Sharon is an accomplished litigation attorney who focuses her practice on intellectual property law, with an emphasis in patent litigation. She has represented IP clients before trial and appellate courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the International Trade Commission. She also is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation; the Texas Bar Foundation; the Houston Bar Foundation; and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
Sharon has litigated patents related to a variety of industries and technologies, including wireless communications, oilfield equipment, consumer electronics, chemicals and medical devices. She has been honored by Chambers USA with a Band 2 ranking in IP, described as “incredibly bright” and “remarkable in her support for her clients and the legal community.” Other clients say Sharon is “a savvy patent attorney who is experienced, practical and tenacious,” “highly professional, very smart and hardworking,” “highly responsive and outstanding,” and that she “understands our strategic needs, both from a cost management perspective and a business perspective.”
She is a frequent speaker and writer on IP-related topics, and has served in leadership roles in numerous organizations, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Law Section, the Houston Intellectual Property Law Association, The Hon. Nancy F. Atlas Intellectual Property American Inn of Court, the Federal Circuit Bar Association, and the American Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section.
Before joining Shook, Sharon was a partner with the Houston office of Mayer Brown LLP. An MIT graduate, she was an engineer for General Electric before entering law school.
Publications and Media
Another Full Slate of Litigators of the Week, American Lawyer Media, July 28, 2023.
Law360’s Legal Lions of the Week, Law360, July 28, 2023.
Remote Workers? Why They Matter for Venue in Patent Cases, The Federal Lawyer Magazine, May 12, 2023.
Navigating Issue Preclusion in Parallel Patent Proceedings, The Advocate, Spring 2019.
Patents at the High Court: What to Watch in the New Term, Law360, September 19, 2018.
Secondary Indicia of Non-Obviousness: Do They Matter?, AIPLA Mid-Winter Institute IP Practice in Japan Pre-Meeting, January 23, 2018.
Patent Infringement Lawsuits Plummet, but EDTX Still Dominates IP Litigation, The Texas Lawbook, January 18, 2017.
Electronic Discovery Deskbook, Practising Law Institute, November 2016.
US Court of Appeals Recognizes Existence of Patent-Agent Privilege, Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, May 2016.
4 Ways Patent Owners Mess Up At The PTAB, Law 360, April 13, 2016.
Sharon Israel, AIPLA Prepares for Annual Meeting of IP Practitioners, IPWatchdog, October 18, 2015.
Navigating the Growing Patchwork of Fraudulent Patent Demand Letter Laws: Tips for Patent Owners and Accused Infringers, InsideCounsel, October 7, 2015.
New Rules May Please PTAB’s Critics, The Recorder, August 19, 2015.
Senate Approves PTO Director Michelle Lee, IP Czar Daniel Marti in Unanimous Votes, Bloomberg BNA, March 9, 2015.
Three Letters On Everyone’s List, Managing Intellectual Property, December 2, 2014.
Get to Know AIPLA’s New President, Legal Bisnow, November 26, 2014.
Are Patents Getting in the Way of Innovation?, Emory Lawyer, Summer 2014.
Top Federal Circuit Rulings That Came Down Last Quarter, Portfolio Media, October 14, 2009.
Federal Appellate Practice, BNA Books, 2008.
Presentations
Presenter, What to Expect from the USPTO in 2024: Bolstering your Life Sciences Patent Prosecution and Litigation Strategies Following Recent Developments at the PTAB, ACI’s Life Science Patents Conference, May 19, 2023.
Moderator, Judicial Panel, TexasBarCLE 36th Annual Advanced Intellectual Property Course, February 23 - 24, 2023.
Moderator, Judicial Panel, 38th Annual Fall Institute on Intellectual Property Law, September 29 - October 1, 2022.
Section 112(a) Enablement and Written Description Issues in Patent Cases: Leveraging CCPA and Federal Circuit Decisions, Strafford, July 14, 2022.
Moderator, District Court Proceedings: A View from the Bench in the COVID Era and Beyond, TexasBarCLE, July 8 - 9, 2021
Presenter, Billion Dollar Patent Verdicts: How, Why and Will the Federal Circuit Let Them Standard?, IP Watchdog, June 10, 2021.
