Heim, Payne & Chorush

Firm Summary: Heim, Payne & Chorush, LLP

Date: 2026-05-01

Heim, Payne & Chorush, LLP is a Houston-based intellectual property law boutique specializing in high-stakes patent litigation. The firm is recognized in Texas for its IP litigation practice by Chambers USA. All of the firm's attorneys have technical degrees in engineering or science disciplines. While headquartered in a single Houston office, the firm litigates complex patent, trade secret, and antitrust cases for clients nationwide.

The firm's patent litigation practice spans a wide array of technology areas, including semiconductors, wireless communications, computer architecture, software, and pharmaceuticals. The provided case list shows the firm handling matters involving monolithic power systems on the plaintiff side (Greenthread Ltd v. Monolithic Power Systems Inc) and payment processing technology on the defense side (Visa USA Inc v. Cortex MCP Inc). The firm's website highlights its representation of both plaintiffs and defendants, from individual inventors and smaller companies to large technology and energy firms. The authoritative case list reflects this balance, with one appearance for a plaintiff and one for a defendant.

Heim, Payne & Chorush has a record of securing significant trial outcomes for its clients. Publicly reported verdicts include a $37.5 million patent infringement verdict for Atlas Global Technologies against TP-Link regarding wireless networking patents in 2023. The firm also has an active appellate practice, with experience before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court, including involvement in the landmark Commil USA v. Cisco case.

The firm has a notable practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), representing both patent owners and petitioners in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. The firm secured one of the first-ever final written decisions for a patent owner in an IPR, confirming the patentability of all challenged claims. Key partners include founding members Michael F. Heim and Leslie V. Payne, who are both regularly recognized by publications like Chambers USA for their patent litigation work.