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Who Protects Innovation in America 2007
Which law firms prosecute U.S. patents for Korea's LG Electronics? Who handles IP litigation here for Google? Our list of lawyers for the world's most inventive companies tells all.
Introduction by John Bringardner
Research by Jesse Rothman, Alena Powelland John Bringardner
IP Law & Business/November 2007
 Reprints & Permissions
Despite the current intense legislative debate about patent reform, most business people and IP lawyers can agree that the American intellectual property system is one of the most robust in the world. Its legal protections create a fertile environment for innovation and new business growth-and litigation. But it isn't just for Americans.
That's why this year we've departed from our traditional survey of "Who Protects IP America" to show which U.S. law firms are prosecuting patents and pursuing IP litigation in the United States for the most innovative companies in the world. In years past, we have surveyed the Fortune 250 list of domestic companies, asking in-house counsel to name their top IP firms. This year we are using a list of "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" compiled by BusinessWeek and the Boston Consulting Group, and using public data to identify the law firms.
We see at least two benefits in the switch. First, by looking at companies ranked by innovation rather than size, we can expect that the law firms on our new list are doing creative and interesting work, like copyright litigation for Google Inc.'s YouTube or patenting an acoustic wave toothbrush for Royal Philips Electronics N.V. Second, by looking at clients beyond U.S. borders, we can now account for some of the top U.S. patent holders. Of the top 25 U.S. patent holders in 2006, according to the Patent and Trademark Office, only eight were American companies. The largest foreign holder of U.S. patents is Samsung Electronics which came in seventeenth on the BusinessWeek list. Including foreign companies also bolsters the rankings in our law firm lists [see page 40] of firms like Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt. Oblon, Spivak does significant work for domestic clients, but it also does a lot of filing work for foreign clients like Toyota and Sony, which is less time-intensive than prosecuting a domestic case from scratch.
To find out which firms are getting the most work from these top innovators, we listed companies in order of their BusinessWeek ranking. We then looked at their IP litigation and patent prosecution activity from the beginning of 2007 through the end of September. The data comes from Thomson West's Litigation Monitor and IP Monitor, tools that compile information about law firms and representation from Westlaw documents and PTO data.
For litigation, we looked for firms that filed a new case for a client on our list, or had one decided. We chose the five firms with the most litigation events for each of the 50 companies, listing more firms in the case of a tie.
For patent prosecution, we combed through patent data using IP Monitor and found the top five firms whose names appear most often on patents granted to each company in the same time frame. This method does not reveal the most active patent filing practices for 2007 because pendency at the PTO can range anywhere from six months to six years. Rather, like a telescope used to study stars millions of light years away, our look at newly granted patents provides a historical view of which firms successfully applied for patents at different times over the past decade.
There are limitations to the prosecution data, due to the way patent applicants fill out their paperwork. Procter & Gamble, number six on BusinessWeek's list, has been granted more than 300 patents so far this year. But only two prosecution firms get the credit: Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. In-house attorneys filed the majority of the consumer products giant's patent applications. But prosecutors note that clients sometimes prefer to put their own names on the applications they file, even when the drafting was done externally.
All caveats aside, some patterns do emerge from the data. No surprise that Fish & Richardson, Howrey, Quinn Emanuel, and Kirkland & Ellis are the most active IP litigators. But Tyler, Texas-based Potter Minton shows up at the top of the list too. The Eastern District of Texas continues to be a hot spot for patent plaintiffs, so visiting firms used Potter to represent clients such as Costco and Nintendo this year, even though it doesn't have any dedicated IP attorneys of its own.
Utility patents are only one ingredient in BusinessWeek's measure of the most innovative companies; in the consumer market, creative design and product delivery are just as important. "Design is the one product differentiator left," says Perry Saidman of Saidman DesignLaw Group. Accordingly, design patents make up a loud minority in our list. In 2007 Banner & Witcoff earned them on Nokia phones, Microsoft graphical user interfaces, and Nike shoes, in addition to utility patents for AT&T and Amgen. Carmakers are also big users of design patents, using them to protect everything from bumper design to windshield wipers. Congress has left design patents out of the greater patent reform debate, though two recent court decisions could greatly diminish their value. But that's for the litigators on our list to figure out.
