Erick Robinson is a contingency fee patent attorney at a contingency fee patent litigation law firm providing nationwide legal representation in patent litigation on a contingency fee basis.  Unlike most law firms, in addition to taking patent litigation an hourly billing basis, our firm accepts patent litigation cases on a contingency fee basis.  When we take a patent case on a contingency fee, our firm gets paid its fees only if we are successful in obtaining a recovery. 


Erick Robinson is a skilled patent attorney and trial lawyer, and has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in federal court, in arbitration, and before the U.S. International Trade Commission.  An experienced patent attorney, Erick practiced at some of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the country, including Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and McKool Smith PC.  For the last three years, Erick has been named a Texas Super Lawyer “Rising Star” by Texas Monthy Magazine and Law & Politics.

 

His clients have ranged from individuals and small businesses to some of the largest semiconductor, software, and biotechnology companies in the world.  A registered patent attorney, Erick has litigated against many industry heavyweights, including Applied Materials, Bayer, Medtronic, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Toshiba, and Gateway. 

 

Erick's experience at large patent litigation firms allows him to use many of their strategies and tactics against them.  By targeting and exploiting the weaknesses and inefficiencies inherent in such firms, Erick is able to adeptly maneuver his clients through litigation more quickly and at lower cost.

 

Because of the flexibility and organization of the contingency fee patent litigation firm, Mr. Robinson is able to take aim at the heart of infringers with precision and force.  We fully expect to take every case to trial, and every bit of effort is spent getting ready for that result.  Although most cases end up settling, this preparation may increase settlement values because opponents realize they are in for a real fight.

 

Drawing upon his business acumen, along with his understanding of many areas of technology, Erick is experienced in protecting all aspects of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.  Erick is admitted to practice in Texas, New York, Kansas, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as multiple federal district courts, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  He is also a qualified commercial mediator.  Erick is a member of the Eastern District of Texas Bench/Bar Committee, the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the American Bar Association, and the American Trial Lawyers Association, as well as other professional organizations.  He was recently co-chair of the ABA Committee on Patent Jury Instructions.

 

Erick graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California with a bachelor’s degree in biology with Sigma Xi Research Honors.  While at Pomona, Erick was the recipient of the Pomona Scholar Award and the Charles W. Frees Academic Scholarship, as well as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant.  After graduation, he worked at several biotechnology and computer technology companies, and owned and managed an Internet development company.  Erick also attended Baylor College of Medicine for two years, earning 63 credits toward an MD degree. 

In 2000, Erick received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of the Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal.  During law school, Erick was the recipient of several awards including the Corwin W. Johnson Class of 1964 Endowed Presidential Scholarship of Law, the Richard Thornton Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Criminal Law, the Class of 1951 Endowed Presidential Scholarship of Law, and the Access to Justice Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service from the Legal Aid Society of New York.  He was also a clerk to the Honorable Lawrence E. Meyers on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.


If you have an invention or idea that you would like to protect, or have a patent that you believe is being infringed, email or call Erick Robinson today.

Contingency fees and Patent Litigation

Patent litigation Is expensive, Even the smallest case
can run above $1 million to litigate and try to verdict. But our firm takes many patent cases on a contingency fee. Contingency fee patent litigation allows sole Inventors. small companies, and "normal" people access to the federal courts to protect their patents.

Whereas most law firms litigate patents for an hourly
fee at a rate of $500 or more per hour, our firm charges a fee only if and when the lawsuit successful either in court or settlement. In addition, in many cases, we will pay up front expenses associated with the lawsuit such as court fees, expert expenses, electronic discovery, and other costs. This means that the client will have no out of pocket expenses, and these expenses can be paid out of the "winnings" at the conclusion of the litigation. What's more, if the lawsuit is unsuccessful, the client may owe nothing.

In addition to allowing "normal" people to protect their
intellectual property, our contingency fee patent litigation aligns the Interests of the client with that of the law firm. Unlike large firms that get paid hundreds of dollars per hour regardless of how the lawsuit tums out, we are "in the game" with their clients. If the litigation is
successful, both client and firm win, because the firm will take as its fee a percentage of the award. Therefore, not only do we have an ethical duty to zealously serve its clients, but also an economic incentive to do so.

Selected Publications and Presentations

•“Patent Valuation and Use.” Association of Small Business Development Centers 2008 Annual Conference, Chicago. Illinois

•Speaker, “Patent Reform 2007 – Where Are We Now?” Center for American and International Law, 45th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference, Plano, Texas

•Primary Author and Editor, Patent Litigation Strategies text for publication in 2009

•Moderator and Speaker, “Patent Law Update and Strategies for Litigating Patent Cases in the Eastern District of Texas,” 2007 Eastern District of Texas Bench/Bar Conference, Galveston, October 2007

•“Strategic Use of IP Rights:  Patent Productization and Patent Litigation.” Association of Small Business Development Centers 2006 Annual Conference, Houston, Texas, September 2006

•“The Satire/Parody Distinction in Copyright and Trademark Law—Can Satire Ever Be a Fair Use?”  American Bar Association Litigation Section, Intellectual Property Litigation Committee Roundtable, Houston, Texas, June 2006

•“Open Source:  An Overview of the Risks and Rewards of the Mysterious World of Open Source Software Licensing.” Hispanic National Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Conference and Eleventh Annual National Moot Court Competition, Seattle, Washington, March 2006

•“Arbitration: Advantages, Disadvantages, and a Potential Hazard of Arbitration Clauses.” Mealey’s Environmental Litigation Conference, Houston, Texas, April 2005

•“Protecting Licensed Intellectual Property in Bankruptcy.” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, May 2003

•“Intellectual Property Licensing: Not One Size Fits All.” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, February 2003

•“Exercising Rights: Fitness Industry Now Patently Competitive.” San Antonio Business Journal, October 2002

•“Claim Construction, Stare Decisis, And Collateral Estoppel: What To Do In The Face Of A Bad Markman Ruling.” (with David Clonts), 18th Annual Institute on Intellectual Property Law, Galveston, Texas, September 2002

•“How To Protect Your Software: Copyright.” Computer User, May 2002

•“How To Protect Your Software: Patents.” Computer User, April 2002

•“Bankruptcy Considerations in Software Licenses.” Kansas City Business Journal, March 2002

•“Steroid Effects on Electrocyte Action Potential in Sternopygus.” University of Texas at Austin, August 1992

Erick Robinson

erobinson@CEPiplaw.com

24/7 Phone: (713) 487-9889


Principal Office:  Houston, Texas