Shannon Bates Appointed as a Master of Inn of Court

Harper & Bates LLP is pleased to announce partner Shannon Bates was appointed as a “Master of the Bench” in the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn American Inn of Court. Masters include judges, law professors, and experienced attorneys with at least 16 years of practice. It is the highest level of membership within an Inn of Court, and Bates was the only Master appointed for the 2017-2018 term.

Bates will serve as a member of the Trade Secrets pupilage group, which recently presented on the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act (TUTSA), the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), and several Texas trade secret cases at the group's September meeting.

The Lynn Inn was formed six years ago, and is part of the Linn Inn Alliance of 25 nationwide intellectual property-focused Inns. American Inns of Court are designed to improve the ethics and skills of both the bench and the bar, and are comprised of judges, lawyers, law professors, and law students.

Shannon Bates is an intellectual property attorney who works with companies and individuals to protect and enforce their inventions, brands, creative works and other forms of intellectual property. Her experience includes patent and trademark preparation, prosecution and portfolio management, as well as patent post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Bates has also been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer for the past six years.