Law firm A&O Shearman hires Texas ex-judge who dominated patent cases ↧ ↧ Law firm A&O Shearman hires Texas ex-judge who dominated patent cases Former U.S. District Judge Alan Albright, whose court in Waco, Texas, was once the most prominent venue in the United States for patent litigation, has joined international law ​firm A&O Shearman as an intellectual property litigation partner in Austin, the firm said on Tuesday.