Katherine Franco

Katherine Franco is a registered patent attorney who concentrates her practice in the protection of innovation with a special focus on high-tech.

She primarily focuses on patent portfolio development, including preparation and prosecution, licensing, strategic acquisition of intellectual property rights, opinion work, and client counseling. Katherine is skilled at assisting high-tech companies to protect software-based emerging technologies, as well as guiding organizations entering the software space through the challenges of software protection and patent eligibility. Her practice includes strategic patent prosecution including utilizing United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) pilot programs to produce high-value patent assets for her clients. Her emphasis lies in applying her computer science and engineering background to technical disciplines related to software and electronics, such as:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Virtual and augmented reality applications
• Image processing systems and technology
• Electronic gaming technology
• Consumer electronics and mobile device technology
• Security software and systems
• Computer hardware
• Media applications
• Cloud-based systems
• Data center technology

In addition to her patent practice, Katherine frequently counsels clients in artificial intelligence (“AI”) law, governance, and regulatory strategy. Building on two decades of immersion in emerging technologies including AI from the technical, legal, and policy perspectives, Katherine approaches an evolving AI legal landscape from a technologist-first perspective. She advises organizations on responsible AI deployment, regulatory frameworks, and policy implications, and is a frequent speaker and writer on these topics. Her undergraduate computer science work at MIT focused on AI, along with the interplay of technology and society, laying the foundation for her counseling practice that leverages her technical fluency to provide actionable solutions tailored to each client’s technology and business objectives.

During law school, Katherine served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Arthur J. Gajarsa at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Prior to practicing law, she supported technology licensing and technology transfer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Rice University.

• 2027, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Patent Law, and Technology Law, Houston, TX, listed in Best Lawyers in America© (Woodward/White, Inc.)
• 2024–2026, Patent Law, Houston, TX, listed in Best Lawyers in America© (Woodward/White, Inc.)
• 2025, “Leading Global IP Lawyer,” listed in Lawdragon
• 2024, “Outstanding Diversity Champion,” Houston Business Journal’s Diversity in Business Awards
• 2022, “Top Women in IP,” Texas Lawyer Magazine’s Texas Legal Awards
• 2022, “40 Under 40,” Houston Business Journal
• 2017, “Woman to Watch,” Houston Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Awards
• 2017, Finalist, “Diversity Role Model,” Houston Business Journal’s Diversity in Business Awards