Richard C. O’Hare

Richard C. O’Hare is a Partner in the Silicon Valley office of Messner Reeves LLP, where his practice focuses on complex litigation, intellectual property, and related transactional matters.

Richard brings more than three decades of experience representing businesses, entrepreneurs, technology companies, and intellectual property owners in state and federal courts. His practice encompasses intellectual property litigation, trademark and patent protection, trade secret disputes, complex commercial litigation, licensing matters, intellectual property due diligence, and strategic counseling on intellectual property assets. He is also a registered patent attorney admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Throughout his career, Richard has successfully protected clients’ trademarks, proprietary products, and intellectual property rights through injunctions, litigation, and appellate advocacy. His experience includes obtaining preliminary and permanent injunctions protecting intellectual property assets, securing favorable judgments in complex business disputes, and successfully defending a Ninth Circuit appeal involving proprietary grape plant varieties that resulted in a substantial attorneys’ fee award. He has also managed intellectual property due diligence in connection with a $200 million acquisition and advised clients on strategies to protect and leverage valuable intellectual property assets.

Richard’s litigation experience spans a wide range of business and commercial disputes, including fraud, breach of contract, employment, environmental, real estate, trust, and intellectual property matters. He has obtained jury verdicts and bench trial judgments in state and federal courts and has represented clients in trademark, copyright, patent, trade dress, and trade secret disputes.

In addition to his litigation practice, Richard has extensive transactional experience. He has negotiated multimillion-dollar software licensing agreements for Fortune 500 companies and negotiated contracts supporting the financing and construction of a $2 billion solar energy facility.

Before entering private practice, Richard served as both an attorney and chemist for Chevron Corporation. His technical background in chemistry and microbiology provides a unique ability to understand and communicate complex scientific, engineering, and business issues that often arise in intellectual property and technology-related matters.

Richard is active in professional and community organizations. He previously served as Chair of the Intellectual Property and Technology Section of the Sonoma County Bar Association, mentored startup companies through the Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster, and has served as a Trustee of the Cinnabar Elementary School District for over 25 years. 

Richard earned his J.D., with Distinction, from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, where he was a member of the Traynor Honor Society. He received a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Microbiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Richard is a frequent speaker and author on intellectual property topics. He has presented on trade secret protection, intellectual property strategy for startup companies, and business formation issues, and has authored articles on trademark and intellectual property protection for publications including the North Bay Business Journal and Wine Business Monthly.