Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a full-service international law firm with approximately 700 attorneys across 20 offices in the U.S., London, and Asia. Headquartered in New York City, with a significant presence in San Francisco, Pillsbury is recognized as a BigLaw firm, appearing on the Vault Law 100 at #60 and consistently ranked by Chambers USA and The Legal 500 for various practice areas. BTI Consulting Group has also named Pillsbury as one of the "Most Feared Litigation Law Firms" in the AmLaw 100 for five consecutive years, highlighting its strong litigation capabilities.

The firm's Intellectual Property Litigation practice is known for its deep technical expertise, with many attorneys holding advanced scientific and technical degrees in fields such as electrical and mechanical engineering, chemistry, biology, physics, and computer science. Pillsbury represents clients across a wide range of industries, including technology, energy, financial services, real estate, retail, telecommunications, and life sciences. Their IP litigators handle high-stakes cases involving diverse technologies, from robotic vacuum cleaners and radiotherapy to highly soluble stevia sweeteners and machine learning-backed software.

Pillsbury primarily focuses on defending operating companies against infringement claims, as evidenced by its robust defense record in tracked cases and publicly reported matters. The firm has achieved notable outcomes, including a precedential Federal Circuit ruling upholding a defense win for Fox Corp. in a machine learning patent eligibility case, and successfully defending Atlas Copco in a patent infringement jury trial involving over $200 million in damages. Other significant results include prevailing for Medtronic in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, and securing an $18 million settlement and subsequent arbitration award for Toshiba Corp. in a DVD technology patent infringement action.

The firm possesses a notable post-grant practice, frequently appearing before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and the International Trade Commission (ITC). Pillsbury has successfully represented clients like Medtronic and Atlas Copco in IPR proceedings, securing findings that challenged claims were unpatentable. They also successfully defended Rigetti Computing against IBM's IPR petitions, which the PTAB declined to institute. The firm publishes a "PTAB Handbook" as a resource for navigating post-grant proceedings.

Key partners in Pillsbury's Intellectual Property practice include Jack Barufka, who serves as the head of the IP team, and Patrick Doody, who focuses on the pharmaceutical industry's IP counseling and patent portfolio management. Michael E. Jaffe is a prominent Pillsbury partner frequently recognized for his work in arbitration, litigation, and dispute resolution, though his primary focus extends beyond patent litigation to international and construction law. In July 2025, the firm further strengthened its team with the addition of Mark Abate, an IP litigation partner with extensive experience in high-stakes patent cases across various technology sectors, including computers, electronics, and software.