Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. is a premier intellectual property (IP) boutique firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., operating with a single office but boasting national and international reach. The firm, founded in 1978, has grown to include over 200 lawyers, patent agents, and technical specialists, with many holding advanced scientific and engineering degrees. Consistently recognized by Vault as a "Best Midsize Law Firm" in Washington, D.C. and for "Intellectual Property" nationally, Sterne Kessler is also highly ranked by Chambers USA for its Patent Prosecution (Band 1), Patent Litigation, and Patent Trial and Appeal Board practices.

The firm's patent litigation practice covers a broad spectrum of cutting-edge technologies. Its experience spans biopharmaceuticals and life sciences, including cases involving pharma (e.g., Harmony Biosciences v. AET Pharma, Biocon Biologics v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Astellas Pharma v. Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Veloxis Pharmaceuticals v. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries), AI, and gene-editing technologies (CRISPR). Sterne Kessler also maintains a robust practice in electronics, semiconductors, software, communications, and medical devices, as evidenced by its work in matters such as Samsung Electronics v. Netlist, Redstone Logics v. Qualcomm, GOOGLE v. Sandpiper Cdn, and VideoLabs v. Roku.

Sterne Kessler works actively on both the plaintiff and defendant sides of patent disputes, though its tracked appearances show a slight lean towards defendant-side representations (16 defense, 10 plaintiff). The firm has secured notable outcomes, including representing Netlist in a U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas jury verdict awarding $118 million in damages against Samsung, and successfully defending a Netlist patent before the PTAB. However, in a separate appeal, the Federal Circuit affirmed the cancellation of another Netlist patent (10,217,523 B1) in a case against Samsung, where Sterne Kessler also represented Netlist. The firm also represented Teva Pharmaceuticals in Allergan v. Teva, securing a district court judgment invalidating six patents that was successfully defended on appeal, and in Vanda Pharmaceuticals v. Teva, where all claims were invalidated at trial and affirmed by the Federal Circuit. The firm's work in Apple v. Samsung design patent litigation also resulted in a significant settlement in excess of half a billion dollars.

The firm possesses a particularly strong and nationally recognized Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) practice. Sterne Kessler has served as counsel in over 1,300 PTAB proceedings and is consistently ranked among the top firms for activity and performance by Patexia's PTAB Intelligence Report. The firm has been named "PTAB Firm of the Year" by Managing IP Americas Awards four times, including in 2026. Prominent IP litigation partners include J.C. Rozendaal, Chair of the firm's Trial & Appellate Practice Group, who is noted for his first-chair trial work and appellate advocacy. Byron L. Pickard, the firm's new Managing Director, is an experienced trial lawyer and appellate advocate who has handled over 100 IPR proceedings. Eldora L. Ellison, Ph.D., co-chairs the PTAB Trials practice and has extensive experience in over 80 inter partes review and post-grant review proceedings, particularly in biotechnology. Jason D. Eisenberg, a director in the Electronics Practice Group, leads the firm's Reexamination, Supplemental Examination, and Reissue Practice and has been involved in hundreds of PTAB proceedings.