Each year we host the Managing IP Americas Awards ceremony live in New York City. However, we cancelled this year's event because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our thoughts are with our readers and all others affected by the pandemic.
Today we are pleased to reveal the Americas winners on our website. The awards recognize outstanding achievements by law firms, partners and in-house counsel in the past year. Read our research methodology below.
Congratulations to all the winners.
The highlights
Among the highlights of the 2020 awards is Baker McKenzie’s win as the Americas Firm of the Year. The firm is recognized for its significant IP practice and achievements across the United States and Latin America.
Managing IP also recognizes two renowned practitioners with Lifetime Achievement honors for their longstanding careers in IP law. Robert MacDonald of Gowling WLG is a leader in his firm’s IP practice group and one of Canada’s foremost trademark practitioners. His work contributed to Gowling’s top-tier rankings for trademark work.
Donald R Dunner of Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner helped cement his firm as one of the top IP boutiques in the United States and was a pioneer of Federal Circuit practice. Dunner sadly passed away in October 2019, and is the first posthumous recipient of this award.
In the boutique firm categories, Smart & Biggar takes the honor in Canada for excellent client service across practice areas and significant growth over the past year. Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner is our Specialty IP Firm of the Year in the United States for noteworthy activity in areas including post-grant proceedings, ITC litigation and appeals before the Federal Circuit.
LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
ARGENTINA
Patent
Marval O’Farrell & Mairal
Trademark
Marval O’Farrell & Mairal
Copyright
Marval O’Farrell & Mairal
BRAZIL
Patent
Licks Attorneys
Trademark
Gusmão & Labrunie
Caribbean Firm of the Year
MINIÑO Abogados (Dominican Republic)
CHILE
Patent
Sargent & Krahn
Trademark
Silva
Copyright
Sargent & Krahn
COLOMBIA
Patent
Lloreda Camacho & Co
Trademark
Brigard & Castro
Copyright
Cavelier Abogados
ECUADOR
Firm of the Year
CorralRosales
MEXICO
Patent
Olivares
Trademark
Olivares
Copyright
Olivares
PANAMA
Firm of the Year
Estudio Benedetti
PERU
Patent
Barrera & Asociados
Trademark
Barrera & Asociados
URUGUAY
Firm of the Year
Cervieri Monsuarez & Asociados
NORTH AMERICA
CANADA
Copyright
McCarthy Tétrault
Patent Contentious
Torys
Patent Prosecution
Borden Ladner Gervais
Trademark Contentious
Smart & Biggar
Trademark Prosecution
Gowling WLG
IP Boutique Firm of the Year
Smart & Biggar
Outstanding Practitioner: Copyright
Casey Chisick, Cassels Brock & Blackwell
Outstanding Practitioner: Trademark
Mark Evans, Smart & Biggar
Outstanding Practitioner: Patent
Dominique Hussey, Bennett Jones
UNITED STATES (REGIONAL)
Patent Prosecution: Northeast
Choate Hall & Stewart
Patent Prosecution: South
Haynes and Boone
Patent Prosecution: Midwest
Marshall Gerstein & Borun
Patent Prosecution: West
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Patent Contentious: Northeast
WilmerHale
Patent Contentious: South
McKool Smith
Patent Contentious: Midwest
Kirkland & Ellis
Patent Contentious: West
Fish & Richardson
Trademark Prosecution: Northeast
Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu
Trademark Prosecution: South
Pirkey Barber
Trademark Prosecution: Midwest
Loeb & Loeb
Trademark Prosecution: West
Fenwick & West
Trademark Contentious: Northeast
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner
Trademark Contentious: South
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
Trademark Contentious: Midwest
Pattishall McAuliffe Newbury Hilliard & Geraldson
Trademark Contentious: West
Cooley
Copyright: East
Kirkland & Ellis
Copyright: West
Fenwick & West
UNITED STATES (NATIONAL)
Patent Prosecution
Fish & Richardson
Patent Contentious
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Trademark Prosecution
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
Trademark Contentious
Kirkland & Ellis
Copyright
Weil Gotshal & Manges
Appellate
Morrison & Foerster
ITC
Fish & Richardson
Life Sciences IP Litigation
Sidley Austin
Plaintiff Firm
McKool Smith
IP Transactions
Cooley
PTAB
Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox
Specialty IP Firm of the Year
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner
Firm to Watch
Honigman
Outstanding Litigator: California
Morgan Chu, Irell & Manella
Outstanding Litigator: Colorado
Evan Rothstein, Arnold & Porter
Outstanding Litigator: Delaware
Karen Jacobs, Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell
Outstanding Litigator: DC Metro
Matthew Wolf, Arnold & Porter
Outstanding Litigator: Georgia
Matthew Gaudet, Duane Morris
Outstanding Litigator: Illinois
David Pritikin, Sidley Austin
Outstanding Litigator: Massachusetts
Barbara Fiacco, Foley Hoag
Outstanding Litigator: Michigan
Marc Lorelli, Brooks Kushman
Outstanding Litigator: Minnesota
J Derek Vandenburgh, Carlson Caspers
Outstanding Litigator: New Jersey
Robert Rhoad, Dechert
Outstanding Litigator: New York
Dale Cendali, Kirkland & Ellis
Outstanding Litigator: Pennsylvania
Martin Black, Dechert
Outstanding Litigator: Texas
Theodore Stevenson III, McKool Smith
Outstanding Litigator: Washington
David Tellekson, Fenwick & West
Outstanding Litigator: PTAB
Scott McKeown, Ropes & Gray
Outstanding Practitioner: IP Transactions
David Kappos, Cravath Swaine & Moore
Outstanding Practitioner: Appellate
Deanne Maynard, Morrison & Foerster
SPECIAL AWARDS
Americas Firm of the Year
Baker McKenzie
Americas In-House Team of the Year (Patent)
IBM
Americas In-House Team of the Year (Trademark)
PepsiCo
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Donald R Dunner, Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner
For his critical role as a senior partner one of the leading intellectual property boutiques in the United States, and his legacy as a pioneer of several areas of practice, including Federal Circuit work. (Posthumous award: Dunner passed away in October 2019)
Robert MacDonald, Gowling WLG
For his position as a leading trademark practitioner both at his firm and internationally. His work at Gowling WLG has contributed to the firm’s top-tier rankings in trademark prosecution and litigation, and overall reputation in IP as practice group leader.