LAW FIRMS ON THE CUTTING EDGE
Our tally shows who does the most U.S. IP work for the world's most inventive companies.
|
PATENT PROSECUTION |
IP LITIGATION |
FIRMS WITH THE MOST MENTIONS |
|
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5 mentions |
7 mentions |
9 mentions |
|
Banner & Witcoff |
Fish & Richardson |
Fish & Richardson |
|
3 |
Howrey |
7 |
|
Baker Botts |
Potter Minton |
Baker Botts |
|
Blakely Sokoloff |
6 |
Howrey |
|
Cantor Colburn |
Quinn Emanuel |
Potter Minton |
|
Harness, Dickey |
5 |
6 |
|
Jones Day |
Kirkland & Ellis |
Banner & Witcoff |
|
Kenyon & Kenyon |
4 |
Finnegan, Henderson |
|
Merchant & Gould |
Baker Botts |
Foley & Lardner |
|
Nixon & Vanderhye |
Finnegan, Henderson |
Quinn Emanuel |
|
Oblon, Spivak |
Foley & Lardner |
5 |
|
Park, Vaughan |
Gibson, Dunn |
Jones Day |
|
2 |
Gillam & Smith |
Kirkland & Ellis |
|
Alston & Bird |
McDermott Will |
McDermott Will |
|
Beyer Weaver |
Sidley Austin |
Sidley Austin |
|
Birch, Stewart |
Weil, Gotshal |
4 |
|
Brinks Hofer |
3 |
Alston & Bird |
|
Fenwick & West |
Beck, Redden |
Faegre & Benson |
|
Finnegan, Henderson |
DLA Piper |
Fenwick & West |
|
Fish & Richardson |
Faegre & Benson |
Fitzpatrick, Cella |
|
Fitzpatrick, Cella |
Fulbright & Jaworski |
Gibson, Dunn |
|
Foley & Lardner |
Gardere |
Gillam & Smith |
|
Knobbe, Martens |
Haynes and Boone |
Haynes and Boone |
|
McDonnell Boehnen |
Holme Roberts |
Kenyon & Kenyon |
|
Morrison & Foerster |
Howard, Phillips |
Morgan, Lewis |
|
Schwegman, Lundberg |
J. Andrew Coombs |
Nixon & Vanderhye |
|
Scully, Scott |
K&L Gates |
Oblon, Spivak |
|
Woodcock Washburn |
Loeb & Loeb |
Perkins Coie |
|
McKool Smith |
Weil, Gotshal |
|
Morgan, Lewis |
3 |
|
Morris, Nichols |
Akerman Senterfitt |
|
Perkins Coie |
Beck, Redden |
|
Ramey & Flock |
Blakely Sokoloff |
|
The Roth Firm |
Cantor Colburn |
|
Winston & Strawn |
DLA Piper |
|
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Fulbright & Jaworski |
|
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Gardere |
|
|
Harness, Dickey |
|
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Holme Roberts |
|
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Howard, Phillips |
|
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J. Andrew Coombs |
|
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Kilpatrick Stockton |
|
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K&L Gates |
|
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Knobbe, Martens |
|
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Loeb & Loeb |
|
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McKool Smith |
|
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Merchant & Gould |
|
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Morris, Nichols |
|
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Morrison & Foerster |
|
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Park, Vaughan |
|
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Ramey & Flock |
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The Roth Firm |
|
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Townsend and Townsend |
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Winston & Strawn |
|
|
Woodcock Washburn |
THE COMPANIES
|
Company |
Patent Prosecution |
IP Litigation |
|
1 Apple |
Beyer Weaver |
Fish & Richardson |
|
Blakely Sokoloff |
Howrey |
|
Buchanan Ingersoll |
Latham & Watkins |
|
Fenwick & West |
Leopold, Petrich |
|
Park, Vaughan |
OÕMelveny & Myers |
|
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Ramey & Flock |
|
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Weil, Gotshal |
|
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Wheeler Trigg |
|
|
Williams, Morgan |
| |
|
|
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2 Google |
Fenwick & West |
Bartlit Beck |
|
Harrity & Snyder |
Brackett & Ellis |
|
Hunton & Williams |
Faegre & Benson |
|
Morgan, Lewis |
Fenwick & West |
|
Park, Vaughan |
Fish & Richardson |
|
|
Gillam & Smith |
|
|
Keker & Van Nest |
|
|
Middleton Reutlinger |
|
|
Nutter McClennen |
|
|
Perkins Coie |
|
|
Quinn Emanuel |
|
|
Tucker Ellis |
|
|
Waller Lansden |
|
|
Wilson, Sheehy |
|
|
Wilson Sonsini |
|
|
Winston & Strawn |
| |
|
|
|
3 Toyota Motor |
