Who are the world’s best in-house counsel? Final call for the leading corporate IP professionals

An annual, first-of-its-kind project aims to highlight the world’s leading in-house intellectual property counsel—and we need your help.

Corporate counsel are the chameleons of legal.

Managing the broad spectrum of intellectual property affairs for a business can mean being counsel , every day, to departments with different aims. This could be external (and internal) enforcer, diplomat, industry expert, product expert, manager, IT implementor, clairvoyant—the list goes on.

Flexibility and resilience are essential attributes, with ‘AI implementer’ being 2026’s most-seen update to LinkedIn profiles (see also here).

Experts in the art of wielding “it depends” in reply to demands from department heads, or even the CEO, while admirably trying to keep the brand on the right side of the law, this is a role that asks many things of those who choose to go ‘in-house’.

WIPR has a long history of reporting on the skills, successes and concerns of this community. We are now looking for the most respected players in the game: the Global In-House Elite.

The first-of-its-kind project will identify and celebrate corporate intellectual property professionals who are redefining excellence in their field, using a simple survey to collate nominations.

Nominated individuals will be discussed by WIPR’s editorial and rankings teams, who will choose the final list.

Selection criteria

Those selected for the WIPR Global In-House Elite will typically demonstrate characteristics that distinguish them as memorable partners for external counsel and vital assets to their companies. These include:

Commercial context: Adeptly framing legal matters within broader business realities and commercial goals.

Entrepreneurial nous: Demonstrating the ROI of their department on the company’s bottom line through a creative, focused and/or dynamic IP strategy.

Clear communication: Providing concise, well-scoped instructions and maintaining high responsiveness.

Collaboration: Treating external counsel as true partners through trust and openness.

Budget intelligence: Negotiating costs and project scopes fairly and transparently.

Professional advocacy: Participating in conferences, associations, and public outreach to improve peer-to-peer learning and the wider IP industry.

The names we gather will provide a qualitative, research-driven look at the professionals most respected by their peers and external partner firms across every continent.

How to nominate

Nominations are being accepted via the survey across three distinct categories to ensure a representative view of the global talent pool:

1. Self-Nominations: Individuals may submit themselves for consideration, supported by evidence of their candidacy.

2. Colleague Nominations: Marketing teams or colleagues within the same organisation can nominate standout members of their legal department.

3. Peer Nominations: Professionals from law firms or other organisations are encouraged to nominate peers in the IP field whom they believe deserve recognition.

All information provided during the nomination process is treated with strict confidentiality and used only in aggregate form for verification purposes.

Deadline and publication

The window for submissions is currently open, but time is limited. Nominations will close on Friday, 9 January 2026, at 17:00 GMT.

Following a rigorous review by the WIPR editorial and rankings teams, the final list of the Global In-House Elite 2026 will be published online in March 2026.

Access the WIPR Global In-House Elite 2026 survey.