LAURA M. BURSON
Partner In The Intellectual Property Practice Group

 lburson@sheppardmullin.com

Ms. Burson focuses on intellectual property litigation with an emphasis on patent law. She is a registered patent attorney, admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Laura has extensive trial and appellate experience in a variety of technology areas including chemicals, medical devices, biopharmaceuticals, computers, and high tech. She also represents clients and argues cases in matters pending before the USPTO, including Inter Partes Review and Reexamination proceedings.

Laura is a mentor and thought leader, serving as a Past President of the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA) where she has been an officer/board member for 10 years. She is co-founder of LAIPLA’s Women-in-IP Committee. In addition, Laura is also an Executive Committee member of the USC IP Institute and has served the last four years as Chair of its annual Women-in-IP Breakfast Program. She is a frequent speaker on intellectual property issues and the co-author of the American Bar Association’s, The Intellectual Property Handbook, 2nd Edition (Patent Chapter).

Laura is a founding member of the Los Angeles Chapter of ChIPs. She is also active in pro bono matters and has served as a volunteer prosecutor in criminal jury trials. Laura is an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School where she teaches an advanced course on intellectual property litigation.

  • Memberships
  • President, 2018-2019, Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (“LAIPLA”)
  • Board Member, 2011-2020, LAIPLA
  • Co-founder, Los Angeles Chapter of ChIPs
  • Co-founder, LAIPLA’s Women in IP Committee
  • Committee and Executive Committee Member, 2013-Present, USC Gould School of Law’s Intellectual Property
  • American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Division
  • American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association
  • The Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Golf League
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
WORK EXPERIENCE
  • Coordinates Honeywell Int’l Inc.’s defense in extensive U.S. and international litigation (including lead and back-up counsel in IPR/Reexamination trials at the USPTO). Cases involve low global warming refrigerants and related chemicals.
  • Represented Lattice Semiconductor Corp. in patent infringement litigation involving HDMI technology. Case settled favorably.
  • Lead counsel for Exeltis USA Dermatology, Inc. in trade secret misappropriation case involving prenatal nutritional supplements. Case settled favorably.
  • Co-lead trial counsel for SecurityPoint in invalidity and damager trials. All claims upheld and damager awarded.
  • Lead counsel for Cochlear in IPR involving bone anchored hearing aids. Claims upheld.
  • Lead counsel for Ramsoft Inc. in copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriations, and breach of contract case involving medical software. Case settled favorably.
  • Represented Honeywell Int’l Inc. in patent infringement suit involving a chemical manufacturing process. Favorable jury verdict of invalidity on three separate grounds. Decision upheld on appeal.
  • Represented LendingTree in an antitrust and patent infringement lawsuit involving its lending platform. Successfully defeated antitrust claims at trial.
  • Represented Medtronic in a patent infringement suit involving multiple patents covering spinal transplant technology.
  • Represented Activision, Inc. in videogame matters involving patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and unfair competition claims. Matters settled favorably.
  • Represented Covidien (Mallinckrodt Inc.) in patent infringement suit involving contrast media injectors. Case settled favorably during jury trial.