King & Spalding

King & Spalding is a multinational corporate law firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with over 1,300 lawyers across 26 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It is recognized as an Am Law 100 firm, ranking #23 on the AmLaw 50 list, and is a Global 30 firm. Chambers USA and U.S. News & World Report consistently rank King & Spalding among the top firms for intellectual property and patent litigation.

The firm's IP litigation practice boasts a full-service approach, combining trial lawyers with scientific specialists. Their expertise spans a diverse range of technology areas, including life sciences, telecommunications, computer systems, media and entertainment, biotech, consumer products, oil and gas, and mechanical and electrical engineering, with approximately 70% of their IP team holding technical degrees. The firm is adept at handling complex patent infringement cases in key jurisdictions such as the Eastern District of Texas, the District of Delaware, and California.

King & Spalding works both sides of patent litigation, though its tracked appearances show a preference for plaintiff-side representation (8 plaintiff-side cases vs. 4 defendant-side cases). Notable recent engagements include representing Intent IQ, LLC against Adobe Inc. and Charge Fusion Technologies, LLC against Tesla, Inc. On the defense side, the firm has represented significant clients such as Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Micron Technology, Inc. in patent disputes brought by Netlist, Inc. While King & Spalding represented Samsung, Netlist secured substantial verdicts against Samsung in other related cases, including a $303 million award in April 2023 and an additional $118 million in November 2024 for patent infringement related to semiconductor memory.

The firm possesses a robust PTAB / IPR practice, with attorneys regularly appearing before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review (PGR) proceedings, as well as ex parte appeals, and reissue and reexamination practice. They also have substantial experience in Section 337 investigations before the International Trade Commission (ITC).

Key partners in the IP litigation practice include I. Neel Chatterjee, who served as Lead Counsel in the Charge Fusion Technologies, LLC v. Tesla, Inc. case, and Thomas M. Melsheimer, who was Lead Counsel in PROFRAC SERVICES, LLC et al. v. LIBERTY ENERGY SERVICES LLC et al. Other prominent litigators involved in significant matters include Patrick M. Lafferty, Scott L. Thomas, and Brian E. Ferguson, the latter of whom also handled related IPR work for PROFRAC SERVICES. Holmes Hawkins and Russell Blythe are also recognized as notable practitioners in Intellectual Property by Chambers USA.