Kenyon comes to end of road but IP boutique model not dead

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Kenyon comes to end of road but IP boutique model not dead

kenyon logo 165

The news of Kenyon & Kenyon’s closure came the same week that Managing IP published a look back at the IP boutiques set up in the 1960s, some of whom continue to thrive today

This week came the news that Houston-based Andrews Kurth will add the 55 remaining lawyers at Kenyon & Kenyon. 

kenyon logo

This in effect signals a sad end for a firm whose proud history stretches back to 1879. The shell of the company will be wound down.

As the Wall Street Journal noted in an interesting article following the announcement, Kenyon is the latest in a string of IP boutiques to close in recent years.

“In 2005, for instance, Ropes & Gray LLP acquired then-prominent intellectual-property firm Fish & Neave,” said the Journal. “By then, two other stalwarts in the field, New York’s Pennie & Edmonds and Los Angeles-based Lyon & Lyon LLP, had both gone bust, with lawyers decamping to other firms. Several smaller intellectual-property firms have been acquired or dissolved more recently, including Morgan & Finnegan LLP, whose lawyers joined Locke Lord LLP in 2009.”

With this latest deal, another storied firm is about to disappear – although the Kenyon name will live on through the new Andrews Kurth Kenyon name for the IP and technology practice – but this does not mean the end for the IP boutiques.

As the Wall Street Journal noted, some IP firms have managed to stay independent. This includes 370-lawyer Fish & Richardson, 350-lawyer Finnegan Henderson Farabow & Dunner, and 280-lawyer Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear.

Mad Men cover

The demise of Kenyon does suggest, however, that size is critical. Steven Nataupsky, managing partner at Knobbe, told the Journal: “I think those midsize (intellectual property) firms, if not balanced, have really struggled.”

The news came the same week that Managing IP published our latest cover story, on a number of boutique firms set up in the 1960s that would transform the market. Many of these still exist today, showing that the IP boutique model is still viable.

These firms include the firms now known as Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear, Bereskin & Parr, Finnegan, Oblon McClelland Maier & Neustadt, and Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu.

The piece includes a look back at the circumstances that allowed these firms to crop up. They struggled at first, however, before reaching the critical mass that would allow them to survive. 




more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

The insensitive reaction to a UK politician crying on TV proves we have a long way to go before we can say we are tackling workplace wellbeing
Adrian Percer says he was impressed by the firm’s work on billion-dollar cases as well as its culture
In our latest interview with women IP leaders, Catherine Bonner at Murgitroyd discusses technology, training, and teaching
Developments included an update in the VAR dispute between Ballinno and UEFA, the latest CMS updates, and a swathe of market moves
The LMG Life Sciences Americas Awards is thrilled to present the 2025 shortlist
A new order has brought the total security awarded to a Canadian tech company to $45 million, the highest-ever by an Indian court in an IP case
Andrew Blattman reflects on how IP practices have changed and shares his hopes for increased AI use and better performance on the stock market
The firm said major IP developments included advising on a ‘landmark’ deal involving green hydrogen production, as well as two major acquisitions
The appointments follow other recent moves in the European market as firms look to bolster their UPC offerings
Deborah Kirk discusses why IP and technology have become central pillars in transactions and explains why clients need practically minded lawyers
Gift this article