Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic meant we were unable to host our Americas Awards in person this month, but we still want to reveal all the winners – whose achievements should be recognised even if only virtually. Congratulations if your name appears below.

Managing IP’s head of business development, Nicholas Heath (nheath@managingip.com), will be in contact with winning firms and individuals to discuss the best ways to maximise their achievements.

As a reminder, here are the shortlist and methodology for this year’s awards. If you have any questions about the shortlist or research, please contact our US IP STARS editor Chris Adams (chris.adams@euromoneyny.com) or the global research editor Kingsley Egbuonu (kingsley.egbuonu@managingip.com).

You can also view the winners from our EMEA Awards, which took place on March 5 in London.

Among the highlights of the 2020 Americas Awards is Baker McKenzie’s win as Americas Firm of the Year. The firm is recognised for its significant IP practice group spread across the US and Latin America, offering a full suite of services in the patent, trademark, copyright and transactions areas.

Managing IP also recognises two renowned practitioners with Lifetime Achievement honours for their longstanding careers in IP law. Robert MacDonald of Gowling WLG is a leader in his firm’s IP practice group and one of Canada’s foremost trademark practitioners. His work contributes to Gowling’s top-tier rankings across practice areas. Donald Dunner of Finnegan helped cement his firm as one of the top IP boutiques in the US and was a pioneer of Federal Circuit practice. Dunner sadly passed away in October 2019, and is the first posthumous recipient of this award.

In the boutique firm categories, Smart & Biggar takes the honour in Canada for excellent client service across practice areas and significant personnel growth over the past year. Finnegan is Specialty IP Firm of the Year in the US for noteworthy activity in areas including post-grant proceedings for patents and trademarks, prosecution, ITC litigation and appeals before the Federal Circuit. Both boutique firm winners were also involved in two of Managing IP’s Impact Cases of the Year.

In the meantime, our thoughts are with our readers and all others affected by the pandemic.

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN

ARGENTINA

Patent

Marval O’Farrell & Mairal

Trademark

Marval O’Farrell & Mairal

Copyright

Marval O’Farrell & Mairal

BRAZIL

Patent

Licks Attorneys

Trademark

Gusmão & Labrunie

Caribbean Firm of the Year

MINIÑO Abogados (Dominican Republic)

CHILE

Patent

Sargent & Krahn

Trademark

Silva

Copyright

Sargent & Krahn

COLOMBIA

Patent

Lloreda Camacho & Co

Trademark

Brigard & Castro

Copyright

Cavelier Abogados

ECUADOR

Firm of the Year

CorralRosales

MEXICO

Patent

Olivares

Trademark

Olivares

Copyright

Olivares

PANAMA

Firm of the Year

Estudio Benedetti

PERU

Patent

BARLAW -Barrera & Asociados

Trademark

BARLAW -Barrera & Asociados

URUGUAY

Firm of the Year

Cervieri Monsuárez

NORTH AMERICA

CANADA

Copyright

McCarthy Tétrault

Patent Contentious

Torys

Patent Prosecution

Borden Ladner Gervais

Trademark Contentious

Smart & Biggar

Trademark Prosecution

Gowling WLG

IP Boutique Firm of the Year

Smart & Biggar

Outstanding Practitioner: Copyright

Casey Chisick, Cassels Brock & Blackwell

Outstanding Practitioner: Trademark

Mark Evans, Smart & Biggar

Outstanding Practitioner: Patent

Dominique Hussey, Bennett Jones

UNITED STATES (REGIONAL)

Patent Prosecution: Northeast

Choate Hall & Stewart

Patent Prosecution: South

Haynes and Boone

Patent Prosecution: Midwest

Marshall Gerstein & Borun

Patent Prosecution: West

Morgan Lewis & Bockius

Patent Contentious: Northeast

WilmerHale

Patent Contentious: South

McKool Smith

Patent Contentious: Midwest

Kirkland & Ellis

Patent Contentious: West

Fish & Richardson

Trademark Prosecution: Northeast 

Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu

Trademark Prosecution: South

Pirkey Barber

Trademark Prosecution: Midwest  

Loeb & Loeb

Trademark Prosecution: West 

Fenwick & West

Trademark Contentious: Northeast

Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner

Trademark Contentious: South

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton

Trademark Contentious: Midwest

Pattishall McAuliffe Newbury Hilliard & Geraldson

Trademark Contentious: West 

Cooley

Copyright: East

Kirkland & Ellis

Copyright: West

Fenwick & West

UNITED STATES (NATIONAL)

