Bracewell Expands IP Team with Lead Administrative Patent Judge

Kit Crumbley, who recently joined Bracewell as a partner in the Austin office, spoke with the Texas Lawyer about joining the firm, his practice focus and his experience as a member of the Patent Trial & Appeal Board.

Crumbley said he will focus his practice on advising clients about matters before the PTAB and training the next generation of patent practitioners at the firm.

“In the patent, and more broadly in the intellectual property field, it’s a really interesting time because some recent court decisions have given the patent office more authority over policy decisions. We are all figuring out what the landscape is. Helping clients through that is something I really wanted to get into,” Crumbley said.

Crumbley said he moved to private practice from the government, because “it’s just time to do something new.” He said he chose to join Bracewell, because he wanted to practice at a firm with deep Texas roots, and with a national IP practice.

The firm’s established practice in the energy sector was another draw, he said, as the energy transition will draw on innovation in clean technology.