Donna M. Haynes

Donna is of counsel in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the intellectual property group.  She focuses her practice on the preparation and prosecution of patents.  She also advises clients on transactional patent and trademark matters.  In addition, she has provided counsel related to freedom to operate, patent validity, infringement analysis and due diligence for protecting developing business prospects.

Career highlights include:

• Representing a major medical device and health care company before the US Patent Office for procurement of patent assets
• Representing a major energy company before the US Patent Office for procurement of patent assets

• Representing a major energy company before the US Patent Office in a patent inter partes review

• Representing a major agricultural biotechnology corporation in district court in defending against a suit for infringement of patents relating to insect-resistant genes for plants

• Representing a major cloud-connected backup and recovery company in defending against a suit for patent infringement

• Representing a major energy company in a plaintiff's action in district court for declaratory judgment that the federal drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico constituted force majeure under offshore drilling contracts

• Representing a major energy company in a plaintiff's products liability action in district court for mooring failures of offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Ike

• Representing a pro bono client in a plaintiff's action in district court for human trafficking and racketeering by a gulf coast marine services company

Prior to attending law school, Donna worked in the biomedical and biotechnological industries.

Donna received her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and Order of the Barons, and received the University of Houston Institution of Intellectual Property and Informational Law Award for Distinguished Accomplishment.  She also served as chief articles editor for The Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy.  She received her Advanced Certificate in Biomedical Quality Systems from San Diego State University and her B.S. in biology, focus in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Texas at Austin, university honors.

Honors & Recognitions

University of Houston Institution for Intellectual Property & Information Law Award for Distinguished Accomplishment, 2011

Professional & Community Activities

Intellectual Property Advisor for Activ8 IP, Inc.

Andrews Hunton Kurth Moot Court National Championship Committee Board Member

Houston Intellectual Property Law Association, Member

Intellectual Property Owners Association, Member

International Trademark Association, Member