Tonya Deem is a litigator with trial, appellate and arbitration experience, representing both established companies and emerging companies in a broad range of disputes, including patent litigation, complex business disputes, securities litigation and multi-district litigation.

Ms. Deem has represented companies in patent infringement actions in Texas, Delaware, North Carolina, California, Georgia, and South Carolina and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She regularly represents companies in defending actions filed by entities which invest in patents but do not own them.

Ms. Deem has successfully litigated and arbitrated several complex construction disputes, including material defect and product liability matters in premature component failure disputes and delay and workmanship claims. She has also represented brokers and advisors in litigation arising out of a failed tax shelter strategy, including claims of fraudulent misrepresentation.

With more than a decade of experience managing large, complex document-intensive cases—particularly those involving electronic discovery, Ms. Deem understands the importance of a clearly defined and defensible discovery strategy—one that enables the parties to identify and exchange relevant discovery efficiently and cost-effectively and in a manner that will enable the litigation team to persuasively present the case at trial. As a result of her experience, Ms. Deem is regularly called upon to work with Kilpatrick Townsend attorneys and clients in developing, implementing and defending eDiscovery strategies in pending litigation matters, including negotiating with opposing counsel, working with clients to efficiently identify and collect relevant information, and explaining the eDiscovery issues to the Court when necessary. In addition, she advises clients on information management, litigation holds and litigation preparedness issues.

She is a member of the firm’s eDiscovery Committee. The committee is responsible for developing “best practices” for the firm’s litigation department with respect to eDiscovery, including developing practices to ensure that discovery is managed effectively and in a cost-efficient manner.

Ms. Deem was honored as a 2009 “Woman Extraordinaire” by Business Leader magazine. She was named as one of Triad Business Journal's “40 Leaders Under Forty” in 2010 and also one of its "Women In Business" in 2012. Ms. Deem was recognized as a “Woman of Vision” by the YWCA in 2011.

Professional & Community Activities

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, Chair of the Board of Trustees

The Arts Council Endowment, Member of Board of Directors

The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem, Member of Board of Directors

The Sedona Conference WG1, Electronic Document Retention and Production, Member

Education

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, J.D. (1996)
    with honors
  • Wake Forest University, B.A. (1993)
    magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

  • North Carolina (1996)

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Who We Are

What fully engaged means to me:

Being fully engaged means being focused on and aligned with our clients' business objectives.

1001 West Fourth Street
Winston-Salem, NC, 27101-2400
USA
t +1 336.607.7485
f +1 336.734.2653

Tonya R. Deem

Experience Highlights

Patent litigation for manufacturer of orthopedic apparatus
The firm served as lead counsel on behalf of a manufacturer of orthopedic apparatus in a patent infringement matter brought by its competitor company more
Firestar Software Inc. v. Red Hat, Inc., et al.

The firm served as lead counsel on behalf of Red Hat, an open-source software company, in a patent infringement suit brought by Firestar related more

Patent litigation for emerging technology development company
Represented an emerging technology development company in its dispute with a major medical equipment company regarding patent rights. The more
International arbitration for a Fortune 500 company relating to the commercial development of a pesticide
Represented a Fortune 500 company in an international arbitration administered by the ICC involving a longstanding contract with a partner more