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title: "Leonard E. Davis | KnowJudges"
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# Leonard E. Davis

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas · Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- State: Texas
- Role: Judge
- Service status: former
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, District Court, E.D. Texas, 2002-present
- He held the role of Chief Justice of the Twelfth Court of Appeals of Texas from 2000 to 2002

### Education

- Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1970 and a Master of Arts from Texas Christian University in 1974.
- B.A. — The University of Texas at Austin — 1970
- Baylor University

### Additional information

- After retiring, Davis held the role of Of Counsel at Fish & Richardson, PC from 2015 to 2025, providing strategic counsel in high-profile intellectual property cases.
- He was recognized for his clarity, fairness, and expertise in complex litigation, earning the Outstanding Public Service Award from the New York Intellectual Property Law Association in 2016.
- Chief Judge from 2012 to 2015.
- On January 23, 2002, he was nominated by President George W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, confirmed by the Senate on May 9, 2002, and served until his retirement on May 15, 2015.
- Private practice, Tyler, TX, 1977-2000
- Davis graduated cum laude and first in his class from Baylor Law School in 1976, where he was editor-in-chief of the Baylor Law Review and received awards for excellence in Contracts and Federal Courts.
- Before entering law school, he served in the Texas Army National Guard from 1970 to 1973 and held a position as a computer programmer and systems analyst.
- Leonard E. Davis was born in 1948 in Fort Worth, Texas.
- Date of birth: 1948-01-01
- Civil trial attorney in Tyler, Texas, for 23 years
- handling complex cases across commercial, oil and gas, medical malpractice, product liability, and negligence law.
- He also works as an arbitrator, mediator, and trial consultant, assisting in case evaluations, mock trials, Markman hearings, and settlement negotiations.
- His experience as both a trial attorney and judge gives him unique insights into trial strategy and jury behavior in East Texas.
- During his tenure, Davis presided over more than 1,700 patent cases, making the Eastern District of Texas one of the busiest intellectual property dockets in the country.
- One of his notable rulings involved overturning a $25 million jury verdict due to fraudulent conduct by the plaintiff company, demonstrating his commitment to judicial integrity.
- Birth place: Fort Worth, TX

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/821/leonard-e-davis/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/821/leonard-e-davis/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/821/leonard-e-davis/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/821/leonard-e-davis/)
- [Davis, Leonard E. | Federal Judicial Center](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/davis-leonard-e)
- [Wikidata: Leonard Davis](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6525223)

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