Joseph J. Mueller

Joseph J. Mueller: Professional Summary

Joseph J. Mueller is a high-stakes patent trial lawyer and the Co-Chair of WilmerHale's Trial Practice. His practice is focused on the defense of major technology companies in complex patent litigation. Based on his case history, Mueller represents industry leaders in the software, electronics, and telecommunications sectors. All of his eight tracked cases are on the defendant side, representing clients such as Apple Inc., Intel Corporation, and Amazon.com, Inc. This exclusive focus on the defense of operating companies against patent infringement claims, often brought by non-practicing entities (NPEs), is a defining feature of his practice.

Mueller is a long-serving partner at WilmerHale in Boston and has been with the firm or its predecessor, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, for the majority of his tracked appearances. One earlier case shows an appearance while at Fish & Richardson. His work for Intel is particularly notable, where he was part of the WilmerHale team that secured a significant victory from the Federal Circuit in a long-running litigation with VLSI Technology, which involved reversing a $2.18 billion jury verdict. In another prominent matter, Mueller was recognized as "Litigator of the Week" by The AmLaw Litigation Daily in March 2026 for securing a complete defense verdict for Apple in the Eastern District of Texas in a high-profile 4G LTE patent dispute.

Mueller's practice includes a significant appellate component, with experience arguing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. While his specific role in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings is not detailed in the provided case list, his firm has a strong PTAB practice, and his work for Intel included a Federal Circuit appeal that affirmed PTAB decisions invalidating patent claims. He earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School, summa cum laude, and his B.A. from Harvard University. Following law school, he clerked for Judge Paul Michel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.