Preserving Attorney-Client Privilege in Patent Proceedings: Protecting Confidential Communications With Patent Counsel or Patent Agents, Strafford CLE Webinar, April 23, 2020 (with Thomas Scott, Jr. and Stephen T. Schreiner).
Chair and Presenter, Claim and Construction Standard and Motion to Amend Procedures, AIPLA on the Road: The Latest on Patent Practice Before the USPTO, St. Louis, August 20, 2019; Boston, August 22, 2019; and Alexandria, Virginia, August 27, 2019.
Presenter, ITC Update, IP Practice in Japan Pre-Meeting, AIPLA Mid-Winter Institute, January 29, 2019.
Presenter, Changing Claim Construction Standards at the PTAB: What You Need to Know, webinar with Jonathan Bowser and Trenton Ward, November 2018.
Moderator, Strategic Impact of Recent SC Decisions and Other Developments Impacting PTAB Practice and Related Litigation, 56th Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, Plano, Texas, October 12, 2018.
Panelist, Venue Post TC Heartland: Transfers Out, Transfers In and No Place to Hide from Venue Related Expense and Delay - Is This the Right Answer for Protecting IP?, 22nd Annual Eastern District Bench Bar Conference, Plano, Texas, October 18, 2018.
Presenter, Developing Caselaw, Tips and Trends for Trial Proceedings Before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board: What You Need to Know, Secret Sauce IP BBQ CLE, Kansas City, Kansas, September 14, 2018.
Moderator, Keeping Tabs on the PTAB & TTAB: Practice and Procedure Insights from ALJs, Inaugural Texas IP Inns of Court Summit, Austin, Texas, August 25, 2018.
Presenter, Case Law Update for PTAB Trial Proceedings, TexasBarCLE's 14th Annual Course for Advanced Patent Litigation, July 12, 2018.
Ethical Issues in Intellectual Property Practice and How to Address Them, Tackling Changes in IP: A Practical Blueprint, Houston, Texas, April 25, 2018 (with Palak Shah).
Hot Topics in US IP Caselaw, AIPLA IP Practice In Japan Committee Meeting with Japan Patent Attorneys Association, April 17 (Tokyo) and April 19 (Osaka), 2018.
Hot Topics in US IP Caselaw, AIPLA IP Practice In Japan Committee Meeting with IP High Court, Tokyo, Japan, April 18, 2018.
Panelist, Issues and Best Practices in Communications with Domestic and Foreign Patent Agents (Ethics), 2nd Energy Industry Intellectual Property Law Conference, Houston, Texas, March 22, 2018.
Commentator, Fifteenth Annual Spring Lecture, University of Houston Law Center Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law, Houston, Texas, March 22, 2018.
Meet AIPLA Past Presidents, American Property Law Association, Houston, Texas, March 6, 2018.
PTAB at the CAFC, 55th Annual Conference on IP Law - The Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, November 14, 2017.
Moderator, Post-Grant Judiciary and USPTO Panel, American Intellectual Property Law Association 2017 Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., October 20, 2017.
PTAB Update, Houston Intellectual Property Law Association and University of Houston Law Center’s 33rd Annual Institute on Intellectual Property Law, Galveston, Texas, October 6, 2017.
IP from a Global Perspective, Houston Intellectual Property Law Association, August 31, 2017.
Navigating State Fraudulent Demand Letter Laws, Advanced Patent Litigation Course, Horseshoe Bay, Texas, July 20-21, 2017.
Lessons Learned from the Federal Circuits and Supreme Court Jurisprudence on AIA Trial Proceedings, Advanced Intellectual Property Law Course, Austin, Texas, February 23-24, 2017.
Has Your Patent Knowledge Kept Pace? The New Legal Normal, Post-AIA, AIPLA Webinar, November 15, 2016.
Conference Co-Chair and Speaker, PTAB Bench & Bar Conference – The Center for American and International Law, Alexandria, Virginia, October 18-20, 2016.
