Overview

Kat Li is an IP litigation partner in the Austin office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Her trial practice focuses on patent and technology litigation, and she has represented Fortune 500 companies in United States District Court, the International Trade Commission, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Kat has successfully managed and tried all phases of litigation from pre-filing investigation and inter partes review proceedings to post-trial briefing and appeals. She also has substantial experience managing global patent enforcement actions and maximizing the value of patent portfolios. She handles matters involving a variety of technologies, such as computer security, mobile devices, semiconductors, oil and gas, medical devices, and telecommunications.

Kat teaches Patent Advocacy at the University of Texas School of Law, and she is a member of Western District of Texas Judge Albright’s working group that advises on procedures for patent cases. Kat is the Founder and Past President of the Association of Former Law Clerks for the Eastern District of Texas and on the Board of the Association of Former Law Clerks and Technical Advisors of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Kat has been honored as “Best Under 40” by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and the State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section, as well as “One to Watch for Intellectual Property and Patent” by the Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Kat has been recognized as a Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) and the 2020 “Nation’s Best” by Lawyers of Color for demonstrating outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. Kat also serves as a member of the Board of Texas Appleseed, which is dedicated to promoting social, economic, and racial justice for all Texans.

More

Thought Leadership

Publications

Co-Author with Scott Hejny and James Quigley “Arthrex: the Supreme Court Preserves the PTAB System,” Licensing Executives Society (LES), June 28, 2021

Co-Author with James Quigley, “IPR Update," State Bar of Texas 33rd Annual Advanced Intellectual Property Law, February 7, 2020

Co-Author with James Quigley, "O2 Micro Issues at the Federal Circuit a Decade Later," State Bar of Texas 15th Annual Advanced Patent Litigation, July 18, 2019

Co-Author with David McCombs, “Preparing an IPR Petition and a Preliminary Order Response,” State Bar of Texas 30th Annual Course Advanced Intellectual Property Law, February 24, 2017

Speaking Engagements

Moderator, “Judges Panel,” Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal Symposium, Austin, Texas, March 4, 2022 

Moderator, “Judicial Panel,” UT Law's 26th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, Austin, Texas, November 4, 2021

Panelist, "Supreme Court & Federal Circuit IP Year in Review,” Austin Intellectual Property Law Association, Virtual, July 21, 2021

Moderator, “Fireside Chat with the Honorable Alan D. Albright,” Austin, Texas, May 13, 2021

Moderator, ”Worldwide Patent Litigation Trends,” UT Law's 25th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, Virtual, November 6.2020

Moderator, “Gender & IP: Addressing the Gap,” Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal's 19th Annual Symposium, Austin, Texas, March 10, 2020

Panelist, "Global Trends in Enforcement," UT Law’s 24th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, Austin, Texas, October 30, 2019

Moderator, “Innovation and Key Asian Developments,” Federal Circuit Bar Association Bench & Bar Global Series Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, October 3, 2019

Speaker, “Litigation Strategies for Post-Grant Proceedings,” American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property's IP West Conference, San Antonio, Texas, September 23, 2019

Moderator, “International Issues: In-Bound Focus,” Eastern District of Texas Bench Bar Conference, Plano, Texas, August 22, 2019

Moderator, "Global Strategies for Patent Portfolio Enforcement,” Federal Circuit Bar Association Bench & Bar Global Series, Washington, D.C., April, 29, 2019

Panelist, "Supreme Court & Federal Circuit IP Year in Review,” Austin Intellectual Property Law Association, Austin, Texas, February 28, 2019

Speaker, “Venue in the U.S. after TC Heartland,” U.S.-China IP Forum, Beijing, China, December 5, 2018

Speaker, “Patent Enforcement in China,”Federal Circuit Bar Association Bench & Bar Global Series, Ottawa, Canada, October 12, 2018

Panelist; "2017 Federal Circuit and Supreme Court Year-in-Review," Austin Intellectual Property Law Association, Austin, Texas, February 28, 2018

Speaker, "Recent Developments in Attorney-Client Privilege in Patent Litigation," 22nd Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, Austin, Texas, November 3, 2017

Speaker, “Patent Enforcement in China,” The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s China Intellectual Property Road Show, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 18, 2017

Speaker, “Remedies Available to Patent Holders in Infringement Actions in China and the U.S.,” Global Patent Enforcement to Maximize Portfolio Value Seminar, Dallas, Texas, October 18, 2017

Speaker, “U.S. 337 Investigation Technical Seminar,” Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) Officials of the People’s Republic of China, Washington, D.C., July 20, 2017

Speaker, “Intellectual Property Protection in the U.S.,” Seminars sponsored by the Beijing IP Office and Nanjing University, Beijing and Nanjing, China, June 6, 2017–June 10, 2017

Panelist, “The Intersection Between Hatch Waxman, PTAB, ITC & ED Texas. Using All The Tools in the Tool Box,” Eastern District of Texas Bench Bar Conference, Plano, Texas, October 16, 2016

Moderator, “A Round Table Discussion Regarding Best Practice in ED Texas,” Eastern District of Texas Bench Bar Conference, Plano, Texas, October 23, 2015

Moderator, “Cases in Federal Court. What’s Gone Right? What’s Gone Wrong?,” Eastern District of Texas Bench Bar Conference, Plano, Texas, October 24, 2014

Recognition

“500 X – The Next Generation,” Lawdragon, 2023

"Ones to Watch for Intellectual Property and Patent,” Best Lawyers in America, 2021–2022

“Women Worth Watching,” Diversity Journal, 2021

Fellow, The Leadership Council on Diversity (LCLD), 2021

“Nation’s Best,” Lawyers of Color, 2020

“Best Under 40,” Asian Pacific Interest Section, State Bar of Texas, 2020

"Rising Star," Texas Super Lawyers, 2016–2019

Memberships & Affiliations

Board of Directors, Texas Appleseed

Board of Directors, Association of Former Law Clerks & Technical Advisors, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Founder and Past President, Association of Former Law Clerks for the Eastern District of Texas

Leadership Advancement Program Fellow, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Council, State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Law Section

Leadership Council, Austin Asian American Bar Association

Member, The Honorable Lee Yeakel Intellectual Property Inn of Court

Bench Bar Conference Planning Committee, Eastern District of Texas Bar Association

1L Mentor, University of Texas School of Law

Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • Texas
  • Registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office

Courts

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Texas

Languages

  • English
  • Mandarin

Education

  • University of Texas at Austin School of LawJ.D.with Honors2009
    Editor-in-Chief, Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal
  • Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyM.Eng., Materials Science and Engineering2006
  • Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyS.B., Materials Science and Engineering2005