Brett C. Govett

Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

Dallas
United States
T:+1 214 855 8118
Dallas
United States
T:+1 214 855 8118
Brett C. Govett

Brett C. Govett

vCard

Biography

Brett prepares and tries commercial, intellectual property, and tort cases.  He is board certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy.  Brett also is a member of the patent bar and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  He is board certified in Patent Litigation by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.  His commercial and intellectual property trials have included clients on a contingent fee basis.  As a result of his trial experience, he is a member of several invitation only trial lawyer organizations including:  the American Board of Trial Advocates, the International Society of Barristers (Board of Governors), and the Litigation Counsel of America.  Brett joined the Dallas office after serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Reynaldo G. Garza of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 


Professional experience

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Graduate Certificate in Leadership, The Citadel
JD, cum laude, Texas Tech University School of Law
BA, cum laude, Chemistry, The Citadel

While in law school, Brett was a member of the Texas Tech Law Review and the Order of the Coif. 

Brett is admitted to the Texas State Bar and is a licensed US Patent & Trademark Attorney. Additionally, Brett is admitted to the following courts:

  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • United States District Court Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court Western District of Texas
  • Texas State Bar
  • US Patent and Trademark Attorney

Commercial:

  • Trial of fraud and breach of contract claims and defended against breach of fiduciary duty claims all under Delaware law where jury found fraud and breach of contract, awarded actual and punitive damages and found no breach of fiduciary duty allowing removal of minority limited liability company member
  • Defense of shareholder lawsuits concerning multi-billion dollar reverse merger transaction of NYSE cellular communications provider including staying and reversing trial court order enjoining the transaction
  • Prosecution of overpayments made to fuel supplier on behalf of international air carrier and use of equitable remedies to recover funds and successfully avoided claw back in the anticipated bankruptcy proceeding which followed
  • Successful appeal of denial of motion to compel and stay pending arbitration and later defense of breach of agreement claims asserted against government communications provider concerning alleged joint development of personal security device
  • Successful defense of broker dealer self-dealing and fiduciary duty alleged violations following month long arbitration
  • Initial defense of alleged insurance code violations concerning uninsured/underinsured benefits which aggressive discovery revealed were fraudulent and then assertion in the same case of claims of insurance fraud upon which damages were awarded to the client and judgment entered 


Intellectual Property:

  • Trial of multiple patent infringement claims asserted against national manufacturer where all asserted claims were found not infringed and invalid
  • Representation of patent holder at trial concerning internet traffic technology where jury found asserted claims willfully infringed and awarded significant damages
  • Successful representation of international chemical manufacturer in theft of trade secrets concerning process technology for purified terephtalic acid in arbitration administered by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission applying UNCITRAL rules
  • Revived and asserted theft of trade secret claims following assertion of "bet the company" patent infringement claims against wireless communications provider leading to successful resolution
  • Prosecution of patent infringement claims at trial on behalf of defense communications provider including multiple successful trials
  • Successful representation of international food and beverage provider against allegations of copyright infringement concerning soft drink promotional slogan
  • Enforcement and defense of multiple and varied patent infringement actions on behalf of clients ranging from sole inventors to Fortune 50 companies


Tort:

