Husch Blackwell

Husch Blackwell operates as a prominent Am Law 100 firm, ranking 78th in the 2025 Am Law 100 rankings. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the firm maintains a substantial national footprint with numerous offices across the United States. Chambers USA recognized 147 of its attorneys and 59 departments in its 2026 guide, solidifying its position as a major legal service provider.

The firm's intellectual property litigation practice demonstrates broad technical capabilities, particularly in mechanical systems, often involving consumer products such as generators, as seen in cases like Champion Power Equipment Inc. v. Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc. and Champion Power Equipment Inc. v. Generac Power Systems Inc. The team also handles matters in areas including pharmaceuticals (Hatch-Waxman litigation), medical devices, software, high-technology, environmental technology, chemistry, polymer processing, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Husch Blackwell maintains a balanced approach to patent litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. The firm's tracked appearances include 12 cases on the plaintiff side and 11 on the defendant side, indicating versatility in pursuing and defending infringement claims. Key clients include Champion Power Equipment and Ameren Corp., among others.

Notable engagements highlight the firm's litigation prowess. Husch Blackwell secured a precedential opinion at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in May 2026, affirming Article III standing for clients A.L.M. Holding Company and Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, Inc. in patent infringement claims related to warm mix asphalt. The firm has also achieved a multimillion-dollar jury verdict in patent infringement for trace detection equipment and secured summary judgment of non-infringement for a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer in Delaware District Court.

The firm possesses a robust practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), having represented clients since the inception of the America Invents Act (AIA). Husch Blackwell boasts an 86% success rate for petitioners seeking to institute inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. Significantly, the firm secured a precedential PTAB decision for Sotera Wireless, invalidating over 170 claims across eight related IPR petitions for a wireless medical device company, a victory that also established "Sotera stipulations" to navigate IPR institution denials.

The intellectual property litigation practice is led by experienced partners such as Thomas P. Heneghan, who focuses on complex IP and business litigation including patents, trademarks, and trade secrets; Jennifer Elizabeth Hoekel, a highly regarded IP litigator known for representing Fortune 500 companies and emerging innovators across federal courts, the USPTO, and the ITC; and Sharif Ahmed, a registered patent attorney with a national practice encompassing diverse technologies and post-grant proceedings. Rudolph A. Telscher, Jr. is also recognized for his extensive experience in contentious IP matters, including patent infringement and trade secret disputes.