Jack Wesley Hill

Jack Wesley Hill — Patent Litigation Practice Summary

Focus and technology areas. Hill's tracked patent docket is almost entirely Eastern District of Texas work, concentrated in electronics and communications: semiconductor/integrated-circuit patents (Greenthread, LLC v. Texas Instruments; Greenthread v. OmniVision), wireless and networking standards (Stingray IP Solutions v. Assa Abloy; Entropic Communications v. Charter, Wi-Fi/coax standards), and display/backlight technology (Innovative Display Technologies v. BMW of North America). His broader practice description spans patent infringement, trade secrets, trademarks, commercial and oil-and-gas litigation, and False Claims Act/qui tam matters, with satellite communications, consumer products, and golf equipment among tried patent cases.

Side preference. He works both sides, with a plaintiff tilt in the tracked data (4 plaintiff, 1 defendant). That is consistent with his public record: Ward, Smith & Hill's own materials describe a track record of "multimillion-dollar verdicts for plaintiffs and take-nothing defense wins," and his bio notes counsel-of-record appearances in over 1,100 Texas state and federal cases split "nearly evenly between plaintiff and defense." Several tracked appearances are NPE-side matters (Greenthread, Stingray IP, IDT) prosecuted for patent-holding plaintiffs, while the Texas Instruments Greenthread matter is a defense-side engagement, likely as part of a larger defense team.

Firm context and current status. All five tracked appearances list Ward, Smith & Hill (Longview, Texas), where Hill was a name partner. That firm has since been rebranded Miller Fair Henry, and its website states that former named partners Johnny Ward, Bruce Smith, and Wesley Hill ended their full-time trial practices. Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers currently list him at J. Wesley Hill, P.C., a Tyler, Texas practice he opened in 2024; his own bio and the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association profile describe that practice as focused on mediation and trial consulting rather than active representation. Earlier in his career he was an attorney at Ireland, Carroll & Kelley, P.C. (roughly 2002–2009) and a briefing attorney to the Hon. T. John Ward, then-U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas.

Notable cases and outcomes. His most prominent verified result is Elbit Systems Land & C4I Ltd. v. Hughes Network Systems (E.D. Tex.), where he and Johnny Ward served alongside Covington & Burling on a team that won a $21.1 million jury verdict in August 2017 on U.S. Patent No. 6,240,073 (satellite communications); the verdict was affirmed by the Federal Circuit in June 2019 (Elbit Sys. Land & C4I Ltd. v. Hughes Network Sys., LLC, No. 2018-1910). Other results reported in his professional bios include a defense verdict for Ralcorp Holdings/Medallion Foods against Frito-Lay (patent, trademark, and trade-secret claims), defense verdicts for Callaway Golf and Target, a roughly $6 million verdict in Avid ID Systems v. Datamars, and a $3 million plaintiff's verdict in USEI v. Texas Instruments. In the tracked matters he appears in a local-counsel capacity, supporting out-of-district lead counsel (e.g., Baker Botts for Texas Instruments in Greenthread).

PTAB / IPR experience. The record reflects ancillary rather than lead PTAB involvement. He appears in PTAB filings as district-court counsel of record and in IPR exhibits/deposition notices (e.g., Ryan Hardin, IPR2022-01330; Greenthread IPRs involving Texas Instruments and onsemi; termination of appearance in the Netlist v. Micron district cases in 2024). There is no well-sourced indication that he regularly files or argues IPR/PGR petitions himself; treat his PTAB exposure as derivative of his district-court practice until confirmed.

Bar and education. Admitted Texas (2001); U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (2002); Fifth Circuit (2003); N.D. Tex. (2004); U.S. Supreme Court (2008). Board certified in civil trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. J.D., Texas Tech University School of Law (2001); B.A., University of Texas at Tyler (1998). (Sources describe him as graduating second in his law class; one directory lists summa cum laude — I could not independently confirm the honors designation.)