Kirby Drake, JD

Kirby B. Drake is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kirby Drake Law PLLC in Dallas, Texas. She received a B.S. in Chemistry from Duke University in 1999, where she graduated cum laude, and as a J.D. in 2002 from Wake Forest University School of Law, where she was Managing Editor of the Wake Forest Law Review and Citations Editor of the Wake Forest Intellectual Property Association Law Journal.

In her present position, Ms. Drake focuses on intellectual property. She thrives on troubleshooting I.P. issues. She also enjoys being an advisor to clients when they need assistance in identifying, protecting, and leveraging their I.P. Ms. Drake has a particular focus on the patent process, as she is a registered patent attorney. The patent system can be complicated, and Ms. Drake helps clients be more comfortable and understand what inventions they can protect and how best to protect them. These inventions can be wide-reaching, and Ms. Drake endeavors to make the patent process accessible to all, whether a start-up or a Fortune 500 company. Ms. Drake utilizes checklists and forms and manages deadlines, sweating even the small stuff when it comes to I.P. for her clients so they can focus on growing and managing their businesses.

Ms. Drake started her legal career with Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. (now Norton Rose Fulbright), where she practiced in the intellectual property section of the firm. In 2010, she joined an intellectual property boutique in Dallas, where she practiced until opening her law firm in 2021. Ms. Drake also has taught on principles of e-discovery at the Charleston School of Law.

Ms. Drake has received numerous honors in the legal community, including:

• D Magazine Best Lawyers in Dallas for Patent Law, 2018, 2020, 2021
• Super Lawyers, 2018-2021
• Dallas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
• “Rising Star,” 2007, 2009-2017, a Thomson Reuters service
• Named on “The Top Women Attorneys in Texas” list for Intellectual Property Litigation, 2019, by Super Lawyers Magazine, a Thomson Reuters service

Ms. Drake has been active in the State Bar of Texas, where she has served as Chair of the Intellectual Property Section and Chair of the Women and the Law Section. Ms. Drake currently serves on the Council of the Dallas Bar Association Intellectual Property Section. Outside of her bar-related activities, Ms. Drake is active in the American Chemical Society on both and national levels. Most recently, she served as Chair of the National Committee on Patents and Related Matters, and she currently serves on the National Committee for Constitution and By-Laws.