Finnegan, Henderson |
De Castro, West |
|
Kenyon & Kenyon |
Foley & Lardner |
|
Oblon, Spivak |
Howard, Phillips |
|
Oliff & Berridge |
Howrey |
|
Saidman DesignLaw |
Kenyon & Kenyon |
|
|
Kerr, Russell |
|
|
Kirkland & Ellis |
|
|
Luce, Forward |
|
|
Oblon, Spivak |
|
|
Patton, Tidwell |
|
|
Taft Stettinius |
|
|
|
|
4 General Electric |
Armstrong Teasdale |
Akerman Senterfitt |
|
Cantor Colburn |
Gardere |
|
McNees Wallace |
Holme Roberts |
|
Nixon & Vanderhye |
Nexsen Pruet |
|
Ziolkowski Patent |
Robinson & Cole |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 Microsoft |
Banner & Witcoff |
Fish & Richardson |
|
Lee & Haynes |
Holland & Knight |
|
Merchant & Gould |
K&L Gates |
|
Woodcock Washburn |
Perkins Coie |
|
Workman Nydegger |
Weil, Gotshal |
|
|
Yarmuth Wilsdon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 Procter & Gamble |
Fitzpatrick, Cella |
Connell Foley |
|
Womble Carlyle |
Dinsmore & Shohl |
|
|
Howrey |
|
|
Jones Day |
|
|
Larsen, Christensen |
|
|
Snell & Wilmer |
|
|
Van Cott, Bagley |
|
|
|
|
7 3M |
Fish & Richardson |
Betts, Patterson |
|
|
Cummings & Lockwood |
|
|
Edwards Angell |
|
|
Faegre & Benson |
|
|
Fish & Richardson |
|
|
Fulbright & Jaworski |
|
|
Jaffe, Raitt |
|
|
Kirkland & Ellis |
|
|
McCarter & English |
|
|
|
|
8 Walt Disney |
Greenberg Traurig |
Baker & Hostetler |
|
Townsend and Townsend |
Holihan Law |
|
|
J. Andrew Coombs |
|
|
|
Kernan and Kernan |
|
|
Loeb & Loeb |
|
|
McDermott Will |
|
|
Nixon Peabody |
|
|
Quinn Emanuel |
|
|
Sheppard Mullin |
|
|
|
|
9 IBM |
Cantor Colburn |
Fitzpatrick, Cella |
|
Heslin Rothenberg |
Gibson, Dunn |
|
Sawyer Law Group |
Hogan & Hartson |
|
Schmeiser, Olsen |
Hughes & Luce |
|
Scully, Scott |
Jones Day |
|
|
Troutman Sanders |
|
|
|
|
10 Sony |
Frommer Lawrence |
Akerman Senterfitt |
|
Lerner David |
Gardere |
|
Oblon, Spivak |
Holme Roberts |
|
Rader, Fishman |
Nexsen Pruet |
|
Sonnenschein |
Robinson & Cole |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11 Wal-Mart |
Priest & Goldstein |
Atchley, Russell |
|
|
Baker Botts |
|
|
Carlton Fields |
|
|
Farella Braun |
|
|
Foley & Lardner |
|
|
Gibson, Dunn |
|
|
Gordon & Rees |
|
|
Haynes and Boone |
|
|
Jenner & Block |
|
|
Jones, Walker |
|
|
Levy, Small |
|
|
Manatt, Phelps |
|
|
Nigaglioni & Ferraiuoli |
|
|
Quinn Emanuel |
|
|
Roetzel & Andress |
|
|
The Roth Firm |
|
|
Smyser, Kaplan |
|
|
Wang, Hartmann |
|
|
|
|
12 Honda Motor |
Arent Fox |
Burr & Forman |
|
Birch, Stewart |
Howard, Phillips |
|
Carrier, Blackman |
Knobbe, Martens |
|
Rankin, Hill |
Mayer, Brown |
|
Westerman, Hattori |
Proskauer Rose |
|
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Westerman, Hattori |
|
|
|
|
13 Nokia |
Alston & Bird |
Alston & Bird |
|
Banner & Witcoff |
Foley & Lardner |
|
Harrington Smith |
Gibson, Dunn |
|
Squire, Sanders |
Gillam & Smith |
|
Ware, Fressola |
King & Spalding |
|
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Morris, Nichols |
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Neil, Dymott |
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Potter Minton |
|
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Quinn Emanuel |
|
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The Roth Firm |
|
|
|
|
14 Starbucks |
N/A |
Fulbright & Jaworski |
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15 Target |
Dicke, Billig |
Connell Foley |
|
Faegre & Benson |
Drinker Biddle |
|
Ingrassia Fisher |
Duane Morris |
|
McAndrews, Held |
Duffy Sweeney |
|
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Faegre & Benson |
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Foley & Lardner |
|
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Hill, Ward |
|
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Kaplan Gilman |
|
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K&L Gates |
|
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Kluger, Peretz |
|
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McKool Smith |
|
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McPherson & Kalmansohn |
|
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Morrison & Foerster |
|
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Park Law |
|
