Bart Showalter is a Partner in the Intellectual Property Department of Baker Botts, which numbers over 160 lawyers. He also serves on the firm's Executive Committee. His practice includes all aspects of intellectual property law, with an emphasis on patent litigation, post-grant proceedings, procurement and licensing in the electronics, telecommunications and software fields. With broad experience in several areas, Mr. Showalter provides strategic counsel to clients developing innovative computer software, semiconductor devices, telecommunications infrastructure, network security, consumer electronics, cloud-based services, medical devices, military and commercial aircraft and spacecraft, automated industrial equipment and many other technologies.
Mr. Showalter has litigated patent infringement cases and post-grant proceedings involving landline and cellular telecommunications technology, video conferencing, interactive television, network security, and many other fields. He also provides general counseling on intellectual property issues, including intellectual property audits, strategic patent mapping, exposure assessment, patent opinions, licensing negotiations, patent categorization, industry benchmarking, infringement risk management and comprehensive intellectual property protection programs.
While he was at MIT, Mr. Showalter investigated the role of artificial intelligence (specifically, neural networks) in the design and performance of complex adaptive control systems. Following graduation, he worked as a lead systems engineer for LTV Missiles and Electronics Group, where he designed guidance and control subsystems for missile, aircraft and spacecraft projects.
Mr. Showalter serves the community and non-profit organizations in a variety of ways, most recently as a board member of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, the Dallas Theater Center, and the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe. Mr. Showalter is also a founding Master of the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn American IP Inn of Court. He is also an adjunct professor of law at the SMU Dedman School of Law, where he has taught Patent Law, Patent Prosecution, Intellectual Property Licensing, Patent Litigation, Introduction to Intellectual Property, and other IP-related courses for over 20 years. Mr. Showalter is a frequent speaker and moderator at legal conferences on a variety of IP topics, and addresses high school and college students about careers in technology, innovation, and law.
Mr. Showalter earned a B.S. and M.S. (with honors) in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a J.D. (with honors) from Southern Methodist University. He is licensed to practice in Texas and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has received numerous accolades, including the Texas Go-To Lawyer Award in IP, a distinction bestowed on a lawyer in Texas every 5 years, and twice as a member of the Texas Lawyer's IP Litigation Department of the Year.