Thought Leadership / News
January 29, 2019 
 Press Releases
Gray Reed Announces Waco Office

Gray Reed is pleased to announce the addition of its third office located in Waco, Texas. The office will allow the firm to better serve its Waco-based clients, build on its strong ties to Waco and handle the expected surge of intellectual property (IP) cases expected to be filed in the Western District of Texas.

With offices already in Houston and Dallas, the Texas-based, 140 lawyer firm of Gray Reed represents a number of Waco-based clients across a myriad of legal practices including healthcare, IP, real estate and tax.

“Waco was the obvious choice for Gray Reed’s third office,” Dallas Managing Partner Andy Meyercord says. “Many of our attorneys and clients have deep roots in Waco, and we look forward to serving the community and the Western District of Texas.”

Waco is widely expected to become the new hotbed for patent cases due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that requires patent cases be brought in the District in which the defendant is established, or has a regular place of business.  Waco is in the same District as Austin, a target-rich environment for patent infringement lawsuits because of its large concentration of high-tech companies. In addition, U.S. District Judge Alan Albright, appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as judge of Waco’s federal court, has more than 20 years specializing in IP law.

“Our IP team is already entrenched in Waco so Judge Albright’s arrival creates a tremendous opportunity for our firm to grow our IP practice and having a Waco office allows us to better serve our existing clients in the region,” Gray Reed IP Litigation Practice Group Leader David G. Henry says.

Gray Reed attorneys based in Waco or regularly working from the Waco office will be:

  • David G. Henry, a long-time Waco resident, Registered Patent Attorney, experienced IP litigator and attorney specializing in all aspects of IP practice for clients in Waco, and throughout the world, has also taught patent litigation and patent law courses at Baylor Law School for the last 25 years.  Henry was also recently appointed to serve as a director for the United States Patent & Trademark Office’s IP Clinic program at Baylor Law School.
  • Pat Souter is Board Certified in Health Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a Professor of Healthcare Studies at Baylor Law School where he oversees the healthcare law program and teaches Healthcare Law, Healthcare Fraud and Abuse and Regulation of Healthcare Professionals. He is also involved with the Robbins Institute for Health Policy and Leadership at the Baylor University Hankamer School of Business where he teaches Healthcare Law and Ethics in its M.B.A. in Healthcare Administration Program and Executive M.B.A. Program.
  • Eric Tautfest, the Chair of Gray Reed’s Intellectual Property Department, focuses on developing practical and creative patent monetization strategies and implementing aggressive enforcement litigation and licensing programs throughout the entire patent life cycle. He has successfully prosecuted and defended patent infringement claims before federal courts across the country involving diverse technologies, including wireless telecommunications, software, fiber optics, computer displays, image compression plus many more. 
  • Alex Uber, a native Wacoan and also a Waco resident is a Registered Patent Attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and also specializes in all aspects of Intellectual Property Law.

The firm’s Waco office will be located in the Texas Life Building later in 2019.  

About Gray Reed

A full-service Texas law firm of more than 140 attorneys with offices in Dallas, Houston and Waco, Gray Reed provides legal services to companies ranging from start-up to Fortune 500 as well as high net worth individuals. Gray Reed attorneys assist clients with a myriad of legal issues including commercial litigation, corporate transactions, oil and gas, tax planning and litigation, real estate, construction, healthcare, trusts and estates, employment law, family law, intellectual property and bankruptcy. For more information, visit www.grayreed.com.