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Best Law Firms by Practice Area

These firms were voted strongest in each practice area by associates working in that area at peer firms. Vault's 2023 Rankings are derived from Vault's Annual Associate Survey conducted between January 2022 through March 2022.
Survey Methodology

Each year, Vault ranks law firms in a variety of practice areas based on the perceptions of associates practicing in those areas. Associates were asked to vote for up to three firms they consider strongest in their practice areas and were not permitted to vote for their own firms. For example, associates who identified themselves as corporate attorneys were allowed only to vote in corporate-related categories (securities, financial services, etc.). Our rankings list the top firms in each area, as well as the total percentage of votes cast in favor of each ranked firm.

Vault ranked the following practice areas this year: Antitrust; Appellate Litigation; Banking & Financial Services; Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Clean Tech/Renewable Energy; Emerging Companies/VC; Energy, Oil, & Gas; Environmental Law; General Commercial Litigation; General Corporate Practice; Health Care; Intellectual Property; Intellectual Property Boutiques; International; Labor & Employment; Litigation Boutiques; M&A; Media, Entertainment, & Sports; Privacy & Data Security; Private Equity; Products Liability; Project Finance; Real Estate; Securities; Securities Litigation; Tax; and White Collar Defense & Internal Investigations.

Vault's 2023 Rankings are derived from Vault's Annual Associate Survey conducted between January 2022 through March 2022.

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Each year Vault invites eligible law firms to participate in our annual Law Survey. Please contact us if you’re interested in having your firm considered for inclusion.

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2023 Best Intellectual Property Speciality Law Firms

#1
% of Votes 32.37
2022 Rank 1

Desmarais LLP

In 2010, John Desmarais left a successful patent litigation practice with Kirkland & Ellis to hang a shingle with some of his former Kirkland colleagues. The result was Desmarais LLP, now a successful and expanding midsize law firm focused...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Q&As Summer Program
#2
% of Votes 22.30
2022 Rank 2

McKool Smith

With 130 trial lawyers across offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Marshall, New York, and Washington, D.C., McKool Smith has established a reputation as one of America’s leading trial firms. The firm has secured 17 nine-figure jury...

Overview Employee Reviews Summer Program
#3
% of Votes 21.40
2022 Rank 3

Durie Tangri LLP

Durie Tangri is a hot-shot IP boutique with an impressive resume when it comes to copyrights, trademarks, and patents. But the firm is also a litigation powerhouse, specializing in professional liability, contract and commercial, class action,...

Overview Employee Reviews Summer Program
#4
% of Votes 20.76
2022 Rank 4

Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP

Headquartered in San Francisco, Keker, Van Nest & Peters is perhaps best known for handling major intellectual property disputes for some of the country's leading names in technology. The firm also has a reputation for unleashing experienced...

Overview Employee Reviews Summer Program
#5
% of Votes 19.40
2022 Rank 5

Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.

Chicago-based IP boutique firm Banner Witcoff is unique not only for its status as a top firm in its field, but also for its role in shaping IP law by having represented defendants in groundbreaking Supreme Court cases. The firm—which has...

Overview Summer Program
#6
% of Votes 13.42
2022 Rank 6

Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

One of the most reputable firms in Boston, Wolf Greenfield has made a name for itself as an IP powerhouse. With over 100 attorneys, Wolf Greenfield is known for its work in patent litigation on technology matters. The firm has kept to the East...

Overview Associate Reviews Why Work Here Summer Program
#7
% of Votes 9.97
2022 Rank 7

Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P.

Virginia-based IP boutique Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P. has one foot in the United States and one in Japan, and both are strategically placed. The firm’s U.S. office in Alexandria, Virginia is located next to the USPTO, and...

Overview Employee Reviews
#8
% of Votes 8.79
2022 Rank 11

Merchant & Gould P.C.

Headquartered in the Twin Cities with six offices nationwide, IP boutique Merchant & Gould covers clients on the East Coast in New York and Washington, DC, as far south as Tennessee and Georgia, and into the mountain states with an office in...

Overview Employee Reviews Summer Program
#9
% of Votes 6.98
2022 Rank 9

Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C.

Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C. is an IP firm based in Washington, DC, with additional offices in Boston, MA and Ossining, NY. With a staff of about 45 attorneys, the firm is small but mighty and is best known for its IP litigation...

Overview Summer Program
#10
% of Votes 6.53
2022 Rank 13

Sughrue Mion PLLC

Intellectual property boutique firm Sughrue Mion has obtained more U.S. patents than any other firm. With a top-notch litigation practice; one of the largest full-service trademark practices in the country; and wide-ranging expertise in patent...

Overview Employee Reviews Summer Program