Joseph F. Cleveland, Jr.

Joe Cleveland has practiced in the area of  intellectual property and commercial litigation for over 20 years. He has extensive trial and appellate experience representing entrepreneurs, inventors, and private and publicly-traded companies. His practice includes a broad range of complex commercial litigation involving patent, copyright, trademark, trade secrets, antitrust, contracts, employment, oil and gas, securities, and other commercial matters. He has tried cases in both state and federal courts and has successfully handled appeals before the United States Supreme Court and various federal courts of appeals. He also assists clients in protecting intellectual property rights before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and the United States Copyright Office.

Mr. Cleveland is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization—a mark of excellence and distinguishing accomplishment achieved by fewer than 10% of practicing attorneys in Texas. Board Certified attorneys in Civil Trial Law are specialists in civil litigation involving contracts, businesses, and business owners. To achieve board certification, Mr. Cleveland was required to pass a rigorous examination and demonstrate extensive expertise and knowledge in his specialty area. He must also engage in a continuous course of study in his specialty.

Mr. Cleveland was instrumental in drafting the proposed legislation, preparing the bill analysis and testifying before Senate and House Committees of the 83^rd and the 85^th Texas Legislatures in support of the adoption of the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act and amendments thereto.

Since 2011, Mr. Cleveland has been continuously selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America by Woodward White for Commercial and Intellectual Property Litigation. He is listed as Top 100 Dallas/Fort Worth Super Lawyers by Texas Monthly (2016, 2020). He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review, signifying the highest level of professional excellence and adherence to the highest ethical standards – a distinction achieved by fewer than 5% of attorneys nationwide. Since 2011, he has been chosen by his peers for inclusion in the List of Top Attorneys for Intellectual Property in Fort Worth, Texas Magazine.

Mr. Cleveland is a frequent speaker on the topic of IP and trade secrets at seminars throughout the region. He is also an author of the book “Fritz Garland Lanham:  Father of the American Trademark Protection” published by BookHouse Group and commissioned by the Texas Intellectual Property Law Foundation.