Steven H. Slater
Phone: (972) 732-1001
Fax: (972) 732-9218
E-Mail: slater@slater-matsil.com

BIOGRAPHY

Steven H. Slater is one of the founders of the firm. He negotiates complex patent licenses, technology transfers, and alliance agreements, and represents his clients in related patent preparation and prosecution matters. Formerly a trial attorney at a well-known litigation boutique, Steve is in the unique position of being able to draw upon his substantial litigation background to help his clients to fully assess their patent portfolios, take the steps needed to safeguard highly valuable intellectual property assets, and avoid litigation risk.

Steve is regularly called upon to work in tandem with litigation teams at other law firms throughout the United States to provide technical expertise and patent-in-case assessments in substantial patent infringement matters. He has prepared attorney opinion letters, participated in Markman hearings, and testified as an expert witness.

Steve also helps his clients to develop and implement effective licensing programs, whether licensing technology in or licensing technology out. Steve has represented both domestic and foreign corporations in complex patent cross-license negotiations that involve businesses, technologies, and patent portfolios that literally span the globe.

Whether creating licensing programs, negotiating license terms, prosecuting a patent, or providing technical assistance to a litigation team, Steve ensures that no stone goes unturned in protecting his client’s intellectual property. Steve thoroughly considers all aspects at play in any given situation - procedural, legal, and business-related – always striving to optimize his client’s position.

Steve previously was a product engineer and patent agent at Texas Instruments, where he prosecuted patent applications in the semiconductor, microprocessor, and software areas. He has additional technical expertise in electronics, telecommunications, analysis equipment for the oil and gas industry, and computer consumer products.

In addition to Fortune 500 companies, Steve also works closely with a wide variety of clients including international clients. Steve supports these clients on a wide range of patent-related issues, including international patent prosecution strategies and international licensing transactions.

EDUCATION

Steve graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of South Florida in 1985 and received his J.D., cum laude, from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in 1992. Steve was an Associate Managing Editor of the SMU Law Review, an Order of the Coif law school graduate, and a member of the American Inns of Court.

MEMBERSHIPS

Steve is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice before all federal district courts in Texas, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

SPEECHES & PUBLICATIONS

Steve has presented a variety of intellectual property seminars to his clients on an individual basis. He has formally spoken and written on a number of topics that include:

• Steve Slater, panelist, Impact of IP Licenses on Third Parties, 49th Annual Intellectual Property Law Program at The Center for American and International Law, November 2011.
• Steve Slater was honored to become an inaugural Barrister of the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn American Inn of Court, one of the few Inns of Court in the U.S. focused on Intellectual Property practice.
• Steve Slater, panelist, IP Agreement Terms and Conditions, Dallas Bar Association IP Section, September 2011.
• Steven Slater was honored in Texas Monthly as a 2010 Texas Super Lawyer.
• Steve Slater, speaker, Patent Law's Next Top Model, 47th Annual Intellectual Property Law Program at The Center for American and International Law, November 2009.
• Steve Slater was honored in Texas Monthly as a 2009 Texas Super Lawyer.
• Steve Slater, speaker and contributor, Building a Better Patent License, 46th Annual Intellectual Property Law Program at The Center for American and International Law, November 2008.
• Steve Slater, speaker and contributor, Patent Prosecution Update, 41st Annual Program on Intellectual Property Law, Institute for Law and Technology of the Center for American and International Law, Dallas, Tx. (Nov. 6-7, 2003).
• Steve Slater, speaker, Responding to Allegations of Patent Infringement, Science Based Industrial Park Consortium, Hsin-chu, Taiwan (2002).
• Steve Slater, panelist, Best Practices for Patent Prosecution, Annual Meeting of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas, Tx. (2002).
• Steve Slater, panelist, Alternative Career Paths for Engineering Majors, College of Engineering of the University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla. (2002).