Stephen R. Risley

Stephen R. Risley is a highly experienced intellectual property litigator with more than three decades of practice devoted to patent enforcement, patent defense, and complex IP disputes. His clients range from innovative start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations, and he is known for delivering efficient, goal-oriented results in matters involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, and business-related IP issues.

Stephen earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where he served on the Law Review and competed in the Giles S. Rich Intellectual Property Moot Court. He later completed an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law at George Washington University. His academic foundation also includes a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Throughout his career, Stephen has served as a founding partner at multiple respected intellectual property firms and has litigated cases in federal district courts nationwide. He has also represented clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, handling IPRs, CBMs, interferences, and trademark disputes. His work spans technologies including software, telecommunications, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and advanced engineering.

Recognized as a 2021 Super Lawyer and repeatedly honored as a top-rated intellectual property attorney in Georgia, Stephen R. Risley maintains active admissions before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and state and federal courts in Georgia and Washington, D.C. His professional involvement includes memberships in the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the ABA IP Section, and multiple bar associations.

Law Office Affiliations

• Founding Partner, Kent & Risley LLC
• Member, State Bar of Georgia, Intellectual Property Law Section
• Member, District of Columbia Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section
• Member, American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section (ABA-IP)
• Member, American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
• Member, Association of Patent Law Firms (APLF)
• Member, Association of University Technology Matters (AUTM)
• Member, Atlanta Bar Association
• Member, Emory University Advisory Board
• Member, Federal Bar Association
• Member, Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce
• Member, International Trademark Association (INTA)
• Member, Lawyers Club of Atlanta
• Member, Licensing Executives Society (LES)

Licensed State

• Georgia
• District of Columbia

Education

• George Washington University
  Master of Law (LLM)
• Mitchell Hamline School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Bachelor of Science (BS)

Awards & Badges