Paul Haughey is the Managing Partner for the San Francisco office of Kilpatrick Townsend and counsels clients in all facets of intellectual property strategy, primarily in the patent area, with an emphasis on product clearances (right-to-use studies), early phase litigation infringement and validity analysis for settlement evaluation, and acquisition due diligence. He also handles reexaminations, reissues and basic patent prosecution. He has guided clients in product design activities to avoid infringement problems.

With more than 25 years of patent experience, Mr. Haughey is familiar with a wide range of technologies, including Internet systems, software, financial systems, mobile phones, microprocessors, computer peripherals, analog and digital circuit design, optics and medical instrumentation.

Mr. Haughey has successfully filed reexaminations that allowed stays of litigation and cost savings for clients, making it financially viable to fight a patent. He has successfully convinced patent owners to significantly reduce settlement demands, or to drop infringement claims altogether against clients without the need for court or Patent Office proceedings.

Mr. Haughey previously worked as a corporate attorney working on financings. With that corporate understanding he is uniquely experienced to deal with patent infringement allegations on the eve of an IPO. He quickly investigated patent infringement allegations filed against a number of companies after filing with the SEC for an IPO, and successfully satisfied the underwriters with non-infringement opinions and appropriate prospectus language.

Prior to entering the field of law, Mr. Haughey was a circuit design engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company.

In 2012, Mr. Haughey was recommended by Legal 500 US in the area of Patent Prosecution.