Niro, McAndrews

Niro McAndrews: A Legacy in Plaintiff-Side Patent Litigation

Niro McAndrews, LLC was a Chicago-based intellectual property boutique that succeeded the well-known patent litigation firm Niro, Haller & Niro. The firm was famous for its aggressive, plaintiff-focused patent enforcement practice, often representing inventors and patent assertion entities on a contingency basis against large operating companies. Following the death of its pioneering founder Raymond Niro Sr. in 2016, the predecessor firm broke apart in early 2017, with some partners forming new practices. While the Niro McAndrews name was used for a period, public records and attorney movements indicate the firm is no longer operating in its widely recognized capacity.

The firm's specialty was high-stakes patent infringement litigation across a wide spectrum of technologies, dictated by the portfolios of its clients. Its predecessor, Niro, Haller & Niro, was instrumental in developing the business model of patent assertion, securing over a billion dollars for clients in verdicts and settlements over several decades. The firm's reputation was built on representing non-practicing entities (NPEs), a practice that earned Raymond Niro the moniker of the original "patent troll" from an opponent at Intel in 2001. The provided data, showing the firm representing Lepton Computing LLC as a plaintiff against Samsung, is consistent with this historical focus on patent monetization.

The tracked case, Lepton Computing LLC v. Samsung Electronics America Inc et al., filed in the Eastern District of Texas, exemplifies the firm's practice area. The suit alleges that Samsung's popular foldable smartphones infringe on nine patents held by Lepton related to foldable device technology, including hinge mechanisms and user interface software. As a plaintiff-side firm, Niro McAndrews's work at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) primarily involved defending its clients' patents against inter partes review (IPR) petitions filed by defendants.

Key partners associated with the firm and its predecessor include the late Raymond P. Niro Sr., Paul K. Vickrey, Joseph T. Hosteny, and Adam J. Sklarsky. As of early 2026, these attorneys have moved to other firms. Paul Vickrey is a partner at Vitale, Vickrey, Niro, Solon & Gasey LLP, a firm formed after the dissolution of the original Niro firm. The legacy of the Niro firms is carried on by Raymond P. Niro, Jr. at Niro Law Firm, which continues to litigate intellectual property disputes.