Haynes and Boone, LLP and seven of its lawyers are recognized in Patexia’s 2022 ranking of the nation’s top firms and lawyers appearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), an important venue for patent litigation.
Partner Debbie McComas ranked as the 4th most active representing appellees, an increase over 2021, when she ranked as the 8th most active attorney representing appellees. McComas, who was admitted to the Federal Circuit in 1998, has been active in patent litigation and appeals throughout her career. Her success in the patent arena derives from a broader career as a litigation and appellate practitioner with broad experience across the nation, as well as in the State of Texas.
Six other Haynes Boone lawyers – Raghav Bajaj, Andrew Ehmke, Theo Foster, Joe Matal, David McCombs, and Angela Oliver – were ranked among the nation’s Top 100 CAFC lawyers in various “most active” and “best performing” categories.
Additionally, Patexia’s CAFC Intelligence Report ranked Haynes Boone as the 8th most active firm representing patent appellees in 2022 and the 12th most active firm overall, measuring representations of appellants and appellees.
For its ranking, Patexia reviewed 4,363 patent-related CAFC appeals originating from district courts (including ANDA-related cases), the International Trade Commission, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The latest review covered patent-related cases for a five-year period from Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2021. In ranking the best-performing firms and lawyers, Patexia took into account their level of activity and success rates, which were calculated by reviewing the opinion and order for all the terminated cases during the period and allocating points to the respective parties based on the outcomes.
“Our rankings in Patexia’s CAFC Intelligence Report demonstrate the depth and strength of our IP Practice,” said Partner Alan Herda, chair of Haynes Boone’s Intellectual Property (IP) Department.
Here is a breakdown of Haynes Boone’s ranked lawyers:
Top 100 most active attorneys representing appellees:
- Matal ranked as the 3rd Most Active Attorney (appellees), with 70 cases. That volume reflects Matal’s prior service as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Acting Solicitor, the defending the agency in cases before the CAFC and U.S. Supreme Court.
- McComas ranked 4th, with 49 cases.
- McCombs ranked 14th, with 35 cases.
- Oliver ranked 27th, with 25 cases.
- Foster ranked 50th, with 17 cases.
- Bajaj ranked 78th, with 14 cases.
- Ehmke ranked 82nd, with 14 cases.
Top 100 most active attorneys overall:
- Matal ranked 8th.
- McComas ranked 14th.
- McCombs ranked 29th.
- Oliver ranked 63rd.
Top 100 best performing attorneys representing appellees:
- Matal ranked as the 6th Best Performing attorney (appellees), with a score of 98.31%.
Haynes Boone’s IP Practice is a full-service practice including patent procurement, litigation and trial proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), where we are nationally recognized for our successes in both defending our client’s patent intellectual property and invalidating claims that are asserted against our clients but never should have been issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). These PTAB trial proceedings include IPR, covered business method (CBM) review, post-grant review (PGR), and other proceedings before the PTAB.
Haynes and Boone, LLP is an international corporate law firm with 18 offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, providing a full spectrum of legal services in energy, technology, financial services and private equity. With 600 lawyers, Haynes Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.-based firms by The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and The Lawyer. It was recognized in the BTI Consulting Group’s 2022 “A-Team” report, which identifies the law firms that in-house counsel commend for providing superior client service.
