Lea Speed

Ms. Speed has experience in a wide range of industries and technologies, including electronics, data centers, software, diagnostics, telecommunications, utilities, financial services, smart materials, chemical, aviation, medical and dental device and diagnostics, business systems, machinery, building materials and systems, municipal water and waste treatment, motor vehicles, equipment, manufacturing, packaging, consumer products, food and beverages, cooling and air circulation, plants, farming and agricultural machinery and equipment, and hunting gear.

In addition to the time she spends in the courtroom for patent disputes, Ms. Speed's practice includes providing opinions regarding patent infringement, patent invalidity, and freedom to operate; leading design-around efforts; negotiating royalties and patent licenses; and developing strategies to anticipate and avoid litigation.

• Successfully defended a publicly traded company in federal court in Delaware against allegations of infringement of eight patents directed to products and materials that exhibit complex vapor characteristics, systems that include those products, and methods for manufacturing those products. Invalidated seven of the eight patents at claim construction, and the plaintiff settled the case regarding the remaining patent.

• Successfully defended a multinational company in federal court against allegations of infringing a patent directed to heavy equipment and machinery. Invalidated the patent at summary judgment.

• Successfully defended a chemical company in federal court against allegations of infringement of three patents directed to chemical compositions, methods of making those chemical compositions, and products that incorporate those chemical compositions. Obtained dismissal with prejudice of all claims.

• Successfully defended a company against two separate cases in federal court in Virginia against allegations of infringement of a patent directed to methods used in certain medical and biological testing. Obtained dismissal of both cases.

• Successfully opposed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to the New York State Department of Health concerning the processing and analysis of samples to extract DNA.

• Provided ongoing guidance and strategic counsel to a publicly traded company regarding patent freedom to operate and patent design around for all new product development.

• Developed and implemented strategies for clients threatened with patent litigation, including: assessing risk and potential liability; developing and recommending affirmative and responsive strategies in the courts, the International Trade Commission, Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings, and/or patent reexamination proceedings; preparing and filing requests for declaratory judgment to aggressively attack and pursue preferred jurisdictions; developing and pursuing applicable noninfringement and invalidity defenses; and successfully negotiating and securing favorable licensing and covenants not to sue.

• Board Member – Great Southern Capital Corporation for Great Southern Bank
• Listed in Mid-South Super Lawyers in Intellectual Property Litigation (2020)
• Former Assistant Editor-in-Chief, Vice Chair of Editorial Board, Issue Editor, and Intake Editor – Landslide Magazine of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the American Bar Association
• Former Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary – Executive Council of the Intellectual Property Section of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Former Chair – Patent Bar Committee of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Recipient – 2004 Young Lawyer Fellowship, Intellectual Property Law Section of the American Bar Association
• Former Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary – Executive Committee of the Intellectual Property Section of the Mississippi Bar Association
• Member – Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law (TBALL), Class of 2004
• Former Representative, West Grand Division – TBALL Alumni Association Nominating Committee
• Former Board Member – Young Lawyers Division of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Former Member – CLE Committee for the Young Lawyers Division of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Memberships have further included: American Intellectual Property Law Association; Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association; American, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Memphis Bar Associations (Intellectual Property sections); Association of Women Attorneys; and DRI

• Adjunct Professor of Patent Law – University of Mississippi School of Law (2004, 2008, 2011)
• Adjunct Professor of Intellectual Property Law – University of Mississippi School of Law (2008)
• Adjunct Professor of Legal Methods – University of Memphis School of Law (2001 – 2003)

• "USPTO Proposes Dramatic Restrictions on Patent Challenges Through Inter Partes Review" (October 2025)
• "Insights from Month One of Acting Director Stewart's Decisions on Discretionary Denial under the New Interim Processes for PTAB Workload Management ," republished in The IP Strategist (June 2025)
• "Patents," National Business Institute
• "The Evolving Law of Personal Jurisdiction for Trademark Infringement on the Internet," 66 Mississippi Law Journal 457 (1996)

• "The On-Sale Bar to Patentability," Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association, Nashville, Tennessee
• "Patent Law II," University of Mississippi School of Law
• "The 102(b) Limbo: How Low Does the On-Sale Bar to Patentability Go?," Franklin Pierce Law Center, Concord, New Hampshire
• "Patent Law I," University of Mississippi School of Law
• "An Alternative Venue for Patent Infringement Litigation: The International Trade Commission," Tennessee Intellectual Property Forum, Nashville, Tennessee
• "Current Issues in Intellectual Property," University of Mississippi Center for Continuing Legal Education, Memphis, Tennessee
• "Practical Tips for Enforcing and Defending Patents," American Bar Association Intellectual Property Section Young Lawyers Committee, Boston, Massachusetts
• "Spotting I.P. Litigation Issues," telecast, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz Litigation Section
• "An Overview of Patent Litigation," Tennessee Intellectual Property Forum, Nashville, Tennessee
• "The Inside Information on Patents and Trademarks," University of Memphis
• "Effective Legal Writing for Paralegals in Tennessee," Institute for Paralegal Education, Memphis, Tennessee
• "Intellectual Property for the Paralegal," Greater Memphis Paralegal Alliance, Memphis, Tennessee
• "A Basic Overview of Patent Practice," University of Mississippi School of Law
• "Patent Prosecution and Patent Litigation," Tennessee Bar Association, Knoxville, Tennessee
• "Patent Prosecution and Patent Litigation," Tennessee Bar Association, Memphis, Tennessee
• "Patent Prosecution and Patent Litigation," Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville, Tennessee
• "Patents: An introduction to Prosecution and Litigation," University of Mississippi School of Law
• "Patents and Trademarks," University of Memphis
• "Protecting Business IP: Trademarks and Patents," University of Mississippi Center for Continuing Legal Education
• "Patents: A Basic Overview of Obtaining a Patent and Litigating Patent Infringement," Memphis Bar Association
• "Intellectual Property for the Entrepreneur I, II and III," University of Memphis M.B.A. Program

• The Most Significant Developments in Patent Law in 2025 (September 2025)

• Lea Speed Talks with Law360 About Patent Litigation Trends and How AI is Reshaping Patent Practice (January 1, 2025)

• The Most Significant Developments in Patent Law in 2025 (September 30, 2025)