IMPACT CASES
LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Industrias Saladillo SA v. Tigre Argentina SA (Argentina)
Jorge Otamendi, G Breuer
Metallica v. Mardones (Chile)
Francisco Silva and Ricardo Montero, Silva & Cia
CANADA
Aux Sable Liquid Products LP v. JL Energy Transportation Inc (2019 FC 788)
McCarthy Tétrault
Keatley Surveying Ltd. v. Teranet Inc. (2019 SCC 43)
McCarthy Tétrault
Canmar Foods Ltd v. TA Foods Ltd (2019 FC 1233)
Gowling WLG
Eli Lilly Canada Inc v. Apotex Inc (2019 FC 884)
Borden Ladner Gervais
Bell Media Inc v. John Doe 1 dba GoldTV.biz (2019 FC 1432)
Smart & Biggar
Canada (Attorney General) v. Galderma Canada (2019 FCA 196)
Gowling WLG, Belmore Neidrauer
Wenger SA v. Travelway Group International Inc (2019 FC 1104)
Robic
UNITED STATES
A&H Sportswear Co Inc v. William W Yedor (TTAB)
Douglas Rettew, Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner
Arthrex v. Smith & Nephew (Federal Circuit)
Anthony Cho, Carlson Gaskey & Olds
Curver Luxembourg, SARL v. Home Expressions Inc. (Federal Circuit)
Steven Auvil, Squire Patton Boggs
Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media (US Supreme Court)
Evan Young, Baker Botts
Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com (US Supreme Court)
Peter Stris, Stris & Maher
Mission Product Holdings Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC (US Supreme Court)
Danielle Spinelli, WilmerHale
Momenta Pharmaceuticals v. Bristol-Myers Squibb (Federal Circuit)
Christopher Sipes, Covington & Burling
Iancu v. Brunetti (US Supreme Court)
John R Sommer, Esq
Immunex Corp., et al., v. Sandoz Inc., et al. (District of New Jersey)
Vernon Winters and David Pritikin, Sidley Austin
Return Mail Inc. v. United States Postal Service (US Supreme Court)
Beth Brinkmann, Covington & Burling
Rimini Street v. Oracle USA (US Supreme Court)
Mark Perry, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
TCL Communication Technology Holdings v. Ericsson et al (Federal Circuit)
Jeffrey Lamken, MoloLamken
Research methodology
The Managing IP awards programme is the most comprehensive and widely respected IP law firm awards event in the world. Now in its 15th year, the programme covers a broad range of IP practice areas and more than 30 jurisdictions. Read about the practice areas here.
The research is primarily conducted by the IP STARS team. Each year our research analysts obtain information from thousands of firms, IP practitioners and their clients through interviews, email and online surveys.
Before compiling the shortlists, our researchers evaluated the work data supplied by firms and, where applicable, reviewed publicly-available information such as court and IP office records. They focused on work done or concluded in 2019, particularly looking for case studies that were of great significance to clients and/or IP law and practice. Firms or individuals can also be shortlisted based on our independent research findings.
The research for the IP STARS rankings and the Managing IP awards is rigorous and impartial. There is no fee to pay to participate in our research, and no firm or individual can pay to influence the results. The awards are not influenced by any commercial relationship with Managing IP or rankings in IP STARS. Any firm, regardless of its ranking in IP STARS, can win any of our awards. Furthermore, the Managing IP awards programme is distinct and separate from any other awards programme organised by Euromoney's Legal Media Group (LMG).
If you have any questions about the shortlists or research please contact me or our global research editor Kingsley Egbuonu.
The history of the awards
Managing IP launched its awards programme in 2006. The ceremony that year was attended by more than 130 guests including the late Sir Hugh Laddie, who received a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony.
We used to host a merged awards ceremony (excluding North America) in London and a separate ceremony in Washington DC for firms based in North America, but that changed two years ago. In 2018, our North America Awards expanded to include South America and the ceremony moved to New York City; the awards ceremony in London (formerly known as the Global IP Awards) became the EMEA Awards; and we launched a new Asia-Pacific Awards in Hong Kong.
The Managing IP awards ceremonies attract guests and prominent figures in the IP industry from around the world, and it is regarded as the premier IP law firm awards event in the legal industry calendar. In total, more than 600 guests attended our awards in 2019.