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Patton, Roberts |
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Schiff Hardin |
|
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Snow, Christensen |
|
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Sterns & Weinroth |
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16 BMW |
N/A |
Crowell & Moring |
|
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Howrey |
|
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Jones, Skelton |
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Rothschild, Barry |
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17 Samsung |
F. Chau & Associates |
Ashby & Geddes |
|
Marger Johnson |
Baker Botts |
|
Myers Bigel |
Fish & Richardson |
|
Staas & Halsey |
Potter Minton |
|
Sughrue Mion |
Sidley Austin |
|
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Weil, Gotshal |
|
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|
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18 Virgin Group |
RatnerPrestia |
Fried, Frank |
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19 Intel |
Blakely Sokoloff |
Beck, Redden |
|
Fish & Richardson |
Fish & Richardson |
|
Schwabe, Williamson |
Gillam & Smith |
|
Schwegman, Lundberg |
Keker & Van Nest |
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Trop, Pruner |
McGarry Bair |
|
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Orrick, Herrington |
|
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Proskauer Rose |
|
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Ramey & Flock |
|
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Wilson, Sheehy |
|
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20 Amazon.com |
Knobbe, Martens |
Erskine & McMahon |
|
Perkins Coie |
Fenwick & West |
|
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K&L Gates |
|
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Natter & Natter |
|
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Townsend and Townsend |
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21 Boeing |
Alston & Bird |
N/A |
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Harness, Dickey |
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Lee & Hayes |
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Ostrager Chong |
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Shimokaji & Associates |
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22 Dell |
Baker Botts |
Arnold & Porter |
|
Hamilton & Terrile |
Dechert |
|
Haynes and Boone |
Dewey Ballantine |
|
OÕKeefe, Egan |
LeBoeuf, Lamb |
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Loeb & Loeb |
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Vinson & Elkins |
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23 Genentech |
Brinks Hofer |
N/A |
|
Heller Ehrman |
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Knobbe, Martens |
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Merchant & Gould |
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Sidley Austin |
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24 Ebay |
Park, Vaughan |
McGuireWoods |
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Schwegman, Lundberg |
Michael Best |
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Skadden |
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25 Cisco Systems |
Baker Botts |
Baker Botts |
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Beyer Weaver |
Brown McCarroll |
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Orrick, Herrington |
Claude Welch |
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Folger Levin |
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Ireland, Carroll |
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McKool Smith |
|
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Michael Best |
|
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Morgan, Lewis |
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Morris, Nichols |
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Parker & Bunt |
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Quinn Emanuel |
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Wilmer |
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26 Motorola |
