Richard Wells
Biography
Richard Wells is a partner in Baker McKenzie's Commercial, Data, IPTech & Trade Practice Group, based in the Firm’s Washington DC office.
Richard has over two decades of experience practicing intellectual property law. His practice is shaped by his early-career experience managing a global patent portfolio, where he managed several hundred patents and routinely advised on competitive decision making with an intellectual property angle.
Practice Focus
Richard has extensive experience in patent litigation, representing clients in both asserting and defending against patent infringement claims in federal district courts and before the International Trade Commission. He also regularly appears before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to advocate in inter partes review proceedings.
Richard focuses on patent due diligence, prosecution, and strategic counseling, particularly in the medical device, oilfield, heavy industry, and software sectors. He regularly handles patent due diligence and valuation assessments of potential acquisition targets and investment opportunities along with providing clearance evaluations for new products entering global markets, including the preparation of patent-related legal opinions.
Richard also has significant experience drafting and negotiating technology-related agreements, including joint development and licensing agreements.
Representative Legal Matters
- Represented an international laptop manufacturer in defending against allegations of patent infringement in the Eastern District of Texas.
- Represented a leading dermatological device manufacturer in defending allegations of patent infringement at the International Trade Commission.
- Represented a streaming media company in defending against patent infringement claims in the District of New Jersey.
- Represented a streaming media company in defending against patent infringement claims in the Western District of Washington.
- Successfully asserted multiple patents for an oilfield services company in the Southern District of Texas - after a two week trial, obtained judgment of willful infringement of five patents and a permanent injunction.
- Successfully asserted inter partes review challenge resulting in a favorable settlement for a handset manufacturer.
- Successfully defended patent infringement claims brought against an electronics retailer at the International Trade Commission.
- Represented numerous entities in patent litigation actions in the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.
- Manage global patent portfolios for numerous clients.
- Manage several patent due diligence matters for corporate transactions.
Professional Honors
- Recognized by Legal 500 USA as Next Generation Partners, Intellectual Property: Patents: Prosecution (Including Reexamination and Post-Grant Proceedings), 2025
- Recognized by Chambers USA as Band 2 for Washington, DC Patent Prosecution, 2021-2025
- Recognized by Legal 500 USA as Leading Lawyer for USA Patent Prosecution, 2024
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Federal Circuit Bar Association - Member
- State Bar of Texas - Member
- United States Patent and Trademark Office - Member
Admissions
- District of Columbia~United States (2014)
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office~United States (2002)
- Texas~United States (2001)
Education
- University of Houston Law Center (JD cum laude) (2001)
- University of Texas at Austin (BS Mechanical Engineering) (1998)
Languages
- English