Stephen L. Levine
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Stephen L. Levine

I bring extensive experience, resolute persistence, and an absolute commitment to mastering new technology to my practice. Making my clients’ lives easier by solving their problems and protecting their interests is highly gratifying. I strive to relieve them of their burdens so they can focus on their businesses and responsibilities.

Throughout his 25-plus years as an intellectual property lawyer, Steve Levine has applied a rich combination of legal skills, technological prowess, and business acumen to serve clients. Steve advises on business transactions and patent and trademark issues globally and provides copyright counseling. He also represents clients in the Patent and Trademark and Copyright Offices, as well as in federal courts.

In recent years, Steve has handled many trademark cases — an area that’s increasingly important in a world dominated by advertising, strong brands, and consumer impressions. He enjoys helping companies grow and protect the crucial public-facing symbols of their businesses. For more than a decade, he has acted as sole outside U.S. trademark counsel, also interacting internationally and routinely with various foreign counsel, for a Fortune 250 technology company.

A former intern with NASA’s space program and a self-described lifelong “tinkerer,” Steve draws on his electrical engineering background to assist inventors in securing and protecting what has advanced into several hundreds of patents. They encompass an array of areas, including electronic devices and systems; semiconductor circuits, devices, and fabrication; processor and memory architectures; signal processing; telecommunications; software systems and methods; electromechanical and mechanical systems; consumer devices; and biomedical devices. Steve also represents clients on both sides of patent claims in court. His co-counsel litigation experience includes matters involving military devices, electronic memories, large-scale software systems, consumer devices, and design patents.

Although he works in the world of cutting-edge technology, Steve equally appreciates the human component. He builds strong relationships and friendships with clients and others and gets along with people from all kinds of backgrounds. In a room with people of multiple disciplines, or with a client, reader, witness, or juror, Steve feels comfortable interacting with everyone.

Describing himself as fluent in the three “languages” of science, marketing, and law, Steve often acts as an interpreter of sorts, bridging the gaps in people’s comprehension of these areas. As a perpetual student, he devotes a great deal of time to mastering new technology so he can explain concepts to non-scientists in clear, understandable terms.

Prior to joining Carrington, Steve worked for prestigious law firms including, Baker Botts and Vinson & Elkins. For 21 years, he successfully ran his own law firm. At Carrington, he’s able to assemble and work with teams of lawyers from various practices and specialties when needed but primarily stays “in the trenches” to ensure his clients get hands-on outstanding personal service at reasonable fees.

Significant Matters

  • Drafted and/or prosecuted hundreds of patent applications over a 25-year period for a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company.
  • Comparable legal work for myriad midsize companies and individual inventors.
  • Outside counsel managing domestic and foreign trademark portfolio for a Fortune 250 corporation.
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office inter partes proceedings.
  • Pleadings, motion practice and discovery in both offensive and defensive representation in both utility and design patents.

Areas of Focus

Education

Education

  • University of Texas at Austin School of Law (J.D., 1988)
  • University of Texas at Austin (B.S., Electrical Engineering, with honors, 1985)

Admissions

Bar Admissions
  • Texas, 1988
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1989
Court Admissions
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District, Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Texas

Leadership

  • State Bar of Texas (Intellectual Property Section)

Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2024 Lawyer of the Year, Patent Law
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2021-2024, Patent Law
  • Lawdragon 500, Leading Litigators in America, Intellectual Property Litigation, Esp. Trademark, 2023-2024
  • Tau Beta Pi, The Engineering Honor Society
  • Eta Kappa Nu, international electrical and computer engineering honor society of the IEEE

Best-Lawyers-Logo (1)

Outside of Work

In addition to tinkering with gadgets, cars, home improvement, and otherwise working with his hands on various projects, Steve enjoys playing tennis.