Shareholder Ryan Beard

Ryan Beard attended Texas Tech University, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in May 1996. While an undergraduate, Mr. Beard was President of Texas Tech's Tau Beta Pi Chapter, a member of Pi Tau Sigma, and the regional winner of the 1996 ASME Old Guard Oral Technical Presentation.

Mr. Beard attended Texas Tech University School of Law, from which he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in May 1999. While in law school, Mr. Beard served as an Articles Editor on the Texas Tech University Law Review and authored a comment entitled, "Reciprocity and Comity: Politically Manipulative Tools for Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Economy," 30 TEXAS TECH L. REV. 155 (1999). Mr. Beard's comment was entered by the Texas Tech School of Law into the Scribes Notes and Comments Competition.

Mr. Beard's legal practice specializes in negotiating and drafting various types of contracts for individuals and businesses, including license and assignment agreements for intellectual property rights. Mr. Beard further specializes in all aspects of intellectual property litigation, infringement and invalidity analysis of patents, and evaluation of patent portfolios for businesses. Mr. Beard also has extensive knowledge concerning general business practices, trade secret protections, confidentiality agreements, trademarks, and copyrights. Mr. Beard is licensed to practice before all Texas State Courts and the United States District Courts for the Western District of Texas and the Northern District of Texas.