At a Glance
“The caliber of work is great and the learning opportunities, from the beginning, are unparalleled. There are so many talented attorneys at this firm that the organic, on-the-job training here is next to none.”
“Friendly environment, responsibility, prestige, compensation, and benefits.”
“At times the workload is very high and it is difficult to find balance, which is a combination of the nature of litigation and the case management abilities of various partners.”
“The lack of instruction.”
About Carlson Caspers Vandenburgh & Lindquist, P.A.
Based out of Minneapolis, MN, Carlson Caspers is an intellectual property (IP) shop. The firm is home to 30 lawyers, all of whom focus on IP—from data privacy to patents and trade secrets.
Iconic
In 2003, Alan G. Carlson founded Carlson Caspers with colleagues from his prior firm, Merchant & Gould. At the helm of the firm, Carlson brings nearly 50 years of experience working in IP litigation. Carlson was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers—the first Minnesota patent lawyer to receive this honor. He also has been recognized as a Minnesota Icon by the Minnesota Lawyer and Finance & Commerce.
Laser Focused
Carlson Caspers' practices include copyright, data privacy, Hatch-Waxman, IP appeals, patent counseling, patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings, trademarks, and trade secrets. Many Carlson Caspers lawyers have technological and scientific backgrounds and include engineers, pharmacists, and scientists. The firm’s clients include Abbott Laboratories; Anchor Wall Systems, Inc.; Boston Scientific; Cipla LTD; CommScope; Honeywell International Inc.; POET LLC; Qualcomm Inc.; Shilpa Pharma, Inc.; Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.; The Toro Company; and Qiagen.
Supporting Scholars
As part of its diversity initiatives, Carlson Caspers offers a Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to prospective law students focusing their studies on various science and engineering areas such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, life sciences, pharmacy, and physics. Candidates must have applied to or been accepted to an ABA-accredited law school.
News & Awards
- High rankings for Carlson Caspers and founding partners Alan Carlson and Derek Vandenburgh, and Tara Norgard, 2024—Chambers USA
- Carlson Caspers receives Top Tier regional recognition for “Litigation-Intellectual Property” and “Litigation-Patent”, 2024—U.S. News—Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” rankings
- 17 Carlson Caspers lawyers recognized, 2024—The Best Lawyers in America
- 11 Carlson Caspers lawyers recognized, plus two recognized as Rising Stars, 2024—Minnesota Super Lawyers
- Six Carlson Caspers Shareholders Recognized, 2024—IAM Patent 1000, The World’s Leading Patent Professionals
225 South 6th St., Suite 4200
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 436-9600
Managing Partner: J. Derek Vandenburgh
Hiring Partners: Brian Hayes and Alexandra Olson
Total No. Attorneys (2025):
1 - 50
Billable-Hour Requirement:
1,800
1st year: $190,000
Mary Laschansky
Office Manager
612-436-9612
mlaschansky@carlsoncaspers.com
No. of U.S. Offices: 1
No. of International Offices: 0
Minneapolis, MN
Intellectual Property
Patent Counseling & Litigation
Patent Prosecution
Appeals
Copyright
Data Privacy & Technology
Hatch–Waxman Act
Monetization & Transactions
Post Grant Proceedings
Trademark, Advertising, & Unfair Competition
Trade Secrets
*See firm website for complete list of practice areas and industries.