Munck Wilson Mandala


Melissa LaBauve

Partner
Intellectual Property
Houston
(832) 615-2704

Trained Eye for Trademark Trends

With a trained eye on future trends, Melissa is a focused voice for her clients and their trademark portfolios.

Skillful Negotiator, Trusted Counselor

Melissa is pointful, communicative, and adept at negotiating and drafting a host of agreements.

Engrained in the IP Community

An active member of INTA, Melissa has served as Chair of the Trademark Roundtable Project Team and she is a member of several other committees.

Melissa LaBauve enjoys great relationships with her clients and is a trusted advocate working closely with them to help solve trademark prosecution issues, enforcement, and other complex IP transactional matters. A wide variety of companies, both domestic and international, also rely on Melissa as their outside counsel, putting earned trust in her care and dedication to their business goals. Melissa is a focused voice for her clients and their trademark portfolios, advising how best to manage, protect, and exploit their IP across multiple jurisdictions. Melissa negotiates and drafts a host of agreements, including IP licenses, co-branding agreements, social media, and Internet-related agreements, as well as various types of service agreements and marketing contracts.

Melissa brings over 20 years of trademark and IP transactional law experience to MWM.  She represents a wide variety of companies, both domestic and international, serving as their outside counsel and helping clients manage, protect, and exploit their intellectual property assets.  Melissa is also an active member of INTA where she currently serves as the co-leader of the Leadership Development Committee’s Annual Meeting & Beyond Project Team and is part of INTA’s 2023 Annual Meeting Project Team.  She has previously served as chair of the Trademark Roundtable Project Team and has been a valuable member of the Trademark Office Practices Committee, Internet Committee, Programs Committee, and Treaty Analysis Committee.

Education

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, 1998
Juris Doctorate
cum laude | Law Review | Moot Court Team
Louisiana State University, 1994
B.A. History

Associations & Memberships

Chief – a private network for women executives

International Trademark Association (INTA)
Leadership Development Committee
Co-Chair of the Annual Meeting and Beyond Project
Served as a Provisors Group Leader

State Bar of Texas

Honors & Awards

World Trademark Review 1000 – Recommended Individual (2021 – 2023)

Bar Admissions

State Bar of Texas

State Bar of California (inactive, in good standing)

State Bar of Georgia (inactive, in good standing)

State Bar of Louisiana (inactive, in good standing)

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas

Focus Areas

Emerging Companies

IP Portfolio Management & Counseling

Patents & Innovations

Trademark & Advertising

Trademark & Copyright Litigation