Piper, Michael

I am President of Conley Rose, a Texas IP boutique of around 40 timekeepers. We serve as patent and trademark counsel to some of the largest companies in the world and to a host of smaller companies who rely on the firm to be their IP counsel.

Personally, my practice includes a significant amount of work representing a wide range of companies from small to midsize up to Fortune 100 entities as well as foreign companies as their local patent counsel in the PTO and in their interactions with allies and competitors.  Recently I have enjoyed a growing number of opportunities – what I believe is an emerging trend – to serve as an outsourced, in-house IP counsel on retainer for NYSE and NASDAQ clients. I have dealt extensively with the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications, the negotiation of licenses and IP terms in other agreements, the preparation of legal opinions, and the resolution of problems around potential litigation of patents. My industry experience spans from oil and gas streams to data streams, as I have extensive experience in tech and telecom, as well as in oil and gas and related ancillary industries.

For my clients, I try to draw upon my diverse experience to see things from their point of view. My leadership efforts for the firm, my term on the Board of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, and my roles as “in-house counsel,” inform how I provide legal guidance. My goal is to deliver key value in alignment with the business objectives of the client rather than pursuing legal options strictly on their own merits. In support of the clients’ business goals, I currently spend much of my time in development and management of IP and patent portfolios and oversight of preparation and prosecution as well as counseling and representation to achieve successful resolution or avoidance of IP conflicts.

Among the areas in which I am often invited to speak, both in the U.S. and abroad, are topics involving my practical suggestions and experience in drafting and prosecuting for software eligibility and in improving patent prosecution efficiency, the latter with particular emphasis on Examiner interviews. My methods and approach to presentations are heavily informed by my own experiences in my leadership roles and in my personal life.

In my leadership roles, I am very intentional to practice the art of consensus building through careful listening, patient but persistent engagement, and innovative solutions to achieve desired results. I have particularly been active in the leadership of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, an approximately 12,000 member bar association of IP practitioners. In addition to my term on the Board of Directors, I helped start the AIPLA Online Programs Committee and received the AIPLA President's Award for Outstanding Service for those efforts. I was also the founding chair of AIPLA's Public Education Committee, have further chaired the Membership Committee, and am currently an appointed member of the Public Appointments Committee.

I am a member of the Executive Committee of the Industry Advisory Council to the Mechanical Engineering Department at my alma mater, Texas A&M University.  In my community I serve a volunteer role as President of Pegasus Theatre, a non-profit professional theatre serving the Dallas community for over 35 years.

Alas, I buried the lede. Most importantly, I am the proud father of 19 year old triplet daughters (2 attending Texas A&M and 1 attending Syracuse) and a 16 year old son, a multi-faceted role calling for skills in Soccer coaching, choir, orchestra, and theater booster clubbing, long and short distance moving, mediation, arbitration, and general cat herding among others.