Mike Villarreal

Gunn, Lee & Cave P.C.

Miguel Villarreal, Jr. is a registered patent attorney specializing in all aspects of intellectual property, with an emphasis on litigation, primarily patent, trademark, and copyright infringement actions. His practice also includes counseling clients in the areas of unfair competition, trade secrets, and licensing matters. Mr. Villarreal also prosecutes patent and trademark applications and handles various trademark proceedings before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.


Mr. Villarreal is fluent in Spanish. As one of the only Spanish-speaking patent attorneys in the San Antonio area, Mr. Villarreal is uniquely qualified to counsel and advise international clients from several Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexico and Central and South America, on a variety of intellectual property matters.


Mr. Villarreal is a skilled litigator whose litigation practice includes both state and federal practice.


Mr. Villarreal represents clients as either plaintiffs or defendants in state and federal courts, primarily on intellectual property actions, such as complex patent infringement in areas such as dental radiography and software, trademark infringement and unfair competition actions, copyright infringement actions, and misappropriation of trade secret cases, and in commercial business litigation and breach of contract claims. Mr. Villarreal also represents clients before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In 2009, Mr. Villarreal tried a state action to a jury and received a favorable verdict.


Mr. Villarreal also has extensive experience representing clients in administrative proceedings, including opposition and cancellation proceedings, before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) on trademark-related matters.


Mr. Villarreal also assists his clients in obtaining protection of their intellectual property, including patent and trademark protection, both in the U.S. and in foreign countries. Mr. Villarreal's experience also includes patent searches and drafting and prosecuting patent applications, concentrating in the areas of chemical and mechanical arts. His practice also includes developing intellectual property portfolios for start-up businesses, including conducting trademark clearance searches and providing opinions on the availability and registrability of a potential mark. His practice also includes maintaining and expanding the intellectual property portfolios of his clients, including drafting and negotiating complex license agreements, assignments, and confidentiality agreements.


Prior to joining Gunn, Lee & Cave, P.C., Mr. Villarreal practiced commercial law and business litigation in South Texas. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Villarreal was a chemist working in the private sector, where he researched environmental rules and regulations for method development and consulted clients on environmental issues. As a chemist, he worked and became intimately familiar with regulatory methodology and sophisticated instrumentation in areas such as mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion chromatography (IC), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy (UV/VIS) in his search for environmental contaminants such as hydrocarbons, fuels, pesticides, and other organic and inorganic contaminants of drinking water, wastewater, and soil. Schooled in chemistry and experienced as an accomplished chemist, Mr. Villarreal brings to the firm his honed analytical and problem-solving skills.


Mr. Villarreal earned his law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Baylor University. He is a frequent speaker on intellectual property issues, including patent litigation, and is frequently invited to give presentations at various organizations. 


Mr. Villarreal is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the State of Texas, the U.S. District Court for the Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Practice Licenses

  • United States Patent and Trademark Office, 2004–present 
  • State of Texas, 2003–present


Courts Admitted

  • Supreme Court of Texas 
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Texas 
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Texas 
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas 
  • United States District Court, Western District of Texas 


Education

  • Doctorate of Jurisprudence, St. Mary's University School of Law, 2003 
  • Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Baylor University, 1994


Work Experience

Gunn, Lee & Cave, P.C., 2004–present 
Intellectual Property Law Firm 
Patent Attorney, San Antonio, Texas 


Walker & Twenhafel, LLP, 2003–2004
Commercial Law and Business Litigation Law Firm
Attorney, McAllen, Texas


St. Mary's University School of Law, 2001–2003
Research Assistant to Professor David A. Schlueter, Hardy Professor of Trial Advocacy 
San Antonio, Texas


Lower Colorado River Authority, 1995–2000 
Chemist, Austin, Texas 

PUBLICATIONS

"Nine Ways to Keep Costs Down in IP Disputes," Texas Lawyer, Feb. 2, 2009, vol. 54, No. 44, Special Report (co-author).


Death of Covenants Not to Compete in Texas Is Premature," State Bar Convention, Intellectual Property Section, June 22, 2007. 


"No Fees for You, Circuit Split Over Whether to Award Attorneys' Fees in Lanham Act Cases," Texas Lawyer, 2004, co-author.


Participated in editing of 6th edition of Hulen D. Wendorf, David A. Schlueter, Robert R. Barton, Texas Rules of Evidence Manual (5th ed. 1998). 

Professional Activities and Associations

  • State Bar of Texas, Intellectual Property Law Section 
  • Federal Bar Association, San Antonio Chapter 
  • San Antonio Bar Association 
  • San Antonio Young Lawyers Association 
  • U.S.-Mexico Bar Association 
  • American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America) 
  • Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research Founder's Council