Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) is an international AmLaw100 law firm with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. The firm maintains a global presence with 31 offices spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. BCLP is a substantial legal entity, reportedly housing over 1,200 lawyers. In 2025, it was ranked 65th on The American Lawyer's Am Law 200 by revenue and 74th on the 2024 Global 200. Chambers USA 2026 recognized 38 of the firm's practice groups and 73 individual lawyers.

BCLP's Intellectual Property (IP) litigation practice is recognized for handling high-stakes patent infringement disputes across diverse scientific and engineering fields. The firm's litigators possess expertise in areas such as computer hardware and software, life sciences, clean and renewable energy, nanotechnology, metallurgy, polymer chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and automotive technologies. Additionally, their experience extends to wireless communication systems (including Bluetooth, WiFi, and RFID), smart phone technology, semiconductors, and various internet-related and electrical engineering domains. The firm's tracked cases indicate a preference for defending clients, with two appearances on the defendant side and no appearances on the plaintiff side in the analyzed dataset.

Key partners in the IP litigation practice include Scott W. Cummings, Joseph J. Richetti, and Song Jung. Scott W. Cummings, a Washington D.C.-based partner and former USPTO examiner, is recognized as a "PTAB expert" for his patent litigation and post-grant proceedings work. Joseph J. Richetti, a New York partner, focuses on patent, unfair competition, and trade secret disputes, having litigated over 75 IP cases and more than 100 post-grant proceedings. Song Jung serves as the Global Chair of Patents within the firm's Intellectual Property & Technology Disputes group, leading a prominent IP team.

The firm possesses a notable practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), including the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Scott W. Cummings is particularly lauded for his track record in Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) and for leveraging post-grant proceedings as a strategic component in patent litigation. Joseph J. Richetti's extensive experience includes representing clients in over 100 post-grant proceedings, such as IPRs and Post-Grant Reviews (PGRs). BCLP actively advises clients on determining optimal strategies for challenging patent validity and defending patents in these USPTO proceedings. For instance, in a tracked PTAB proceeding, North Sails Group, LLC v. Team New Zealand Limited et al. (PGR2025-00062), the petition for institution was denied on January 9, 2026, in a case where the firm represented the defendant. The firm has also successfully represented clients as defendants in patent infringement cases, such as in ACCO Brands Inc. v. ABA Locks Mfg. Ltd. et al., leading to the dismissal of asserted patents after two jury trials and a Federal Circuit appeal.