Michael C. Smith

Michael C. Smith is a partner at Scheef & Stone, LLP, in Marshall, Texas, with a practice focused on patent and complex commercial litigation in federal court, particularly within the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (EDTX). His career has been deeply rooted in the EDTX, where he is a prominent local counsel for defendants in patent infringement suits. The provided case list shows him exclusively representing defendants in all six tracked matters, serving as local counsel for companies such as JPMorgan Chase, Avis Budget Group, and Fiserv. This aligns with his broader professional profile, which notes he has appeared as counsel of record in over 900 civil cases in the district.

Mr. Smith is well-known in the Texas legal community for his extensive experience and commentary on litigation in the state's federal courts. He authors the influential "Eastern District of Texas Federal Court Practice" weblog and has served as the editor for "O'Connor's Federal Rules * Civil Trials" for over two decades. His firm history includes partnerships at several Texas-based litigation firms, including Siebman, Forrest, Burg & Smith and Potter Minton, as reflected in the case list. His work has been recognized by the National Law Journal, which named him an "Intellectual Property Trailblazer." There is no specific indication from publicly available information that he has a significant practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

A longtime leader in the East Texas legal community, Mr. Smith is a past president of the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association and previously chaired the district's Local Rules Advisory Committee. He holds a Juris Doctor from Baylor University School of Law (1992).