Leading the arena: WIPR identifies the top US trade secrets specialists of 2025

New rankings spotlight the firms and lawyers that are most successfully navigating the volatile world of trade secrets, from ‘prompt injections’ to billion-dollar retrials.

US trade secrets law has become a high-stakes, multi-billion dollar game defined by rapid technological evolution.

WIPR’s newly released USA Trade Secrets Rankings highlight the law firms and practitioners operating at the highest level in the arena: the people that leading companies turn to when the theft of proprietary information jeopardises their market share, or when accusations of misappropriation threaten the continuation of their business.

The definition of a trade secrets “specialist” is still somewhat blurred, with few lawyers dedicating 100% of their practice to their area—and complex cases demanding legal teams that integrate IP, employment and commercial law with expertise in cybersecurity, e-Discovery, and digital forensics.

In compiling the rankings, WIPR identified the lawyers with a significant trade secrets practice who are instructed on the most consequential matters.

These include leading experts in the area such as David Almeling, who chairs the Sedona Conference’s Working Group 12 on Trade Secrets; Randall Kay, described as “very well versed in trade secret law and strategy” by a peer; and Daralyn Durie, highly regarded for her courtroom wins for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Lawyers and firms are ranked in four tiers, from Notable to Outstanding, with an overview of their practice and team and, where available, work highlights and key clients.

This year’s rankings represent a broad spectrum of the IP legal market in the US, from small firms with exceptional depth of trade secrets knowledge such as ND Galli Law, to fast-growing teams like Benesch, and established industry players including Latham & Watkins that peers say they see “regularly on the other side of high value trade secrets cases”.

Secrets in the age of AI

The ability of artificial intelligence (AI) to mine data and reverse-engineer information has complicated traditional notions of “secrecy”.

Large language models (LLMs) have introduced new vulnerabilities such as ‘prompt injections’, where users manipulate the model with malicious instructions, potentially leading to data leaks, misinformation, or system compromise.

In February 2025, OpenEvidence—which describes itself as an AI copilot for doctors—alleged that Pathway Medical had invaded its AI platform and executed dozens of prompt injection attacks in order to trick the system into divulging its code.

Described as “very tough opponents”, Skadden—ranked as Highly Recommended this year—is defending health tech company Doximity against OpenEvidence in a lawsuit with similar claims. Doximity acquired Pathway in August 2025.

The high-profile case between Elon Musk’s xAI and Sam Altman’s OpenAI illustrates the strategic role of trade secrets in AI competition.

In the Notable category this year, Munger, Tolles & Ollsen is representing OpenAI against xAI’s lawsuit, which alleges misappropriation of its trade secrets and unfair competition and has significant implications for the industry.

Courts will have to scrutinise what counts as a legally protectable secret in terms of an AI system, as companies seek to safeguard their algorithms, model architecture, and training data.

Law firms are taking steps to improve their offering to match the advancements; both Finnegan and ND Galli Law have recently launched AI practices with specific focuses on the intersection of AI and trade secrets.

A turbulent ride

The work highlights of the firms in this year’s rankings are a testament to the volatile nature of trade secrets matters, with juries awarding massive sums to plaintiffs that are frequently reduced or overturned on appeal.

Recommended firm Orrick represents Pegasystems in its bitter trade secrets dispute with Appian; the Virginia Supreme Court recently confirmed a retrial to review the quashed $2 billion verdict in the case.

Cooley, Covington & Burling and Goodwin represent the parties on both sides of Insulet v EOFlow et al, notable for the slashing of a $452 million damages award to $59.4 million.

In the Outstanding tier, Jones Day secured a win for client Goodyear in its trade secrets case against Coda Development, with the Federal Circuit upholding a ruling in favour of Goodyear, which overturned a $64 million sum awarded to Coda.

So far, Kobre & Kim client Propel Fuels has held on to the $883 million it was awarded in its trade secrets dispute with Phillips 66, with a California judge rejecting the defendant’s bid to knock out the judgment towards the end of 2025.

Perhaps the most consequential development of the year was the Seventh Circuit’s confirmation in Motorola Solutions v Hytera that the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) can apply extraterritorially in certain circumstances.

In that case, top-tier lawyer Michael De Vries heads up the Kirkland & Ellis team for Motorola, while leading the defence for Hytera is Steptoe’s accomplished trial lawyer Boyd Cloern.

Human element remains key

Adding complexity to trade secrets cases is the interplay between the federal DTSA, and individual state laws.

Firms such as Weil, rated as Highly Recommended this year, offer a presence in the traditional ‘hotbeds’ where trade secrets and related IP and employment issues are frequently litigated, including California, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas.

Despite the high-tech nature of modern disputes, the ‘human element’ of trade secrets matters remains decisive.

The firms in this year’s rankings include go-to advisors on employee mobility; Littler Mendelson’s particular expertise in that area has led the firm to handle “a large volume of trade secret restrictive covenant matters”, according to an industry peer.

With trade secrets disputes usually representing crisis situations where information has already been compromised, many of the firms counsel clients on preventative measures.

Morgan Lewis and Goodwin are among the leading firms that clients turn to for services including trade secrets audits, drafting specialised confidentiality agreements and the preparation of company policies.

WIPR Rankings is currently preparing the USA Patents Rankings; to be considered for inclusion please contact rankings editor Baron Armah-Kwantreng at barmah-kwantreng@worldipreview.com.

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