James Martin

James C. Martin is a highly experienced appellate attorney at Reed Smith LLP, focusing his practice on a wide array of complex litigation, including intellectual property matters. While his tracked appearance in patent litigation lists him as Of Counsel, he is widely recognized as a partner at the firm, working from its Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Denver/New York offices. Martin's legal career spans over four decades, specializing in appellate law nationwide in state and federal courts.

His patent litigation experience includes defending operating companies, as exemplified by his single tracked appearance on the defendant side. The case, In re Centripetal Networks, LLC, involved complex intellectual property issues relating to network security patents, specifically rule-based network threat detection. As an appellate specialist, Martin is adept at handling significant "bet-the-company" cases across various substantive areas, including intellectual property, products liability, and pharmaceutical and medical devices. He regularly consults with trial lawyers to shape trial strategies and prepare for potential appeals.

Martin's involvement in In re Centripetal Networks, LLC demonstrates his direct experience with Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings and subsequent appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This case addressed issues such as APJ recusal, due process, and the consideration of objective indicia of non-obviousness in IPRs concerning network threat detection patents. The Federal Circuit's decisions in related appeals have affirmed, reversed, and remanded PTAB findings on the unpatentability of Centripetal Networks' patents.

Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and California, James Martin earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Santa Clara in 1978, following a B.A. from Colorado College in 1974. He joined Reed Smith in 2003 through a merger with Crosby Heafey Roach & May, where he had previously practiced. He is a fellow and former president of both the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers.