McKool Smith

Firm Summary: McKool Smith

Date: 2026-05-01

McKool Smith is a prominent national trial boutique founded in Dallas, Texas, with approximately 130 trial lawyers across seven U.S. offices, including Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, Marshall, New York, and Washington, D.C. The firm is not an AmLaw 100 firm by revenue but is widely regarded as an elite litigation and intellectual property specialty firm. Industry rankings consistently place it at the top tier for patent litigation; Chambers USA ranks the firm's IP practice in Band 1 in Texas and among the leading firms nationwide, while Benchmark Litigation recognizes it as a "Top 20 Trial Law Firm" with a Tier 1 ranking for intellectual property. Vault also ranks McKool Smith as the #2 best firm for intellectual property.

The firm has established a formidable reputation in high-stakes patent infringement litigation, particularly for plaintiffs. Its IP practice covers a wide range of technologies, with a noted specialty in complex, high-tech sectors such as semiconductors, telecommunications and wireless standards (including SEPs), software, and computer memory technology. The firm's work in the semiconductor space is reflected in its representation of Greenthread Ltd. in its patent dispute with Monolithic Power Systems. The authoritative case data, showing a 1-0 record on the plaintiff side, aligns with the firm's public profile as a leading advocate for patent holders, a status reinforced by its recent "Patent Plaintiff Firm of the Year" award from Managing IP.

McKool Smith is known for securing some of the largest patent verdicts on record. Notable public outcomes include a $445 million verdict for Netlist against Micron Technology and separate verdicts of $303 million and $118 million for Netlist against Samsung, all related to memory module patents. Historically, the firm won a landmark $290 million judgment for i4i against Microsoft that was unanimously affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court and a $173 million verdict for ParkerVision against Qualcomm. The firm also has a highly active and successful practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), where it primarily defends patents against validity challenges. A 2025 Patexia report ranked McKool Smith as the second most active firm in the country representing patent owners in IPR proceedings.

The firm's IP litigation practice is led by a team of recognized trial lawyers. The managing partner of the firm is David Sochia. Key partners in the IP group include Dallas-based principal Sam Baxter, a nationally ranked trial lawyer, and Marshall-based principal Jennifer Truelove. The attorneys of record in the tracked Greenthread case include Arvind Jairam and Houston-based principal Archis Ozarkar. Alan Whitehurst and Scott Hejny are noted for their leadership in the firm's active PTAB practice.