  • Summary judgment for international retailer in gross negligence action arising out of the murder of store manager, the underlying story was featured on Dateline
  • Successful resolution for major telecommunications provider in gross negligence action arising out of the murder of employee, the underlying story was featured in regional press
  • Successful resolution for oil and gas producer of publicized personal injury and property damage claims concerning allegations that horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations caused methane migration and a flash fire in a water well burning plaintiffs and resulting in loss of property value
  • Defense of numerous toxic tort chemical exposure cases involving personal injury claims on behalf of various chemical manufacturers
  • Defense of lubricants manufactured by international energy company against allegations brought by nationwide trucking companies that the products were deficient and caused bearing, wheel and axle failures
  • Defense of international automotive restraint manufacturer in lawsuits alleging defective seat belts including allegations of inertial unlatching
  • Defense of insureds including fatality claims involving claims of negligence concerning the operation of light and heavy motor vehicles
  • Successful assertion on appeal of qualified immunity defense in Section 1983 action following denial by trial court for client working with the Dallas FBI auto theft task force investigating alleged chop shop
  • Texas Top Rated Lawyer, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, 2013 - 2019
  • Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, Lawdragon, Inc., 2022 - 2025
  • Legal 500 US, Intellectual property: Patents: Litigation, The Legal 500, 2013, 2017, 2022 - 2024
  • Patent star: Texas, Managing Intellectual Property, 2013 - 2021, 2023 - 2024
  • Master, The Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn American Inn of Court (organizing and founding member)
  • IAM Patent Litigation 250, Intellectual Asset Management, IAM Magazine, 2011
  • IAM Patent 1000 — The World's Leading Patent Professionals, Law Business Research, Ltd.,  2012 - 2017; 2021, 2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2006 - 2021
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers, 2006 -2025
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Copyright Law, Best Lawyers, 2011 - 2025
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Best Lawyers, 2011 - 2025
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Patent, Best Lawyers, 2011 - 2025
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Patent Law, Best Lawyers, 2011 - 2025
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Trademark Law, Best Lawyers, 2011 - 2025
  • Lawyer of the Year, Dallas: Copyright Law, Best Lawyers, 2013, 2017
  • Chambers USA, Texas, Intellectual Property, Chambers and Partners, 2004 - 2024
  • Texas Super Lawyer, Top 100 attorneys in Dallas/Fort Worth, Thomson Reuters, 2017 - 2018
  • Texas Super Lawyer, Intellectual Property Litigation, Thomson Reuters, 2003 - 2020, 2022
  • Best Lawyers Under 40 in Dallas, D Magazine, 2002
  • Future Star: Texas, Benchmark Litigation, Delinian, 2013 - 2020, 2024 - 2025
  • Barrister, The Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court, 2000 - 2003
  • "Litigation funding update," Webinar, June 12, 2024
  • "Leading at the 'speed of trust'," Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright and Major General Dustin A. Shultz, April 17, 2024
  • "Lifelong leadership and learning," Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright and Colonel Tom Clark, USMC, September 13, 2023, 
  • "Litigation funding update," Webinar, May 17, 2023
  • "Leadership development for success, service, and significance," Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright and Leah Teague, April 26, 2023
  • "Top Gun" leadership with US Navy Admiral, Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright and William Cross, December 14, 2022
  • "'Marine Maxims': Principle-Based Leadership", Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright and Colonel Thomas J. Gordon, September 14, 2022
  • "Securitization Insight Ep 24: Litigation Funding:  An Emerging Asset Class," Podcast, August 8, 2022
  • "Litigation funding update," Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright and Omni Bridgeway, May 24, 2022
  • "Leadership from D-Day to the present," On Demand, Norton Rose Fulbright and Rosalyn Dawson Thompson, March 16, 2022
  • "Forget Lincoln, Now What you Should Do: Recent Ethics Update," 2021 EDTX Bench Bar Conference, October 15, 2021
  • "Leadership from US Air Force General," Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright and John Rosa, August 11, 2021
  • "Principled leadership in uncertain times," Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright and Faith Rivers James, JD, October 28, 2020
  • "US Navy SEAL discussion on leadership and resiliency," Webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright leadership program and Captain Eugene F. Paluso, II, June 24, 2020
  • "Leadership – from the battlefield to the boardroom and the courtroom," Leadership breakfast panel, Video, Norton Rose Fulbright, Dallas, Texas, September 11, 2019
  • "What keeps in-house counsel up at night?" Norton Rose Fulbright breakfast seminar, April 17, 2019
  • Co-Moderator for 2018 Judges Panel with Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap, Judge Amos Mazzant and Judge Alan Albright, November 2018
  • "Success at the top," Leadership breakfast panel, Video, Norton Rose Fulbright, Dallas, Texas, October 10, 2018
  • "Managing Parallel District Court and PTAB Proceedings - ILT Part 2", Eastern District of Texas Bench Bar Conference, October 2018
  • "Jury Presentation in Patent Cases," Center for American and International Law, November 2017
  • "Are Patent Agents Privileged:  In re Queens University (Fed. Cir. 2016) v. In re Silver (2016)," Center for American and International Law, November 2016
  • "Divided Infringement in Light of McKesson/Akami – What is Next?" Intellectual Property Litigation Conference, Harris Martin Publishing and HG Litigation Services, Dallas, Texas, June 14, 2012
  • "Damages Awards: How to Make Them Stick," 48th Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, The Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, November 8, 2010
  • "Damages, Litigation Strategies," 15th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, University of Texas School of Law CLE, Austin, Texas, October 28, 2010
  • "An Enforceable Claim, What It Is and How to Build a Winning Portfolio," 2009 Spring Meeting of the Licensing Executive Society (U.S. and Canada) and Licensing Executive Society International in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Co-Presenter, May 8, 2009
  • "Patent Litigation: What You Need to Know Now," 46th Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, The Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, November 10, 2008
  • "Jury-Oriented Patent Prosecution and Presentation," 13th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, University of Texas School of Law CLE, Austin, Texas, October 30, 2008
  • "Patent Valuation, Is There One or Many," Joint Meeting of the Licensing Executive Society (U.S. and Canada) and Licensing Executive Society International in Chicago, Illinois, Co-Presenter, May 7, 2008
  • "Patent Remedies," 12th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, University of Texas School of Law CLE, Austin, Texas, October 24, 2007
  • "Injunctions and Damages after eBay," 11th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, University of Texas School of Law CLE, Austin, Texas, October 25, 2006
  • "A Dialogue on Remedies and Damages," 10th Annual Advanced Patent Law Institute, University of Texas School of Law CLE, Austin, Texas, October 26, 2005
  • "Damages (Trade Secrets, Lost Profits, Evaluation)," Business Disputes and Litigation in the Digital Age, Texas Bar CLE, Dallas, Texas, May 19, 2005
  • "Patent Damages Overview," The Damages Institute, University of Texas School of Law CLE, Dallas, Texas, October 1, 2004
  • Trial Law Institute
  • Diversity Law Institute
  • International Society of Barristers
  • Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
  • Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation
  • Sustaining Life Fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation
  • Executive Committee Member - Institute for Law and Technology at The Center for American and International Law
  • Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE)
  • Sewanee:  University of the South - Parents Council - Former Member Parents Council
  • North Texas Citadel Club
  • Moody Family YMCA - Former Board Member and Annual Campaign Chair
  • Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
  • Board Certified Civil Trial specialist by the NBTA
  • Order of Veritas, Fellow
  • Order of Certus

Insights

Leading under pressure

Webinar | September 04, 2024

Litigation funding update

Webinar | Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Leading at the "speed of trust"

Webinar | April 17, 2024