Moderator, AIA Trial Proceedings, Houston Intellectual Property Law Association and University of Houston Law Center’s 32nd Annual Institute on Intellectual Property Law, Galveston, Texas, October 2016.
Moderator and Panelist, AIA Trial Proceedings, State Bar of Texas Advanced Patent Litigation Program, July 2016.
Global Dossier: Connecting the Big 5 to Save You Time & Resources, IP Budget Best Practices, Houston, Texas, March 30, 2016.
Intellectual Property From a Global Viewpoint, State Bar of Texas 29th Annual Advanced Intellectual Property Law Course, February 2016.
PTAB Trial Strategy, UT Law CLE 20th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, Austin, Texas, November 2015.
Hot Issues in PTAB Trials, The Center for American and International Law’s 53rd Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, Plano, Texas, November 2015.
President’s Forum on Patent Eligibility Issues, AIPLA Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., October 2015.
Patent Reform in the U.S. Congress: An Overview of Current Legislation, AIPLA President’s Virtual Forum, September 2015.
Panelist, PTAB Proceedings, Houston Intellectual Property Law Association and University of Houston Law Center’s 31st Annual Institute on Intellectual Property Law, Houston, Texas, September 2015.
Conducting AIA (PTAB) Trials, USPTO/AIPLA Roadshows, Dallas, Texas; Santa Clara, California; and Alexandria, Virginia; August 24-28, 2015.
Litigation vs. IPR, Part II, Race to the Finish: Is It Over Yet?, State Bar of Texas Advanced Patent Litigation Program, July 2015.
Panelist, Fraudulent Demand Letter Laws – What You Need to Know, Summer Meeting of the Association of Corporate Patent Counsel, Lake Tahoe, June 23, 2015.
An Update on Patent Litigation Reform Legislation in the United States, AIPLA meetings with AIPPI-France and EPI (European Patent Institute), June 2015.
Advocacy Activities of AIPLA, AIPLA Meeting with Intellectual Property Law Association, June 2015.
Hearing Do’s and Don’ts, PTAB & AIPLA Bench & Bar Conference, Alexandria, Virginia, June 18, 2015.
Fraudulent Demand Letters: What You Need to Know, Webinar to the State of Bar of Texas, IP Law Section, Patent Law Committee, June 16, 2015.
George Washington University Law School Symposium on Intellectual Property, May 12, 2015.
President’s Forum on Patent Legislative Updates; PTAB Practice Session, AIPLA Spring Meeting, Los Angeles, California, May 1, 2015.
IP Legislative Updates in the U.S., AIPLA Meeting with AIPPI-Japan, Japan Federation of Bar Associations, the IP High Court of Japan, and the Japan Intellectual Property Association, Tokyo, April 2015.
Updates on Global Dossier Task Force and Domestic and International Issues Related to Privileged Communications Between Patent Practitioners and Their Clients, AIPLA Meeting with Japan Patent Attorneys Association, Tokyo, April 21, 2015.
Offers to License and Fraudulent Demand Letters – What You Need to Know, 28th Annual Advanced Intellectual Property Law Course, Houston, Texas, March 19-20, 2015.
Look Out! The States Are Watching Your Patent Demand Letters!, AIPLA Webinar, March 4, 2015.
Panel Moderator, PTAB Proceedings, AIPLA Mid-Winter Institute, Orlando, Florida, January 2015.
Influence of the TPP in the American Continent, ASIPI XVIII, Mexico City, December 2, 2014.
Trial Proceedings Before the PTAB: Best Practices and Lessons Learned, The Center for American and International Law’s 52nd Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, Plano, Texas, November 10-11, 2014.
Legislative Updates: What You Need to Know, 10th Advanced Patent Litigation Course, Texas Bar CLE, San Antonio, Texas, July 17, 2014.
Legislative Updates: What You Need to Know About the Latest in Patent Reform, State Bar of Wisconsin, 9th Annual Door County Intellectual Property Academy, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, July 17, 2014.
Co-Presenter, Limelight: Its Effect on Multiple-Actor Infringement Liability, AIPLA Webinar, July 8, 2014.