Amin, Turocy |
Buchanan Ingersoll |
|
Blakely Sokoloff |
Hogan & Hartson |
|
Carter Deluca |
Kirkland & Ellis |
|
Design IP |
Kilpatrick Stockton |
|
Sterne, Kessler |
Lewis and Roca |
|
Vedder, Price |
Niro, Scavone |
|
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Potter Anderson |
|
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Potter Minton |
|
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Seyfarth Shaw |
|
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Wildman, Harrold |
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27 Southwest Airlines |
N/A |
DLA Piper |
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28 IDEO |
N/A |
N/A |
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29 IKEA |
N/A |
Morgan, Lewis |
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30 DaimlerChrysler |
Akerman Senterfitt |
Akin Gump |
|
Brooks Kushman |
Gravel and Shea |
|
Crowell & Moring |
Gibson, Dunn |
|
Davidson, Davidson |
Kilpatrick Stockton |
|
Kenyon & Kenyon |
Kirkland & Ellis |
|
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Sheehey Furlong |
|
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31 HP |
Foley & Lardner |
DLA Piper |
|
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Godfrey & Kahn |
|
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Goldman Antonetti |
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Morgan, Lewis |
|
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Parker & Bunt |
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Williams, Morgan |
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32 Nike |
Banner & Witcoff |
Banner & Witcoff |
|
Harness, Dickey |
Cotton Schmidt |
|
Shook, Hardy |
DLA Piper |
|
TraskBritt |
J. Andrew Coombs |
|
Wolf, Greenfield |
McDermott Will |
|
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33 BP |
Fellers, Snider |
Nelson Mullins |
|
Finnegan, Henderson |
|
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Nixon & Vanderhye |
|
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34 Research in Motion |
Allen, Dyer |
Beck, Redden |
|
Borden Ladner |
Haynes and Boone |
|
Eckert Seamans |
Howrey |
|
Jones Day |
Kirkland & Ellis |
|
Ogilvy Renault |
Ramey & Flock |
|
Ridout & Maybee |
|
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35 AT&T |
Banner & Witcoff |
Adams & Boswell |
|
Brinks Hofer |
Baker Botts |
|
Cantor Colburn |
Finnegan, Henderson |
|
Merchant & Gould |
Fulbright & Jaworski |
|
Withers & Keys |
Germer Gertz |
|
|
Heartfield & McGinnis |
|
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Hunton & Williams |
|
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Ireland, Carroll |
|
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Potter Minton |
|
|
The Roth Firm |
|
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Sidley Austin |
|
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36 Citigroup |
Kilpatrick Stockton |
Dykema Gossett |
|
Morrison & Foerster |
Greenberg Traurig |
|
|
|
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37 Verizon |
McDermott Will |
Christie, Parker |
|
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McGuireWoods |
|
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Munger, Tolles |
|
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Winston & Strawn |
|
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Young, Pickett |
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38 Royal Philips Electronics |
Fay Sharpe |
Beck, Redden |
|
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Brownstein Hyatt |
|
|
Finnegan, Henderson |
|
|
Frederikson & Byron |
|
|
Keats McFarland |
|
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Mayer, Brown |
|
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Potter Minton |
|
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Sullivan & Cromwell |
|
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|
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39 Nintendo |
Akin Gump |
Germer Gertz |
|
Nixon & Vanderhye |
Latham & Watkins |
|
|
Nixon & Vanderhye |
|
|
Perkins Coie |
|
|
Potter Minton |
|
|
|
|
40 Costco |
N/A |
Fried, Frank |
|
|
Gardere |
|
|
Greenberg Glusker |
|
|
Howrey |
|
|
Jackson Walker |
|
|
