Kirkland Named D.C. IP Litigation Department of the Year at National Law Journal Legal Awards

The National Law Journal named Kirkland the “Washington, D.C. IP Litigation Department of the Year” at its 2025 Legal Awards.

Kirkland was honored for our significant achievements in IP law over the last two years for clients across a wide range of industries. Over this period, the Kirkland team secured high-stakes trial and appellate wins, large-scale, bet-the-company litigation, and other victories.

Since January 2024, Kirkland’s D.C. attorneys have secured for clients more than $65 million in damages and other fees, while helping other clients mitigate potentially hundreds of millions in damages. The team won decisive victories, including a $16.3 million jury verdict for a major manufacturing company in patent litigation related to agricultural technology; a bench trial win for a pharmaceutical company in a patent licensing dispute over a nonopioid treatment for postsurgical pain; and an “unclean hands” defense win for a market-leading technology company in litigation seeking $500 million in damages related to patents for smartphones and an AI assistant app.

“Our mindset is always ‘how do we develop a record that will yield pretrial victories and a story that will yield a trial victory?’” said partner Sean McEldowney. “Part of the answer is a team with the right mix of litigation and life experience.”

The National Law Journal Legal Awards recognize outstanding achievements, innovation and dedication within the Washington, D.C., legal community.