OUR FIRM

With over 20 years of experience, Roby is currently practicing in the areas of general, chemical and mechanical patent prosecution, trademark prosecution, copyright work, and other intellectual property areas that extend into entertainment and sports (including NIL matters). He also has litigation experience in all of these areas of intellectual property matters. Roby has prosecuted patent applications and secured patents in various technological fields including nuclear material handling and storage, waste remediation, assault rifles, chemical detection equipment, high-level security systems, endodontic instruments, positive control proteins for glucose transporter proteins, X-ray imaging devices, and fitness equipment . A large portion of Roby’s work involves trademarks and unfair competition matters. As a former adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, Roby taught a class covering trademark law and unfair competition, and Roby was recently once again voted as a Top Attorney for Intellectual Property and Trademark Law in the July-August 2025 edition of CityView Magazine.

Before law school, Roby was employed as a sales and consulting engineer for Nalco Water (formerly known as Nalco Chemical Company, now an Ecolab company). While with Nalco, Roby consulted with various facilities regarding their heat exchange equipment including chillers, boilers, and chill/steam loops. His responsibility as a consultant was to help keep the equipment working efficiently using state-of-the-art proprietary chemicals, various control technologies, and his own engineering knowledge. The chemicals he worked with included anti-scaling agents, anti-corrosion agents, and anti-bacterial agents, many of which were developed by Nalco. Some of Roby’s clients while with Nalco included the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base; Fort Rucker outside of Daleville, Alabama; Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida; Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi; the United States Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida; and the Honeywell Friction Materials plant in Lynn Haven, Florida. Roby taught high school science classes for a year after his work at Nalco before moving on to law school at the University of Tennessee.

Roby is also a singer, musician, and former stage performer (including being a former Auburn University Singer). While at Auburn University, Roby was the Executive Vice President of the Auburn University Student Government Administration, Chairman of the Auburn University SGA Budget and Finance Committee, a member of the Auburn University Student Senate representing the College of Engineering, the Vice President of Mortar Board, a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a member of Phi Lambda Upsilon (National Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Honorary), a member of Tau Beta Pi (Academic Engineering Honorary), a member of Cardinal Key service honorary, a member of Lambda Sigma honorary, and the President of the Auburn University Squires. Among other honors listed below, while at the University of Tennessee College of Law, Roby was the 2004 Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition Second Prize Winner (copyright essay), sponsored by ASCAP, and he was a Hunton Williams “Best First Year Appellate Brief” Award Nominee (2002-2003).

Honors

• Top Attorney for Intellectual Property/Trademarks in the July-August 2025 edition of CityView Magazine
• Top Attorney for Intellectual Property/Trademarks in the July-August 2024 edition of CityView Magazine
• Top Attorney for Intellectual Property/Trademarks in the July-August 2023 edition of CityView Magazine
• Top Attorney for Intellectual Property/Trademarks in the July-August 2022 edition of CityView Magazine
• Top Attorney for Intellectual Property in the July-August 2012 edition of CityView Magazine
• Top Attorney for Patent Law in the July-August 2013 edition of CityView Magazine
• Top Attorney for Intellectual Property/Trademarks in the July-August 2014 edition of CityView Magazine
• Top Attorney for Intellectual Property/Trademarks in the July-August 2015 edition of CityView Magazine
• Phi Kappa Phi
• Patent Law Academic Excellence Award
• Patent Prosecution & Drafting Academic Excellence Award
• Eagle Scout award recipient

Bill Pannell’s professional experience as an engineer helps him to assess mechanical inventions and effectively draft and prosecute patents. Before becoming a patent attorney, he worked as a Machine Automation Design Engineer, where he designed and manufactured OEM automated packaging machinery for the food service disposal industry. Bill also worked as an HVAC Commissioning and Design Engineer, where he inspected, evaluated, and designed HVAC systems for government facilities and military bases.

Bill works closely with corporate, university, and individual clients to protect their intellectual property rights. Bill has experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications in a variety of technologies, such as automotive safety, tools, medical devices, manufacturing processes, fluid flows, construction, additive manufacturing, HVAC, electric motors, and controls.

Bill received his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law and has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech. While studying at the University of Memphis Law School, Bill served as Articles Editor with the University of Memphis Law Review. Bill also worked as a judicial intern at the Federal District Court for the Western District of Tennessee under Senior District Judge Jon P. McCalla and District Judge S. Thomas Anderson.  When he’s not working, Bill enjoys woodworking, cooking, and spending time with his wife and kids.

Memberships

• Georgia Bar Association
• Tennessee Bar Association
• American Intellectual Property Law Association
• Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)
• Georgia PATENTS