New WIPR rankings recognise top US patent firms and lawyers

This year’s featured firms and individuals include those instructed on the biggest tech and life sciences cases, as well as the strategists devising global AI patent portfolios.

WIPR has unveiled its latest USA Patents Rankings, a shortlist of the firms and lawyers at the forefront of the world’s most lucrative patent market.

The rankings include client and peer recommendations for their go-to contacts in the field; from the New York law firm that a partner based outside the US says they would “definitely call” for complex patent matters, to the patent strategist with the invaluable ability to “find solutions and advise on when to settle”, according to a peer.

Our rankings split the field into Non-Contentious and Contentious categories, highlighting achievements in everything from patent prosecution to bet-the-company litigation.

Firm profiles via the links in the table provide insight into tier justifications, marquee client wins, and the lead practitioners driving the work.

The PTAB pivot

The impact of dramatic changes by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to how inter partes review (IPR) proceedings are handled has become increasingly evident, with the institution rate dropping to around 4% in December 2025, from historical averages of above 60%.

Within this context, firms with a strong PTAB practice offer an even greater advantage to clients needing to knock out competitors’ patents.

Recognised this year in the Contentious category, Wilson Sonsini secured IPRs in all five petitions filed on behalf of Azurity Pharmaceuticals in November 2025; a notable victory in the context of the new PTAB environment.

The denial of IPRs was a widely discussed aspect of Stellar’s patent battle with Motorola.Devlin Law Firm—regarded by a peer as being home to “top notch attorneys for patent enforcement”—was the team behind patent owner Stellar.

With procedural denials at record-setting rates, defendants are increasingly turning to the USPTO for ex parte reexaminations; requests reached an all-time high last year and represented a 66% increase over the previous year, according to Unified Patents.

Tech and life sciences highlights

The USPTO’s stricter stance on IPRs has shifted patent disputes back towards the district courts, where the firms in this year’s rankings also demonstrate significant expertise for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Counsel from Irell & Manella are on the team representing VLSI Technology in its long-fought battle over microprocessor technology with Intel, which is battling to overturn damages awards that run into the billions.

McKool Smith played a key role in the award of $191.4 million to Pictiva Displays in its patent dispute with Samsung; the amount may be reduced after Samsung demonstrated to the PTAB in January 2026 that at least one of the patents underlying the verdict was invalid.

Opposing counsel in the high-profile California tech dispute between Masimo and Apple—resulting in a $634 million win for Masmio—also appear in this year’s rankings, with Sullivan & Cromwell, Knobbe Martens and Morgan Lewis among the team for Masimo, and WilmerHale and Haynes Boone some of the firms representing Apple.

Described by a peer as a “titan of the bar”, William (Bill) Lee is one of this year’s Outstanding individuals in the Contentious category, known for his involvement in high-stakes patent cases between leading technology companies.

The rise of non-practising entity (NPE) campaigns targeting the life sciences sector—particularly medtech companies—has increased demand for specialised litigation support.

Firms in this year’s listing that offer a combination of scientific expertise and legal acumen include Desmarais, which scored a stand-out win for Ravgen in its patent dispute with Labcorp over foetal DNA testing with a $373 million verdict in the biotech company’s favour.

Elsewhere, Paul Hastings bagged a $56 million award for Allergan in a dispute over patents protecting Botox, and Jones Day overturned a $125 million patent infringement judgment for Medtronic.

Wilson Sonsini’s team have advanced degrees in biology, chemistry, biomedical sciences and related fields, contributing to the firm being named Life Sciences IP Firm of the Year at the Life Sciences Patent Network (LSPN) Awards USA, organised by WIPR sister title LSIPR, an accolade recognising excellence in pharmaceutical and biotech patent protection.

Strategic work and the talent war

While litigation continues to dominate headlines, strategic portfolio management remains critical for global leaders, and the rankings recognise the firms leading the field for non-contentious patent work.

These include Sterne Kessler, which manages sophisticated portfolios for Bristol-Myers Squibb that include patents for Opdivo, now approved for over 19 cancer indications.

Top-tier lawyer Daralyn Durie led the Morrison Foerster team that helped Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, develop the patent strategy for its multibillion-dollar portfolios, including blockbuster cancer drugs Kadcyla, Perjeta, Gazyva, and Tecentriq.

Banner Witcoff has maintained its position as a top procurer of US design patents—the team has secured over 1,000 design patents for Nike and Converse since 2023.

Tipped by a peer as a contact to know, Womble Bond Dickinson partner Stephanie Seidma is one of this year’s top non-contentious patent lawyers, with experience in developing patent portfolios for clients in the biopharma industry and a background as a USPTO examiner.

Underscoring the increasing efforts of artificial intelligence (AI) companies to protect their innovations and assert their IP, Jones Day is helping AI-powered drug discovery company MindRank AI develop global patent portfolios.

Finnegan’s new AI practice focuses on counselling clients on IP, licensing and data issues related to AI and other emerging technologies, and Arnold & Porter is one of the many firms already engaged in litigation in the sector.

The UK Supreme Court’s landmark Emotional Perception decision will likely become a key selling point for law firms advising tech/AI clients on UK strategy.

WIPR’s UK Patents Rankings will delve into the firms and practitioners at the forefront of that market; submissions open for those rankings in March 2026.

In the highly competitive US market for patent services, where the best talent lands the biggest clients and most consequential matters, the past year saw major shifts in firm leadership and capabilities.

Sheppard orchestrated a massive expansion by integrating a 21-attorney IP litigation team from Ropes & Gray; Cooley also underwent a transformation with the addition of a 30-strong life sciences team from Dechert, while its former patent chair moved to Fenwick.

Other significant moves included Doug Lumish and Jeff Homrig departing from Latham & Watkins to co-head the IP, Technology & Science Litigation practice at Weil, among hires from other firms.

In early February, it was announced that a nine-partner litigation team was leaving Winston & Strawn for King & Spalding, following the news that the landmark combination of Winston & Strawn and the UK-led business of Taylor Wessing was going ahead.

WIPR is compiling the inaugural edition of its Global In-House Elite, a benchmark for leading in-house IP practitioners across the world. Due for release in March 2026, this will complement our existing Leaders Directory, which recognises the best private practice talent around the globe; this year’s updated Leaders edition will follow in April. For more information, please contact rankings editor Baron Armah-Kwantreng at barmah-kwantreng@worldipreview.com.

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