Legal Advisors

Eric Tautfest – Mr. Tautfest is a skilled patent litigator and trial lawyer with extensive experience assessing the viability of patent monetization strategies and implementing aggressive patent enforcement litigation and licensing programs from inception through end-of-life.  He has a long history of prosecuting and defending patent infringement claims in Federal court, and before joining Gray Reed, was a founding member and chief licensing officer of a large patent monetization entity.  Eric’s ability to reach timely and resourceful resolutions has led to his serving as settlement counsel in numerous patent infringement cases.  Representative Experience:  Negotiated the funding, purchase and documentation of four large patent portfolios from three major multi-national electronics companies.  Represented a mobile telecommunications innovator in litigation and in connection with the sale of its patent portfolio for $160 million. Founding member of the company that financially backed two patent litigations, each resulting in several hundred million-dollar judgments in favor of the financed party.  Sale of acquired patents to a major U.S. semiconductor company for better than eight times return to investors within six weeks of acquisition.  As settlement counsel, negotiated and closed multi-party litigation settlement and patent portfolio license on behalf of licensor software company.  Represented multi-national electronic payment services company as settlement counsel in multiple concurrently pending multi-party patent infringement litigations, resulting in all defendants settling. Personally negotiated all settlement and patent license agreements.  Represented U.S. photographic technology company in multiple multi-party patent infringement litigations as settlement counsel, resulting in all defendants settling. Personally negotiated all settlement and patent license agreements. First-chaired litigation teams in four concurrently pending suits.  Represented computer networking and software company as settlement counsel in multi-party patent infringement litigation, resulting in all defendants settling. Personally negotiated all settlement and patent license agreements.  Represented U.S. based VoIP telecommunications company in patent infringement litigation and trial against multiple competitors, with trial resulting in settlement of the three remaining defendants settling at the close of our presentation of evidence.  Represented major U.S. based multi-national oil services company in patent infringement litigation and trial against main competitor, with trial resulting in judgment for willful infringement of three patents. Received the third largest patent judgment that year.  Represented auto finance company against major automobile insurance company in trademark infringement suit, which resulted in obtaining assignment of infringing marks and license with eightfigure license fees. First-chaired litigation team with suits pending in two federal districts. Personally negotiated settlement and license agreement.  Defended national real estate investment trust in class action seeking damages in excess of $125 million obtaining denial of class certification. First-chaired trial of individual claims on merits, obtaining favorable verdict and judgment, zeroing out all claims.  Defended against claims brought by major software company for misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of confidentiality and breach of covenant not to compete obtaining dismissal of all claims with prejudice. First-chaired litigation team.  Defended local clothing retailers against copyright infringement claims obtaining dismissals of all claims with prejudice. First-chaired litigation team.  Represented national consumer specialty electronics manufacturer and retailer in multiple patent infringement cases against competitors, each resulting in settlement and license agreements favorable to client.  Defended major multi-national manufacturer of mobile telecommunications equipment in patent infringement litigation obtaining dismissal with prejudice of three asserted patents.  Represented major direct seller and multilevel marketer of home decorative and gift products in misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition lawsuit against competitor, resulting in several million-dollar settlement in favor of client. Articles & Publications Co-Author and Presenter, International Litigation: A Confluence of Customs, Culture and Commercial Activity, Continuing Legal Education presentation, July 28, 2006. Author, Temptations to Take: Misappropriation of Trade Secrets, Damages and Remedies, Vol. VII No. 2 Computer L.R.  and Tech. J. 117, 117-147, Winter 2003. Co-Author, International Arbitration Clauses and Federal Preemption, http://www.obeliskcom.com/intlaw/cle.html. Co-Author and Presenter, Legislative and Case Law Update to International Business Transactions, International Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education presentation, October 1999

