Denise L. Mayfield

Member


Denise Mayfield provides comprehensive management of client matters and navigates technical details with a big-picture, client-oriented perspective. She gives creative counsel on how to best secure the most valuable intellectual property assets to achieve the client’s business needs. 

The coordinated and thoughtful strategies Denise delivers include patent, trademark, copyright, domain name, and trade secret protection, and she prioritizes each client’s short-and long-term business goals. Denise’s strong academic background in life sciences and healthcare, extensive IP knowledge, and pragmatism enable her to assess the spectrum of a technology’s commercial applications and chart a client action plan that minimizes existing and potential obstacles.

A skilled and accomplished registered patent attorney, Denise drafts and prosecutes patents focused in life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. She also performs patent portfolio due diligence review, conducts freedom-to-operate investigations, and litigates patents for domestic and international companies, universities, research institutes, startups, and individual inventors.

Her experience in healthcare IP protection makes her a go-to resource for health sciences centers, physicians groups and medical schools around the world. This includes a wide range of technical disciplines, such as veterinary science, human healthcare, blood management, pharmaceuticals (antibodies, vaccines, novel chemical compounds), medical devices, assay/diagnostic devices, regenerative medicine, telehealth, stem cell therapeutics, plant-derived preparations (cannabis), palliative care/pain management, oncology, sterilization devices, product manufacturing, software, computer-implemented technologies, and artificial intelligence.

Denise’s career as a research scientist has imparted a heightened level of scientific expertise and understanding to her practice. Her advanced degrees in biology, genetics, and physiology provide the strong foundation required to handle sophisticated and complex client projects with efficiency and technical excellence.

Denise is a forward-thinking strategic advisor. In addition to her familiarity with patents, trademarks, and copyright protections across various sectors, she creates strong business relationships with clients and assists with various regulatory compliance matters, especially those in the healthcare industry.

In the corporate due diligence area, Denise has helped prepare corporate valuation studies, IP portfolio assessments, and related reports useful in clients’ mergers, acquisitions, and divestiture transactions. She also drafts and negotiates joint venture agreements, collaborative research agreements, sponsorship agreements, licensing agreements, and related documents that advance the client’s best interests while preserving good working relationships between the parties.

Outside the office, Denise is passionate about fostering opportunities for others to pursue and master careers in science and technology. She established the first chapter in Texas of a national women’s organization, Women in BIO (WIB), which focused on encouraging and supporting greater diversity in STEM disciplines. Denise continues to serve the organization and women and girls in the community through her role in the Executive Women in BIO committee.

The ingenuity and creativity of the people and organizations I interact with each day provide a constant source of personal inspiration. My goal is to provide a level of client service that exceeds expectations and inspires continued business success.
    • St. Mary's University School of Law, J.D.
    • University of Texas at San Antonio, M.S., genetics and physiology
    • Trinity University, B.A., Biology
  • Bar Admissions

    • Colorado
    • Texas
    • District of Columbia
    • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • Court Admissions

    • U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • Women in Bio, Founding Chair
    • Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Diplomatic Delegation Member to Mexico 2019, International Committee, Vice Chair
    • Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), 2019 Annual Convention Planning Committee
    • Notre Dame Club of Austin
    • Mexi-Arte, 2018 Catrina Ball Steering Committee
    • Spanish

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