Patent Prosecution

Fish & Richardson

Patent Contentious

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher

Trademark Prosecution

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton

Trademark Contentious

Kirkland & Ellis

Copyright

Weil Gotshal & Manges

Appellate

Morrison & Foerster

ITC

Fish & Richardson

Life Sciences IP Litigation

Sidley Austin

Plaintiff Firm

McKool Smith

IP Transactions

Cooley

PTAB

Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox

Specialty IP Firm of the Year

Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner

Firm to Watch

Honigman

Outstanding Litigator: California

Morgan Chu, Irell & Manella

Outstanding Litigator: Colorado

Evan Rothstein, Arnold & Porter

Outstanding Litigator: Delaware

Karen Jacobs, Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell

Outstanding Litigator: DC Metro

Matthew Wolf, Arnold & Porter

Outstanding Litigator: Georgia

Matthew Gaudet, Duane Morris

Outstanding Litigator: Illinois

David Pritikin, Sidley Austin

Outstanding Litigator: Massachusetts

Barbara Fiacco, Foley Hoag

Outstanding Litigator: Michigan

Marc Lorelli, Brooks Kushman

Outstanding Litigator: Minnesota

J Derek Vandenburgh, Carlson Caspers

Outstanding Litigator: New Jersey

Robert Rhoad, Dechert

Outstanding Litigator: New York

Dale Cendali, Kirkland & Ellis

Outstanding Litigator: Pennsylvania

Martin Black, Dechert

Outstanding Litigator: Texas

Theodore Stevenson III, McKool Smith

Outstanding Litigator: Washington

David Tellekson, Fenwick & West

Outstanding Litigator: PTAB

Scott McKeown, Ropes & Gray

Outstanding Practitioner: IP Transactions

David Kappos, Cravath Swaine & Moore

Outstanding Practitioner: Appellate

Deanne Maynard, Morrison & Foerster

SPECIAL AWARDS

Americas Firm of the Year

Baker McKenzie

Americas In-House Team of the Year (Patent)

IBM

Americas In-House Team of the Year (Trademark)

PepsiCo

Lifetime Achievement

Donald R Dunner, Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner

For his critical role as a senior partner at one of the leading intellectual property boutiques in the United States, and his legacy as a pioneer of several areas of practice, including Federal Circuit work. (Posthumous award: Dunner passed away in October 2019)

Robert MacDonald, Gowling WLG

For his position as a leading trademark practitioner both at his firm and internationally. His work at Gowling WLG has contributed to the firm’s top-tier rankings in trademark prosecution and litigation, and overall reputation in IP as practice group leader.

IMPACT CASES

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN

Industrias Saladillo SA v. Tigre Argentina SA (Argentina)
Jorge Otamendi, G Breuer

Metallica v. Mardones (Chile)
Francisco Silva and Ricardo Montero, Silva

CANADA

Aux Sable Liquid Products LP v. JL Energy Transportation Inc (2019 FC 788)
McCarthy Tétrault

Keatley Surveying Ltd. v. Teranet Inc. (2019 SCC 43)
McCarthy Tétrault

Canmar Foods Ltd v. TA Foods Ltd (2019 FC 1233)
Gowling WLG

Eli Lilly Canada Inc v. Apotex Inc (2019 FC 884)
Borden Ladner Gervais

Bell Media Inc v. John Doe 1 dba GoldTV.biz (2019 FC 1432)
Smart & Biggar

Canada (Attorney General) v. Galderma Canada (2019 FCA 196)
Gowling WLG, Belmore Neidrauer

Wenger SA v. Travelway Group International Inc (2019 FC 1104)
Robic

UNITED STATES

A&H Sportswear Co Inc v. William W Yedor (TTAB)
Douglas Rettew, Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner

Arthrex v. Smith & Nephew (Federal Circuit)
Anthony Cho, Carlson Gaskey & Olds

Curver Luxembourg, SARL v. Home Expressions Inc. (Federal Circuit)
Steven Auvil, Squire Patton Boggs

Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media (US Supreme Court)
Evan Young, Baker Botts

Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com (US Supreme Court)
Peter Stris, Stris & Maher

Mission Product Holdings Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC (US Supreme Court)
Danielle Spinelli, WilmerHale

Momenta Pharmaceuticals v. Bristol-Myers Squibb (Federal Circuit)
Christopher Sipes, Covington & Burling

Iancu v. Brunetti (US Supreme Court)
John R Sommer, Esq

Immunex Corp., et al., v. Sandoz Inc., et al. (District of New Jersey)
Vernon Winters and David Pritikin, Sidley Austin

Return Mail Inc. v. United States Postal Service (US Supreme Court)
Beth Brinkmann, Covington & Burling

Rimini Street v. Oracle USA (US Supreme Court)
Mark Perry, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher

TCL Communication Technology Holdings v. Ericsson et al (Federal Circuit)
Jeffrey Lamken, MoloLamken

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