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
Robert Barrett, K&L Gates
Cory Bell, Finnegan
Steven Borgman, Kilpatrick
Timothy Casey, BakerHostetler
Tracy-Gene Durkin, Sterne Kessler
Salima Merani, Knobbe Martens
Aaron Morrow, K&L Gates
Roger Wylie, Kilpatrick
Recommended
Tim Busse, Christensen, Fonder, Dardi
Christopher Carani, McAndrews
Doug Christensen, Christensen, Fonder, Dardi
Jennifer Chheda, Jones Day
Michael Davitz, Leason Ellis
Kevin Gray, Fish & Richardson
Gary Gershik, Amster Rothstein & Ebenstein
Joshua Griswold, Fish & Richardson
Jason Honeyman, Wolf Greenfield
Robert Katz, Banner Witcoff
Brett Klein, Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner
Victor Jonas, Faegre Drinker
Karl Renner, Fish & Richardson
Stephanie Seidman, Womble Bond Dickinson
Jessica Van Dalen, Faegre Drinker
Daniel Young, Wolf Greenfield
Notable
Brian Amos, Amster Rothstein & Ebenstein
Philmore Colburn, Cantor Colburn
Christopher Curfman, Meunier Carlin Curfman
Michael Davitz, Leason Ellis
Mani Hossein-Zadeh, Knobbe Martens
Salima Merani, Knobbe Martens
Lance Smemoe, Knobbe Martens
Contentious
Hall of Fame
Morgan Chu, Irell & Manella
John Quinn, Quinn Emanuel
Outstanding
Ruffin Cordell, Fish & Richardson
John Desmarais, Desmarais
Daralyn Durie, Morrison Foerster
William Lee, WilmerHale
Naveen Modi, Paul Hastings
Brian Rosenthal, Gibson Dunn
Robert Stone, Quinn Emanuel
Highly Recommended
Cory Bell, Finnegan
Eric Dittmann, Paul Hastings
Nicholas Groombridge, Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone
Robert (Bob) Hails, BakerHostetler
Andrei Iancu, Sullivan & Cromwell
Jason Hoffman, BakerHostetler
John Keville, Sheppard Mullin
Jeff Lesovitz, BakerHostetler
Doug Lumish, Weil Gotshal & Manges
Lisa Meyerhoff, Seyfarth Shaw
Michael Ng, Kobre & Kim
Jay Nuttall, Steptoe
Michael Renaud, Mintz
Leif Sigmond, BakerHostetler
Donald Ware, Foley Hoag
Theresa Weisenberger, BakerHostetler
Recommended
Jared Bobrow, Orrick
Christopher Carani, McAndrews
Tom Chen, Orrick
Jonathan Defosse, Sheppard Mullin
Paul Ehrlich, Tensegrity Law Group
Elizabeth Ferrill, Finnegan
Dustin Guzior, Sullivan & Cromwell
Michael Hawes, Baker Botts
Charlotte Jacobsen, Gibson Dunn
Brett Johnson, Winston & Strawn
Heidi Keefe, Cooley
George Lombardi, Winston & Strawn
Robert Unikel, Paul Hastings
Boyd Cloern, Steptoe
John Caracappa, Steptoe
Brice Lynch, Quinn Emanuel
Nicholas Mathews, McKool Smith
Peter McAndrews, McAndrews
Luke McCloud, Williams & Connolly
Victoria Maroulis, Quinn Emanuel
Jay Nuttall, Steptoe
Michael Powell, Quinn Emanuel
Matthew Powers, Tensegrity Law Firm
Michael Sandonato, Venable
George Stamatopoulos, Kobre & Kim
Robert Van Nest, Keker Van Nest
Sarah Burg, Foley Hoag
Brendan Jones, Foley Hoag
Daniel Zaheer, Kobre & Kim
Mehrnaz Boroumand Smith, Kilpatrick
Steven Moore, Vinson & Elkins
