrust. McKool Smith is one of the most prolific patent-trial firms in the country, regularly trying high-stakes cases in E.D. Tex., D. Del., and the ITC. Considered a top option when the matter is bet-the-company.
Practice focus: Patent prosecution, trademark, IP litigation. Long-running Dallas IP firm with registered patent attorneys across mechanical, software, and electrical fields. Handles both portfolio management and enforcement.
Practice focus: IP, trademark, copyright, technology contracts. Klemchuk pairs IP with technology transactions — licensing, SaaS, open-source review — so the firm is common for software startups and consumer-product brands that need both protection and deal work.
Practice focus: Patents, trademarks, IP litigation. Mid-sized Dallas-based firm with a substantial IP bench and registered patent attorneys; pairs IP work with corporate and litigation for emerging companies.
Ranges from real Dallas IP firms, current to 2026. Government USPTO fees are billed separately and pass through at cost.
Knockout search, USPTO TEAS Plus or Standard filing. Add the $350 government fee per class.
Depends on whether the refusal is descriptiveness, likelihood of confusion, or specimen — and how much arguing it needs.
Range covers everything from quick settlements to full trials. Most are billed hourly at $375–$700.
Attorney fees for drafting and filing a non-provisional. Add roughly $1,820 in USPTO small-entity fees.
Lower-cost placeholder that buys 12 months to file the non-provisional. Useful before launch or fundraise.
Protects the look of a product. Often paired with utility patent and trademark for consumer goods.
Full-defense budget in E.D. Tex. or N.D. Tex. Most cases settle before trial; early case assessment is $40K–$120K.
Dallas IP boutiques run $375–$700/hr. Mid-market firms $500–$850/hr. BigLaw IP partners $850–$1,200/hr.
From the day you sign an engagement letter to the day you have something in hand, here is what the calendar usually looks like in Dallas.
Tell us what you need protected or defended. We route a confidential request to the best-fit Dallas IP firm in our directory. No high-pressure sales calls.