John R. Keville

John R. Keville is an experienced intellectual property trial lawyer focusing on patent litigation, currently serving as the managing partner of the Houston office at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP. His practice encompasses a broad range of technologies, including mechanical and chemical oilfield technologies, electronic devices, software and web-based technologies, medical devices, and digital signal processing. He also handles trade secret and trade dress disputes, as well as patent-related antitrust cases.

Keville represents both plaintiffs and defendants across his patent litigation matters, having tried cases to juries, judges, and arbitration panels. His tracked experience includes serving as lead counsel for the plaintiff in Rare Breed Triggers Inc et al. v. Tyler Harrison et al. and as of counsel for the defendant in DataTreasury Corporation v. Bank of America Corporation. Prior to his tenure at Sheppard Mullin, he was affiliated with Winston & Strawn.

Notable outcomes in Keville's career include securing several jury verdicts since 2022, with his teams obtaining favorable verdicts in plaintiff-side cases involving patent validity, infringement, willful infringement, trade dress infringement, and breach of contract. In 2024, he was part of a trial team that secured a $71.4 million verdict for clients Clifford "T.I." Harris and Tameka "Tiny" Harris in a trade dress and likeness rights lawsuit against MGA Entertainment Inc., which earned a "Litigator of the Week" recognition from The American Lawyer. He has also argued appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Fifth Circuit. While his firm, Winston & Strawn, was noted for its capabilities before the PTAB, Keville is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Keville earned his B.S. from the New York Institute of Technology in 1988 and his J.D. from St. John's University in 1995, the same year he was admitted to the Texas Bar.