Laura A. Thomas
Oakland Office
5433 Lawton Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
P: 510.451.4002
lthomas@landaufirm.com
Laura Thomas counsels clients in both transactional and litigation matters, with a focus on intellectual property and bankruptcy. Ms. Thomas routinely works with clients in relation to patent licensing agreements, both as a drafter/negotiator and in the pre-litigation and litigation contexts. She has represented clients in State and Federal Court, and has experience at both the trial court and appellate levels. She has significant experience in pre-litigation counseling, working with her clients to assess their strategic options under existing licensing agreements or general commercial contracts. She is experienced in a variety of business disputes, including patent, fraud, breach of contract, and bankruptcy. Ms. Thomas additionally has experience in providing freedom-to-operate opinions in the medical device area and consults with clients in relation to patent portfolio strategy, including prosecution strategy, third party portfolio analyses, opposition and reexaminations.
Ms. Thomas has assisted clients with a short term need for "in-house" counsel by working directly with business to draft and negotiate licensing and commercial contracts; she has also managed patent prosecution (including managing other outside counsel). Ms. Thomas represented Abbott Diabetes Care Inc. in a successful appeal from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Board to the Federal Circuit, where the Court found that the Board had incorrectly construed claim limitations in two patents during reexamination. She represented a large group of syndicated lenders in In re Adelphia Communications Corp., counseling her clients during the bankruptcy and confirmation of two plans, and continuing on to a successful resolution through appeals to the District Court and Second Circuit. Ms. Thomas was also part of a trial team on a three-month patent trial in District Court, resulting in a favorable verdict for her client.
Ms. Thomas obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley, and obtained her J.D. from Maurer School of Law, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She is admitted to practice in California, Illinois, and before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Thomas is a board member on the Maurer School of Law LGBT Advisory Board