Steven R. Dunn - Principal and Owner of the Dunn Law Firm. Practice concentrates in complex civil litigation work in all Texas state courts and the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas, the District Court of Colorado, the Northern District of Florida, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals as well as experience defending Fair Debt Collection Practice actions in federal courts in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.  Areas of practice include complex class related litigation, Fair Debt Collection Practices defense, Telephone Consumer Protection Act defense, premises liability, banking and U.C.C. law, securities fraud, patent infringement defense, business litigation, employment law, deceptive trade practice, bad faith litigation and other insurance related litigation. Experience includes overseeing compliance issues and corporate matters. MAPlist member.  Representative clients include: First Credit of America, L.L.C., Progressive Financial Corporation, Diversified Collection Services, Inc., Diversified Consultants, Inc., Performant Recovery, Inc., Global Connect, Inc., Lazarus Financial Group, Inc, H & P Capital, Inc., Firstsource Advantage, L.L.C., National Credit Adjusters, LLC, Paul Law Offices, L.L.C., Jason Evans Law Firm, Travelers Insurance Group, Kramer & Fox, L.L.C., 5 Point Power of Texas, L.L.P., Access Group, Inc., Silver Financial Services, Inc., Pistris Holding Company, Inc., Dubaha Security, L.L.C., Dubaha Cellular, Satellite & Communication, Alarm Debt Liquidation Group, Pistris Promotions, L.L.C., Harris Tool and Specialty Co., Inc., Clark & Company, Inc., YDS Woodworking, Inc., Spine Diagnostics and Therapeutic Clinic, Enterprise Solutions, Inc., Dallas Acrylic Design, Inc., Seamans Lawn & Landscape, Inc., Magnolia Energy Company, Pepperwood Capital Partners, LLC, Pepperwood Fund II  Related employment:  Smith & Moore, L.L.P.  Matthews & Griswood, L.L.P. merger April 6, 1992 - June 1993 First chair and support responsibilities in complex litigation involving both bench and jury trials. Areas of practice included premises liability, receivership proceedings and creditors’ rights litigation.  Obtained $5M jury award in June 1993 for general creditors in complex receivership proceeding. Representative clients included Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Allstate Insurance Company.   Matthews & Griswood, L.L.P.  October 1, 1989 - April 1, 1992 Senior Associate – Litigation First chair and support responsibilities in complex litigation. Practice focused primarily in the areas of business tort defense, product liability defense, patent defense, premises liability defense and insurance related litigation. Experience in slip and fall defense, premises liability defense, slander and false imprisonment defense, London insurance and brokerage market, reinsurance and premium financing insurance disputes, securities fraud prosecution and creditors' rights litigation.  Organized, developed and prosecuted litigation against a claims adjusting firm and off-shore reinsurance entities resulting in a settlement of over $1M and a judgment exceeding $4M for the client.   Ashley & Welch, P.C.  June 1984 - October 1, 1989 Associate - Litigation EDUCATION: University of Houston Law Center Doctor of Jurisprudence, May 1984 University of Texas at Austin Bachelor of Science, May 1981  HONORS, ACTIVITIES, PUBLICATIONS AND CITES OF NOTE: TEDx talk, “To Kill the Monster – Empowered Treatment of Eating Disorders,” April 2017, University of Texas at Dallas  TEDx talk, “Let There Be Light – A Bold Solution to the Ineffective Treatment of Eating Disorders,” March 2018 TEDxOakLawn  Blogger on eating disorder issues:  https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2369679007407105393#allposts  Video, Morgan Dunn, Highland Park United Methodist Church, May 2017, [Over 250,000 views]  Houston Journal of International Law Editor-in-Chief 1983-1984  Note, Civil Rights Law and United States Treaties: Stagnating in Judicial Limbo, 5 Hou.J.Int'l.L. 323 (Spring 1983)  Note, Express Consent Under the TCPA, Is It Safe? Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law, Vol. 17, No. 1 (2013) Dunn v. Street, 938 S.W.2d 33 (Tex. 1997) (clarified the standard for objecting to visiting judges)  Burns/Kline v. Anderson, Crenshaw & Associates,   L.L.C., Civil Action No. 07-CV-001192- WYD-BNB, District of Colorado (summary judgment obtained for client with court imposing intentional infliction of emotional distress standard for actual damages in FDCPA cases)  Dean Hinderliter, et al v. Diversified Consultants, Inc., Civil Action No. 6:12-cv-1314, Northern District of New York (summary judgment obtained for client with court holding as a matter of law that client’s telephone calls to debtors did not violate the FDCPA)  Mitchell Vanglider v. Lazarus Financial Group, Inc., Civil Action No. 4:10-cv-527-RH/WCS, Northern District of Florida (summary judgment obtained for client in class action case with court for the first time in 11th Circuit applying the materiality standard for violations of the FDCPA)  Johnny O’Connor v. Diversified Consultants, Inc., Civil Action No. 4:11-cv-1722-RWS (E.D. Mo. May 2013)(FDCPA and TCPA classes denied with court holding that express consent applied to third party debt collector with order having industry wide implications)