Margaret M. Welsh

Margaret M. Welsh is a distinguished patent litigation attorney and Co-Chair of Baker Botts' Artificial Intelligence team, focusing on complex technology issues. Her practice encompasses emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, clean technology, energy, electronics, semiconductors, and biomedical devices. With an engineering background, she advises companies on patent litigation, prosecution, and due diligence, as well as on managing risks related to AI development and use.

Welsh primarily represents defendants, assisting companies in navigating and avoiding patent disputes. Her single tracked appearance, Rideshare Displays Inc. v. Uber Technologies, Inc. et al., aligns with this defendant-side focus. In the related Federal Circuit appeal, Rideshare Displays, Inc. v. Lyft, Inc., she served as counsel for cross-appellant Lyft, Inc., where the court affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's (PTAB) finding that Rideshare's patents on vehicle identification systems for ridesharing were unpatentable for obviousness. The Federal Circuit also reversed the PTAB's allowance of substitute claims, deeming them patent-ineligible. This case involved several inter partes review (IPR) proceedings at the PTAB, showcasing her experience in these post-grant challenges.

She is a Partner at Baker Botts LLP, where she has established herself as a leader in the firm's Artificial Intelligence practice. Welsh is admitted to the New York State Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She earned her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2011 and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia (2006), along with an MIT Sloan Certificate in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy (2023).