W. Lyle Gravatt Photo

W. Lyle Gravatt

Managing Partner, Raleigh Office

Overview

Lyle focuses his practice in the area of intellectual property and transactional law. He provides end-to-end counsel to help clients identify, protect, and commercialize IP assets including trademarks, patents, and trade secrets. He works closely with his clients to understand their business priorities and help them align their IP, contractual, and government procurement needs to support those goals. 

Lyle is also a member of the firm’s Unmanned Technology team, the Defense & National Security group, and often works alongside the Best Autonomous Insights group.

Intellectual Property

Lyle assists numerous clients with a broad range of intellectual property services, from protecting trademarks and patents to licensing, acquisitions, and due diligence. He represents companies in a broad range of industries, including home furnishings and manufacturing, consumer products, life sciences, unmanned and automated technologies, and advertising, publishing, and media. Lyle works closely with the firm’s corporate attorneys and Venture Best team to ensure clients see the full picture of an IP portfolio before or during a transaction.

Government Procurement

Working in collaboration with Michael Best Strategies, Lyle assists clients through the government procurement process, ensuring legal compliance and intellectual property rights remain a high priority. Lyle is also a member of the firm’s Unmanned Technology industry team, and often works alongside Michael Best Consulting’s Best Autonomous Insights group. By integrating business consulting with legal advice, the Best Autonomous Insights team addresses technical, regulatory, and operational challenges. With a specific focus on the defense sector, this cross-functional approach is uniquely tailored to offer comprehensive solutions.

Contract Management

Lyle serves as a day-to-day contract manager for clients who have regular contract drafting and review needs. With each client, he reviews risk tolerance, historical pain points, and contract preferences to develop a management process and contract templates that align with business and department goals, and enable an efficient, quality, and cost-predictable contract review process.

Before joining Michael Best, Lyle was an attorney with full-service law firm Forrest Firm, where he led the Intellectual Property practice. Earlier, Lyle practiced with a Raleigh patent boutique firm. He began his legal career at a dual law firm and patent analytics company in Durham, where he worked as a patent prosecutor and analyst.

Honors & Recognitions

  • Legal Elite, Intellectual Property Law, Business North Carolina Magazine, 2021-present
  • North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society, 2017- present
  • Rising Star, North Carolina Super Lawyers Magazine, 2020, 2024

Professional Activities

  • Member, North Carolina Bar Association

Education

Bar Admission

Court Admission

Community Involvement

  • Board Member, Freedom United
  • Volunteer, North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program (NC LEAP)

Insights

Education

Bar Admission

Court Admission

Community Involvement

  • Board Member, Freedom United
  • Volunteer, North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program (NC LEAP)
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