David L. Cavanaugh

David L. Cavanaugh is a prominent patent litigation attorney and a Partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (WilmerHale), where he also serves as Vice Chair of the Intellectual Property Department and Chair of the firm's Post-Grant Proceedings Group. His practice encompasses a broad range of intellectual property matters, including patent litigation, patent procurement, technology transfer and licensing, and due diligence for corporate transactions. Cavanaugh frequently handles cases across various technology sectors, including life sciences, medical devices (such as those related to radiology, neurology, urology, endoscopy, cardiac implantable devices, and catheters), semiconductors, and software/IT. Notable past roles include serving as senior patent counsel at Boston Scientific Corporation and working as a patent examiner at the US Patent Office.

Cavanaugh primarily represents defendants, as evidenced by his 5 defendant-side appearances compared to 1 plaintiff-side appearance in tracked cases. He has acted as lead counsel in significant defense matters, including for Microsoft Corporation in Qomplx LLC v. Microsoft Corporation, and for Neurent Medical Ltd. in multiple actions brought by Aerin Medical Inc. He is also noted for his work challenging patents on behalf of clients, such as representing a Fortune 500 technology company in a successful Federal Circuit appeal where three patent claims relating to speaker designs were held unpatentable after an IPR. He was also part of the WilmerHale team that achieved favorable decisions in several Federal Circuit patent cases, including In re Packard.

A significant focus of Mr. Cavanaugh's practice is post-grant proceedings at the US Patent Office. He has been recognized by Patexia as one of the most active attorneys in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, having served as lead counsel or counsel of record in over 400 IPRs across diverse technologies. He is experienced in developing strategies for IPRs, including their use as a tool for settling related district court cases, and routinely handles other post-grant proceedings such as ex parte reexaminations and reissues. He has successfully represented clients like Permobil, securing IPR decisions that declared all challenged claims of certain wheelchair patents unpatentable.

David L. Cavanaugh earned his JD from George Washington University Law School in 1994 and holds a BME from Villanova University. He has been recognized in numerous legal directories for his patent law and patent litigation practice.