2018 firm rankings and individuals are now live
September 25, 2018
New content includes national firm rankings, life sciences stars and editorial reviews
1100 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005
,
Tel: 202-371-2600
Fax: 202-371-2540
Website: www.sternekessler.com
Number of partners: 46
Number of lawyers: 130
Office Locations: Washington, D.C
Founded in 1978 and based in Washington, D.C., Sterne Kessler is a premier law firm dedicated exclusively to the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The firm’s lawyers, registered patent agents, students, and technical specialists number over 170 and include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of IP law. Most of these professionals hold an advanced level degree, including nearly 50 masters degrees and more than 50 doctorate degrees in science or engineering -- credentials wide and deep enough to fill the faculty of a science oriented university.
Patent Prosecution:
For 40 years, the patent prosecution group has been preparing and prosecuting patent applications. This renowned group prosecutes and enforces utility and design patents for Fortune 500 companies with extensive, active patent portfolios, as well as small startup companies that rely on the patent system to obtain funding and to head off competition.
Patent Litigation:
The trial & appellate group practices before Federal District Courts throughout the United States in complex IP cases involving software, biotech products, medical devises, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and consumer products. With more than 50 PhDs on staff, the group seamlessly blends disciplines to ensure the right team is handling the legal and technical challenges specific to the IP dispute at hand. The group provides counsel across a broad spectrum of IP issues, including patent infringement actions, trademark and copyright issues, licensing disputes, breach of contract, trade secrets and Lanham Act matters to name a few.
PTO Litigation:
Since the inception of the U.S. America Invents Act (AIA) in 2012, the patent office litigation practice has worked on more AIA reviews than any other law firm at the United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board -- the PTAB. The group has handled over 700 IPRs and other post-grant reviews on behalf of both patent owners and third party requesters. The PTO litigation group represents both petitioners and patent owners, in a wide range of the PTAB’s technology centers-- biotech and chemical, electrical, and mechanical.
Appellate Litigation:
The appellate litigation practice handles appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as circuit courts around the U.S. The practice handles appeals from district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the PTAB.
International Trade Commission:
The ITC Section 337 investigations team represents complainants and respondents of international companies before the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The team uses its technical expertise and proximity in Washington, DC to the ITC headquarters to assist clients in navigating the multifaceted process related to Section 337 investigations. These complex, fast-paced matters require a unique and essential blend of skills in litigation, administrative law, and patent law, as well as technical skills. The team’s clients include commercial manufacturers and importers, in addition to retailers of accused products. The team is highly experienced in managing the fast track nature of the ITC proceedings, the complex issues involved in accused technologies, and following the precise agency rules associated with investigations. In 2016, the firm handled 10% of the ITC investigations at the US International Trade Commission.
Trademark & Brand Protection:
The Trademark & Brand Protection Practice draws on more than 30 years of experience meeting the intellectual property needs of companies developing and maintaining strong brands around the world. Comprehensive and strategic IP protection and enforcement helps businesses both differentiate their product and service offerings from those of competitors, and helps them achieve their full market potential.
The practice’s well-thought-out IP strategies guard against patent, trademark, and copyright infringers, knock-offs and counterfeiting, online fraud, and idea theft by competitors, insiders, partners, and manufacturers – all of which can harm the reputation and brand of companies large and small.
Lasted updated October 2018
US
General Patent Litigation
Hatch-Waxman Patent Litigation (Generic)
| Hatch-Waxman Patent Litigation (Generic) — Highly recommended |
|---|
| Goodwin Procter |
| Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear |
| Rakoczy Molino Mazzochi Siwik |
| Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox |
| Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati |
| Winston & Strawn |
| Hatch-Waxman Patent Litigation (Generic) — Recommended |
|---|
| Greenberg Traurig |
| Latham & Watkins |
| Morrison & Foerster |
| Perkins Coie |
| Robins Kaplan |
| Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck |
| Taft Stettinius & Hollister |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher |
Patent Prosecution
Patent Strategy & Management
| Lawyer | Section | Practice Area | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwell, David K S | Intellectual Property | General Patent Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patent Strategy & Management | Washington, D.C. |
| Ellison, Eldora | Intellectual Property | General Patent Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patent Strategy & Management | Washington, D.C. |
| Goldstein, Jorge A | Intellectual Property | General Patent Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patent Strategy & Management | Washington, D.C. |
| Longsworth, Gaby | Intellectual Property | Patent Prosecution, Patent Strategy & Management | Washington, D.C. |
| Steffe, Eric | Intellectual Property | General Patent Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patent Strategy & Management | Washington, D.C. |
| Varughese, Dennies | Intellectual Property | Hatch-Waxman Patent Litigation | Washington, D.C. |
| Yonan, Daniel E | Intellectual Property | General Patent Litigation, Patent Strategy & Management | Washington, D.C. |
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Intellectual Property
Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox
Intellectual property firm Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox offers a diverse set of services for clients in the life sciences industry, including patent prosecution, strategy and litigation. The firm is highly ranked in Hatch-Waxman litigation for generic drug makers and patent prosecution in a variety of technical areas. The firm is known for having one of the first prominent biotech practices, an area the firm still thrives in today.
Co-founder Jorge Goldstein is a fixture in the patent prosecution world and builder of the firm's biotech practice. "Jorge Goldstein is one of the best patent lawyers in the country," a peer says. "I've called him before on thorny issues, and he's great." He is one of the select individuals inducted into the LMG Life Sciences Hall of Fame. Eldora Ellison is a key individual in the firm's renowned PTAB litigation practice, offering deep experience in reexaminations, inter partes review and interferences. She recently led a team for Thermo Fisher Scientific in IPR proceedings against Bio-Rad, which resulted in a favorable settlement for the client. In 2017, Ellison was recognized as Post-Grant Proceedings Attorney of the Year at the LMG Life Sciences Awards.
Eric Steffe serves as chair of the firm's patent prosecution practice, and is commended by clients and peers for his work as an advisor to companies in biotechnology and other areas. He is part of a Sterne Kessler team advising Bioverativ on its patent portfolios related to hemophilia therapy. This year Steffe was named Patent Strategy and Management Attorney of the Year in the DC area. Gaby Longsworth provides strategic patent advice to biopharmaceutical clients, and is experienced representing clients in both the branded and generic sectors.
Dennies Varughese debuted as a star this year for his work in the firm's active Hatch-Waxman litigation practice. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, a rare credential in the patent litigation space. He recently acted for Alembic Pharmaceuticals in a suit brought by Otsuka asserting the client infringed a patent covering blockbuster antipsychotic drug Abilify.
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New content includes national firm rankings, life sciences stars and editorial reviews