Villegas & Cefo

Villegas & Cefo is an intellectual property and complex litigation boutique firm headquartered in New York, NY. The firm describes itself as handling cases of complexity and size typically found in larger international firms, offering patent and trademark prosecution, IP counseling, and litigation services. Its lawyers have received recognition in publications such as Chambers, IAM Patent 1000, and New York Super Lawyers.

The firm's IP litigation practice spans a wide range of technologies, including telecommunications, software, electronics, artificial intelligence, medical devices, cloud software, semiconductors, wireless communications, standard-essential patents, and the Internet of Things (IoT). While the firm states it represents clients "without regard to plaintiff or defendant," public records indicate a current emphasis on plaintiff-side patent litigation, with all four tracked federal IP lawsuits on the plaintiff side, including B.S.D Crown, Ltd. v. Amazon.com, Inc. and OS-New Horizon Personal Computing Solutions Ltd. v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Villegas & Cefo attorneys have secured significant outcomes for clients. Partner Damir Cefo was counsel in a patent infringement action involving coronary stent technology that resulted in a $166 million damage award. Francisco A. Villegas has obtained an $8 million jury verdict for a medical device company and achieved favorable settlements and summary judgments of non-infringement. Ketan Patel, another partner, led a trade secret dispute that resulted in a $375 million recovery and has successfully challenged patent validity under § 101.

The firm maintains an active practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) for both patent owners and petitioners, handling inter partes review (IPR) and other post-grant proceedings. Stephen McBride, a counsel at the firm, is particularly active and has been recognized by Patexia as a Top 25 Most Active Attorney at the PTAB in 2024 and 2025. Key partners leading the firm's patent litigation efforts include co-founders Francisco A. Villegas and Damir Cefo, alongside Ketan Patel.