Patent litigation attorney
Richard Cochrane
11 tracked appearances — 6 plaintiff · 5 defendant.
Specialty & background
Richard Cochrane is an associate at Caldwell Cassady & Curry, focusing his practice on complex business litigation and patent disputes. He joined the firm after gaining experience at an international law firm in Dallas. His patent litigation experience spans a diverse range of technologies, including mercury emissions capture and control for coal-fired power plants (as seen in cases for Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. / Birchtech Corp.), server and client technology for online video sharing, wireless communications, and technologies related to the ATSC3.0 (NextGen TV) standard for television broadcasts. His background also includes an undergraduate degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University and prior work as a field engineer in the oilfield services industry.
Cochrane has demonstrated a balanced practice, having appeared in 6 plaintiff-side and 5 defendant-side patent cases. He played a vital role on the trial team that secured a $57 million patent infringement verdict for Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. (now Birchtech Corp.) in March 2024, related to mercury capture technology, with the final judgment amount increasing to approximately $78 million in December 2025. He also contributed significantly to a $105 million verdict for VidStream, LLC against X Corp. (formerly Twitter) concerning video sharing technology in April 2025, and a $445.5 million verdict for Collision Communications Inc. against Samsung involving wireless communications patents.
His practice includes significant experience with Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, where he has been recognized for his work. Cochrane was noted in the 2025 Patexia PTAB Intelligence Report among the top 10% of active and best-performing attorneys for patent owners. This includes serving as Lead Counsel in PTAB proceedings and being involved in cases where all Inter Partes Review (IPR) petitions challenging patents were successfully terminated.
Cochrane is licensed in Texas, admitted to the bar in 2019. He earned his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, where he was the Associate Managing Editor for the SMU Law Review. He also served as a Judicial Extern for the Hon. Amos L. Mazzant III in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
Firms
Roles
- Counsel2
- associate counsel1
- attorney1
- Backup Counsel1
- Lead Counsel (PTAB)1
- Counsel of record1
- trial counsel1
- trial team1
- Trial Team1
- back-up counsel1
Cases (11)
- Δ defendantCERT Operations II LLC et al. v. Birchtech Corp.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · associate counsel
- π plaintiffIn Re: Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. Patent LitigationCaldwell Cassady & Curry · trial counsel
- π plaintiffMidwest Energy Emissions Corp. et al. v. Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company et al.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · Counsel
- π plaintiffMidwest Energy Emissions Corp. et al. v. Evergy, Inc. et al.Caldwell, Cassady & Curry · back-up counsel
- π plaintiffMidwest Energy Emissions Corp. et al. v. MidAmerican Energy Company et al.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · Trial Team
- π plaintiffMidwest Energy Emissions Corp. et al. v. Tucson Electric Power Co. et al.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · Counsel
- π plaintiffMidwest Energy Emissions Corp. v. Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company et al.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · trial team
- Δ defendantUnified Patents Inc. v. Birchtech Corp. f/k/a Midwest Energy Emissions Corp.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · Counsel of record
- Δ defendantUnion Electric Company v. Birchtech Corp.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · Lead Counsel (PTAB)
- Δ defendantUnknown Petitioner v. Birchtech Corp.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · Backup Counsel
- Δ defendantWisconsin Power & Light Co. et al. v. Birchtech Corp.Caldwell Cassady & Curry · attorney