Latham Named Top Firm for Intellectual Property Litigation in Washington, D.C.

The National Law Journal (NLJ) has named Latham & Watkins the top law firm in Washington, D.C. for intellectual property litigation in its 2015 “Washington Litigation Departments of Year” special report. 

The report, which takes measure of litigation departments in the nation’s capital and recognizes firms with distinguished practices, states that the firm, “delivers for a wide range of clients using creative legal theories and a deep bench of first-chair litigators.” 

Washington partners led teams for Freddie Mac, A.B. Volvo, Honeywell and several others to decisive victories. The NLJ also notes, “Latham has been on the forefront of taking cases to a new and increasingly important venue, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The firm has 45 matters before the board and claims a 97 percent success rate in getting petitions to stick. The firm has 30 lawyers licensed to practice before the venue.” 

Latham’s IP litigators pride themselves on using highly customized, strategic approaches to their cases. For example, they were at the forefront of using Section 101 of the U.S. Patent Act to dismiss cases based on invalidity, including in a successful matter for Freddie Mac. 

"Matt [Moore, a Latham partner] was prescient in that regard," said Howard Lindenberg, managing associate general counsel to Freddie Mac. "Matt's strategy and tactics in this were excellent." 

The Intellectual Property Litigation Practice group was cited for making some strategic lateral hires in Washington to expand the firm’s experience in biologics and pharmaceuticals by adding partners Michael Morin, David Frazier and Casey Dwyer. "Their substantial involvement in this burgeoning area of biosimiliars and handling some of the best selling drugs in the world further expands our capabilities in this area, giving us pole position in that space and moving us in front of the market," the article quoted Moore. 

This recognition comes shortly after the firm’s IP Litigation Group was named to the NLJ’s “IP Hot List,” which recognized the top firms in intellectual property law, further underscoring Latham’s ability to achieve outstanding results in IP trials around the world.