Sam F. Baxter

Sam F. Baxter is a renowned Texas trial lawyer who recently retired from practice in April 2026 after a 56-year career. He was a principal at the national litigation firm McKool Smith, which he joined in 1995, operating from its Dallas and Marshall, Texas offices. Baxter was particularly known for his mastery in the Eastern District of Texas federal courts, a key venue for patent litigation. His background as a former Harrison County district attorney and Texas state district judge gave him a distinctive and formidable courtroom presence.

While the provided data tracks a single appearance as local counsel on the defendant side in Multimedia Technologies Pte Ltd v. LG Electronics Inc, Baxter's career was overwhelmingly defined by his success representing plaintiffs in high-stakes patent infringement cases. He was widely regarded as one of the nation's top lawyers for patent holders, securing numerous nine-figure verdicts and settlements. His practice encompassed a range of technologies, including software, wireless telecommunications, DVR technology, and automotive systems. Although he handled some defense work, he stated that he found representing patent owners to be more rewarding.

Baxter's career is marked by a series of landmark victories, with his trial teams securing verdicts and settlements totaling billions of dollars. Notable plaintiff-side outcomes include a $506 million verdict for PanOptis against Apple for infringement of 4G LTE technology patents, a $391 million judgment for Versata Software against SAP, and a $250 million verdict for Medtronic in a case involving angioplasty catheters. He also represented TiVo in its seminal DVR patent case against EchoStar, which resulted in a $500 million settlement, and Paice LLC in litigation over hybrid vehicle technology against Toyota. Beyond patent law, he was lead counsel in a major False Claims Act case, securing a verdict against Trinity Industries that resulted in a final judgment of over $663 million. His public profile does not indicate a focus on IPR or other PTAB proceedings.

A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Baxter earned numerous accolades throughout his career, including being named an "Icon of IP" by Law360 and one of the "Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America" by Benchmark Litigation. He earned his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law in 1970.