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Dykema: The San Antonio IP Litigator Who Helps Mid-Sized Companies Face Down Patent Trolls for the First Time

Many of the manufacturers and retailers J. Daniel Harkins represents have never faced a patent, trademark, or copyright infringement claim before — let alone a “patent troll.” Where other lawyers and litigants get swept up in the emotion of a first-time IP dispute, Dykema colleagues describe Harkins as someone who can step back, thoughtfully assess the situation, and deliver insightful answers to actually resolve it.

Origin and Background

Dykema’s San Antonio office is located at 112 East Pecan Street, Suite 1800, San Antonio, TX 78205, confirmed through the firm’s own website and Martindale-Hubbell’s office listing. J. Daniel Harkins is a Shareholder at Dykema and leads the firm’s Intellectual Property and IP Litigation practice group. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Philosophy cum laude from the University of Dallas in 1981 and his Juris Doctor with honors from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1987, and has been licensed in Texas since 1987.

Practice Concentration

Harkins’s practice covers intellectual property litigation across patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret disputes, non-compete and unfair competition matters, and emerging work in artificial intelligence and innovation, alongside trademark and copyright counseling. His client base is weighted toward manufacturers, retailers, and mid-sized businesses, many encountering an IP dispute for the first time, distinguishing his practice from firms built primarily around sophisticated repeat litigants. See this San Antonio Intellectual Property directory for how this large-firm litigation practice compares to boutique and solo IP practices also serving Bexar County.

Notable Work / Track Record

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published table of individual settlement or verdict figures for Harkins, which is typical for a large-firm litigation practice where confidentiality provisions frequently limit public disclosure of case outcomes. What is independently verifiable is his sustained, nearly four-decade concentration in intellectual property litigation and his continuous recognition in that specific practice area across multiple independent peer-review platforms for more than a decade.

Client Voice

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published set of itemized, attributed client reviews for Harkins on major consumer review platforms, which is typical for large-firm litigation counsel whose clients are businesses rather than individual consumers. His most substantial third-party validation instead comes from continuous peer-review recognition rather than platform review volume.

Beyond the Courtroom

Harkins is a member of the American Inn of Court’s William S. Sessions Chapter in San Antonio, a professional organization focused on mentorship and legal ethics among the local bench and bar. Awesome Attorneys did not identify additional documented civic or nonprofit board service beyond this professional affiliation.

Recognition for This San Antonio IP Litigator

Awesome Attorneys did not identify Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification for J. Daniel Harkins and does not apply “specialist” language on that basis — and separately notes that TBLS does not currently certify a distinct intellectual property specialty in Texas at all. Harkins has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for intellectual property and litigation continuously from 2011 through 2023, has been named San Antonio’s “Lawyer of the Year” multiple times, holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and was recognized by San Antonio Magazine’s “San Antonio’s Top Attorneys” for intellectual property rights from 2019 to 2022 and by S.A. Scene’s “San Antonio’s Best Lawyers” for intellectual property litigation.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Patent, trademark, and copyright litigation proceed primarily under federal law in federal district court rather than Texas state law, while trade secret and non-compete disputes, both a documented part of Harkins’s practice, are governed by the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act and Texas’s statutory framework for enforcing reasonable non-compete agreements. None of this is legal advice; a specific patent, trademark, copyright, or trade secret matter should be evaluated by a licensed attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

J. Daniel Harkins’s clearest differentiator is a nearly four-decade track record specifically litigating IP disputes for manufacturers and mid-sized businesses, many facing their first infringement claim, paired with sustained Best Lawyers and AV Preeminent recognition spanning more than a decade. The honest trade-off is that, as with most large-firm litigation counsel, Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published record of consumer-style client reviews or itemized case results, and representation of this caliber typically comes with corresponding institutional rates. For a San Antonio manufacturer or retailer facing an unfamiliar IP dispute who wants a business-minded litigator with decades of specific experience guiding first-time defendants through the process, that combination is a reasonable basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Dykema’s own website (J. Daniel Harkins’s attorney biography and recognition pages), Martindale-Hubbell’s attorney profile, the State Bar of Texas member directory, and the Lexinter Law Directory’s published biography of Harkins.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Dykema or J. Daniel Harkins prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.