King & Wood Mallesons

King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) was a prominent international commercial law firm with deep roots in the Asia-Pacific region, historically maintaining 26-31 offices across Asia, North America, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East, including key locations like Hong Kong, New York, and London. The firm was recognized as a significant player in the global legal market, ranking 57th globally by revenue on the AmLaw Global 200 list as of 2025, with revenues of $1.25 billion and 2,841 lawyers, positioning it as a BigLaw firm. KWM consistently achieved top-tier status in the Chambers Asia Pacific rankings, reflecting a strong regional and international reputation. However, on March 30, 2026, the firm completed a separation, with the Chinese and Australian partnerships reverting to "King & Wood" and "Mallesons" respectively, though King & Wood maintains offices in the United States.

The firm's patent litigation practice, as reflected in tracked appearances, demonstrates an emphasis on representing plaintiffs. All two recorded appearances for King & Wood Mallesons were on the plaintiff side. [cite: firm data] The firm's IP litigation experience spans a diverse array of technology areas. For instance, its representation in Voltage, LLC et al. v. Shoals Technologies Group, LLC involved solar power technology and electrical balance-of-systems (EBOS) solutions, indicating experience with mechanical and electrical patents. Additionally, the Sampo IP LLC v. Salesforce.com case suggests involvement in software and cloud computing-related patent disputes. The firm's broader IP practice also encompasses sectors such as health and pharma, media/entertainment, and general technology.

In terms of notable cases, King & Wood Mallesons acted as counsel for Voltage, LLC in its complex patent dispute against Shoals Technologies Group, LLC. This litigation involved multiple patents related to photovoltaic connectors and components, and saw various rulings. While global law firm White & Case later secured a "no violation" determination for Voltage in a key ITC investigation, reversing an administrative law judge's initial finding, an initial determination in February 2026 in the ITC found Voltage to have infringed two Shoals' patents related to "trunk bus" cable assemblies. Publicly available detailed outcomes for Sampo IP LLC v. Salesforce.com are not readily specified.

Regarding inter partes review (IPR) and other PTAB proceedings, the firm's direct role or volume of filings is not extensively detailed in public reports. In the context of the Voltage litigation, while IPR petitions were filed against Shoals' patents, their institution was denied. This indicates that patents relevant to the firm's cases have been subject to IPR challenges, but does not provide a scale of KWM's own IPR filing or defense practice.

Key partners identified in the firm's patent litigation matters include J. Benjamin Bai, an International Partner specializing in patents across China and the US, who joined the firm's Shanghai office in May 2023. Andrea Pacelli and Charles Wizenfeld are also notable intellectual property litigation attorneys based in the firm's New York office. Michael DeVincenzo also served as lead counsel in one of the tracked cases. [cite: firm data]