Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza

Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza, Inc. (DC&M) is a well-established regional law firm headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with its sole office located there. Founded in 1986, the firm is recognized for its broad litigation capabilities, including a notable presence in intellectual property disputes. While not classified as BigLaw, DC&M maintains a strong local and national reputation, with its attorneys receiving recognition in publications like The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, and Chambers ranking the firm for Litigation: General Commercial in San Antonio.

The firm's patent litigation practice has demonstrated a focus on representing plaintiffs. All three of the firm's tracked patent litigation appearances are on the plaintiff side, with no defendant-side engagements in this area. This indicates a strategic emphasis on patent enforcement for intellectual property owners.

DC&M has been involved in significant patent cases, notably representing Cortex MCP, Inc. as plaintiff against Visa, Inc. This particular case involved patents related to mobile-wallet platforms and payment tokenization technology. The litigation saw a transfer from the Western District of Texas to the Northern District of California, and the court later granted a motion to stay the district court proceedings pending the resolution of inter partes review (IPR) proceedings.

The firm has experience with Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, evidenced by its involvement in defending Cortex MCP, Inc.'s patents against multiple IPR petitions filed by Visa, Inc. A Final Written Decision by the PTAB in November 2025 determined some claims of a patent central to the Cortex case to be unpatentable, a decision which has been appealed. While the firm's overall PTAB volume is not publicly detailed, its engagement in this high-stakes IPR defense highlights its capabilities in post-grant patent challenges.

Key figures in the firm's litigation practice include founding shareholder Ricardo G. Cedillo, who is widely recognized as a top trial attorney and is specifically listed for his experience in patent litigation. He has been named in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Patent, among other commercial litigation categories. Derick J. Rodgers is also recognized for Litigation - Intellectual Property in The Best Lawyers in America. Joseph Lawrence Korbel is another attorney who has appeared in the firm's patent litigation matters.