WIPR’s USA Patents 2025 law firm and lawyer rankings land in a transformative era for American intellectual property, where technological convergence and high-stakes judicial shifts are redefining the landscape for patent owners and the law firms that advise them. As the “blurring of lines” between traditional industries accelerates—integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into sectors from biopharma to automotive—the demand for sophisticated legal counsel has never been higher.
This 2025/2026 edition distinguishes between non-contentious and contentious patent work, reflecting the specialised strategies required to secure and defend assets for global innovators like Samsung, IBM, and Qualcomm.
High-profile patent cases over the past year include the rare en banc Federal Circuit ruling in EcoFactor v Google that reshaped how courts treat expert testimony on damages in patent cases, and Masimo’s clash with Apple over blood oxygen monitoring technology which resulted in a $634 million damages award against the tech giant.
Our rankings highlight the firms handling the most consequential matters in the US, and developing patent portfolios for some of the world’s biggest companies. Fish & Richardson is the stand-out firm for non-contentious patent work, in the 'Outstanding' tier, while four firms occupy the top level for contentious matters.
We also recognise individual luminaries such as William Lee, John Desmarais, and Paul Ragusa, alongside the notable return of former US Patent and Trademark Office director Kathi Vidal to private practice. These leaders exemplify the strategic foresight required to navigate today’s dynamic IP landscape.
Non-Contentious
Outstanding
Paul Ragusa, Baker Botts
Highly Recommended
Aaron Morrow, K&L Gates
Cory Bell, Finnegan
Robert Barrett, K&L Gates
Roger Wylie, Kilpatrick
Salima Merani, Knobbe Martens
Steven Borgman, Kilpatrick
Timothy Casey, BakerHostetler
Tracy-Gene Durkin, Sterne Kessler
Recommended
Brett Klein, Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner
Christopher Carani, McAndrews
Daniel Young, Wolf Greenfield
Doug Christensen, Christensen, Fonder, Dardi
Gary Gershik, Amster Rothstein & Ebenstein
Jason Honeyman, Wolf Greenfield
Jennifer Chheda, Jones Day
Jessica Van Dalen, Faegre Drinker
Joshua Griswold, Fish & Richardson
Karl Renner, Fish & Richardson
Kevin Gray, Fish & Richardson
Michael Davitz, Leason Ellis
Robert Katz, Banner Witcoff
Stephanie Seidman, Womble Bond Dickinson
Tim Busse, Christensen, Fonder, Dardi
Victor Jonas, Faegre Drinker
Notable
Brian Amos, Amster Rothstein & Ebenstein
Christopher Curfman, Meunier Carlin Curfman
Lance Smemoe, Knobbe Martens
Mani Hossein-Zadeh, Knobbe Martens
Philmore Colburn, Cantor Colburn
Contentious
Hall of Fame
John Quinn, Quinn Emanuel
Morgan Chu, Irell & Manella
Outstanding
Brian Rosenthal, Gibson Dunn
Daralyn Durie, Morrison Foerster
John Desmarais, Desmarais
Naveen Modi, Paul Hastings
Robert Stone, Quinn Emanuel
Ruffin Cordell, Fish & Richardson
William Lee, WilmerHale
Highly Recommended
Andrei Iancu, Sullivan & Cromwell
Cory Bell, Finnegan
Donald Ware, Foley Hoag
Doug Lumish, Weil Gotshal & Manges
Eric Dittmann, Paul Hastings
Jason Hoffman, BakerHostetler
Jay Nuttall, Steptoe
Jeff Lesovitz, BakerHostetler
John Keville, Sheppard Mullin
Leif Sigmond, BakerHostetler
Lisa Meyerhoff, Seyfarth Shaw
Michael Ng, Kobre & Kim
Michael Renaud, Mintz
Nicholas Groombridge, Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone
Robert (Bob) Hails, BakerHostetler
Theresa Weisenberger, BakerHostetler
Recommended
Boyd Cloern, Steptoe
Brendan Jones, Foley Hoag
Brett Johnson, Winston & Strawn
Brice Lynch, Quinn Emanuel
Charlotte Jacobsen, Gibson Dunn
Christopher Carani, McAndrews
Daniel Zaheer, Kobre & Kim
Dustin Guzior, Sullivan & Cromwell
Elizabeth Ferrill, Finnegan
George Lombardi, Winston & Strawn
George Stamatopoulos, Kobre & Kim
Heidi Keefe, Cooley
Jared Bobrow, Orrick
John Caracappa, Steptoe
Jonathan Defosse, Sheppard Mullin
Luke McCloud, Williams & Connolly
Matthew Powers, Tensegrity Law Firm
Mehrnaz Boroumand Smith, Kilpatrick
Michael Hawes, Baker Botts
Michael Powell, Quinn Emanuel
Michael Sandonato, Venable
Nicholas Mathews, McKool Smith
Paul Ehrlich, Tensegrity Law Group
Peter McAndrews, McAndrews
Robert Unikel, Paul Hastings
Robert Van Nest, Keker Van Nest
Sarah Burg, Foley Hoag
Steven Moore, Vinson & Elkins
Tom Chen, Orrick
Victoria Maroulis, Quinn Emanuel