George Washington University Law School Symposium on Intellectual Property, Washington, D.C., May 6, 2014.
Panelist, Intellectual Property Issues and Strategies: The Attorney’s Perspective for the Business Decision Maker, World IP Day Dallas Regional Celebration, Plano, Texas, April 23, 2014.
Panelist, USPTO Patent Trial & Appeal Board AIA Roundtable, New York City, April 17, 2014.
Co-Presenter, Lessons Learned in PTAB Proceedings, 27th Annual Advanced Intellectual Property Law, Texas Bar CLE, Dallas, Texas, March 20, 2014.
Inter Partes and Post-Grant Reviews (including CBM Patent Reviews), AIA Post Grant Practice Program, Crystal City, Virginia, February 19-20, 2014.
Panelist, How to Deal With Patent Trolls, 51st Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, The Institute for Law and Technology of the Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, November 11, 2013.
Limelight: Its Effect on Multiple-Actor Infringement Liability, AIPLA Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., October 24-26, 2013.
What You Need to Know About the Latest In Patent Reform: Is It Over Or Is There More to Come?, 29th Annual Institute on Intellectual Property Law, Galveston, Texas, September 26, 2013.
NPE Litigation Strategy, State Bar of Texas Advanced Patent Litigation Course, July 25-26, 2013.
It’s Go Time for the America Invents Act and IP Case Law Review, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, San Diego, California, March 7, 2013.
AIA Web Series Part VI, Post-Grant Proceedings Under the AIA: What You Need to Know Today, AIPLA Webinar, October 15, 2012.
Panelist, NPE Litigation Strategy, 28th Annual Institute on Intellectual Property Law, Galveston, Texas, October 2012.
Session Moderator, AIA Roadshow: Implementation of the America Invents Act: What You Need to Know, San Jose, California; Chicago, Illinois, October 2012.
Co-Author and Panel Moderator, Model E-Discovery Orders in Patent Cases, 8th Advanced Patent Litigation Course, Dallas, Texas, August 2012.
Co-Author, Making Sense of Therasense, 7th Advanced Patent Litigation Course, San Antonio, Texas, July 2011.
Speaker and Co-Author, IP Ownership: Issues to Consider for Patent Ownership, 24th Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute, State Bar of Texas, Dallas, Texas, March 2011.
Speaker and Co-Author, Post-Judgment Remedies in a Post-eBay World, 6th Advanced Patent Litigation Course, San Antonio, Texas, July 2010.
Meeting the Challenges of Today’s Electronic Discovery Environment, American Bar Association Minority Counsel Program, Chicago, Illinois, May 2010.
Intellectual Property Law Institute, State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas, March 2010.
IP Legislative Updates, Dallas Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section, Dallas, Texas, January 2010.
Moderator and Panelist, Interplay Between Litigation and Reexamination, 5th Advanced Litigation Course: Patent Litigation in Texas – 2009 and Beyond, Incline Village, Nevada, July 2009.
Speaker and Co-Author, Rethinking Litigation Strategy in Down Economy: Can We End This Thing Quickly?, AIPLA Mid-Winter Institute, Miami, Florida, January 2009. [Aspen Publishers, July/August 2009.]
Speaker and Author, Reexamination in Litigation: A Growing Trend?, 21st Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute, State Bar of Texas, Austin, Texas, March 2008.
Speaker, Willfulness: What Does the Future Hold?, AIPLA Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., October 2007.
Panelist, Markman Hearings and Claim Construction: A Dialogue on The Sedona Conference Report on the Markman Process, Washington, D.C., April 2007.
Speaker and Co-Author, Updates on Patent Law at the Supreme Court, 20th Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute, State Bar of Texas, Dallas, Texas, March 2007.
Speaker and Co-Author, Patent Remedies: Injunctive Relief – Exception or Rule? 19th Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas, March 2006.
Speaker and Co-Author, Traps for the Unwary: Nuances of the Marking and Notice Requirements, AIPLA Mid-Winter Institute, La Quinta, California, February 2006.