Leslie "Les" Payne
Co-founder of Houston-based Heim, Payne & Chorush, Les has helped build a nationally respected team of lawyers and has led litigation resulting in numerous 8- and 9- figure verdicts and settlements. As patent law has evolved with inter partes review validity challenges at the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Les has become particularly effective representing both patent owners and accused infringers in this rapidly changing landscape. Heim, Payne & Chorush staffs its litigation for appeal, and Les has an active caseload at the Federal Circuit and played a direct role in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Commil v USA decision, which has been described as among the most important SCOTUS IP rulings in a generation. He is a diligent and thorough trial lawyer who routinely wins strategic victories throughout the course of litigation, including two patent infringement verdicts featured in the VerdictSearch Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame.
Practice Areas:
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Patent
- Trademark
- Unfair Competition
- Trade Secret Law
- Chambers USA, 2005-2021, America's Leading Lawyers for Business
- Texas Lawyer Plaintiffs Trailblazer, 2020
- IAM Patent 1000 - Recommended Individual, 2021
- Best Lawyers in America, 2018-2021
- Texas Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2012-2021
- Ranked among the Best Law Firms by US News & World Report and Best Lawyers, 2016-2021
- Preeminent AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Lawyers in Houston, 2006, 2010-2011, 2013-2019, by H Texas Magazine
- Texas Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters/Super Lawyers, as published in Texas Monthly, 2004-2006
Houston, Texas 77002
