Oil and
gas engineer, patent manager and IP attorney

With more than three
decades of industry experience, Simon Harrall is not your typical IP lawyer. He
brings a unique perspective to his legal practice, having spent his career as
an engineer and patent manager at some of the world’s leading oil and gas companies.
From working on drilling rigs and designing well completions, to developing
prototype systems and managing patent portfolios, Simon’s work has taken him to
the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Sultanate of Oman and Norway. He also
gained experience in minerals extraction while working at an Australian copper
smelter during his undergraduate studies. He now joins Patterson + Sheridan’s
office in Houston.

Simon’s experience
enables him to gain a thorough understanding of clients’ strategic and specific
needs, and to anticipate potential issues before they arise. He spent 15 years
working as a patent manager, in which he liaised between business management,
engineering and legal teams to help them meet their respective goals. Simon
also worked closely with outside counsel from various law firms, supporting
efforts in patent preparation, prosecution and litigation. In fact, he is a
co-inventor on more than 60 issued or pending U.S. patents. Therefore, Simon
can relate to his clients because he was in their shoes for many years.

An internationally experienced professional with legal,
engineering and business acumen

Intellectual property is
a global business, and understanding different cultures is crucial to success
when working across borders. Having lived and worked in four continents, Simon
is perceptive to cultural nuances and understands how to communicate
effectively with teams and clients around the world. And his knowledge goes
beyond the legal intricacies — Simon can grasp the value of a particular
product or system in the marketplace as well as how to
position it to align with a company’s overall business strategy.

Simon graduated summa cum laude and Order of the Coif from the University of
Houston Law Center, where he was an award-winning editor at the
Houston Law Review. He earned his
undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Nottingham
in the UK. When he finds spare time, Simon and his wife enjoy discovering the
best food and wine Houston has to offer as well as visiting historical sites
across the country by motorcycle.