The factors we evaluate

Each year we look at a firm's strengths in the practice area concerned and client outcomes achieved. The key information we evaluate include:

• the experts in the firm, track record, sectors covered, and depth of resources;
• the size of workload and its level of sophistication;
• changes within the firm, especially staff hires or departures, and client wins or losses; and
• competitor and client feedback received.

These are assessed cumulatively and no one factor is decisive. For example, positive feedback on its own does not guarantee a higher ranking or any ranking. When assessing firms, we may also review and take account of any relevant data we obtained in previous years. Researchers can also rank firms and/or individuals using independent research data.

Participation in our research or surveys does not guarantee that a firm will be ranked.

Firm ranking system

Firms are ranked alphabetically in tiers or as highly recommended or recommended. In some jurisdictions with a tier system, we also recognise a few active firms under a tier titled 'Other Notable Firms'. The total number of firms listed varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For most jurisdictions, the rankings are split into prosecution and disputes work, whereas in smaller jurisdictions we evaluated and ranked firms for their IP practice as a whole. Some firms can be ranked for more than one practice area.

The rankings reflect our understanding of the strengths of the firms vis-à-vis their rivals; for example, tier 1 or highly recommended firms tend to have a leading reputation or expertise in the relevant practice area, long-established practitioners and a varied portfolio of work.

For the avoidance of doubt, a lower tier does not mean that a firm offers low quality service in that practice area. The firm rankings and IP stars lists are subject to change each year.

We also rank IP practitioners based on available information obtained during our research. We are very selective and therefore not all IP practitioners will be ranked.

Participation in our research or surveys does not guarantee ranking, and a practitioner can be ranked using our own independent research data only. All our IP practitioner rankings are subject to change each year.

We only have three official practitioner rankings:

• An IP Star is a very experienced senior IP practitioner in private practice who has been recommended by peers and/or clients or someone that is integral to the success of their firm. After selection, IP Stars are tagged on our website according to their key practice areas, e.g. patent star and trade mark star. 
• A Rising Star is an up-and-coming IP practitioner who is expected to become a prominent practitioner in the future in their firm and jurisdiction. Please read more about this ranking here.
• A Corporate IP Star is an experienced in-house IP practitioner who has made notable contributions to their company’s success and/or to the IP community in their jurisdiction. Please read more about this ranking here.

Other recognitions

Top 250 Women in IP: This special designation is for exceptional female IP practitioners. Practitioners featured in the Managing IP's Top 250 Women in IP publication are picked from our general IP Stars list for the year. Learn more here.

Notable Practitioner: This new tag (introduced in October 2020) is used to recognise individuals who play either an active or a supportive role in their firms. Individuals with this tag include previously-ranked individuals, partners and former partners.

Trusted Talent Firms: This new table (introduced in July 2025) showcases the practices that have one or more ranked practitioners who have been researched by our team. These firms do not currently appear in our firm ranking tables. An unranked firm in a jurisdiction must submit work data to be considered for this list. However, a submission does not guarantee a practitioner ranking and firm listing. This list is subject to change each year based on firm and practitioner data.

Please note: Individuals tagged as 'Unranked' have either been added by us for further research or added by their firm to publish their biography. We can add a 'Notable Practitioner' at any time in the year.

We also use the data submitted for the IP STARS rankings to conduct the research for the Managing IP Awards programme. The IP STARS rankings and the Managing IP Awards programme are two separate research projects and one does not necessarily influence the other. For example, any firm, regardless of its ranking, can win the Managing IP award.

The Managing IP Awards programme is the premier annual awards event for IP firms and professionals worldwide. This industry-leading awards programme, which was established in 2006, recognises remarkable IP-related achievements. Current and previous shortlists and winners can be found at https://www.managingip.com/awards

Award categories

We have several jurisdictional and regional award categories for firms. We also have special awards to recognise impact cases and individuals.

The awards are based on the information obtained during the research period, and therefore the categories and number of awards are subject to change each year (for example, we may decide to present a special award to recognise corporate social responsibility initiatives or firms involved in cross-border litigation).

Below is a brief explanation of our main awards. The research for the awards covers the various practice areas mentioned above.

• Firm of the Year award (jurisdiction/national): This award recognises firms that performed exceptionally well in a particular practice area, or IP as a whole, in a given jurisdiction. The nominees for this award typically have a number of notable case studies, but we can also consider other achievements or factors. This also applies to the IP Set of the Year award category in the UK.
• Firm of the Year award (regional): The regional award recognises firms that have offices and teams in more than one jurisdiction in the region. The considerations for this award are the same as in the jurisdictional/national category.
• Cross-border Team of the Year award (regional): This regional award recognises the firms that were involved in notable cross-border matters, especially litigation. 
• Impact Case of the Year award: This award recognises IP disputes that made, or are likely to make, a big impact in a jurisdiction or region. These are often landmark court/tribunal or IP Office decisions that clarified or changed a rule or law. We can also consider rare court orders or remedies and cases that dealt with new legal arguments or an innovative approach.
• Practitioner of the Year award: This award recognises the outstanding achievements of senior practitioners in firms. The nominees for this award have at least one remarkable case study in which they were involved, but we may also consider other activities or factors not related to clients. This also applies to the Senior IP Barrister of the Year award category in the UK.
• Rising Star of the Year award: This award recognises the outstanding achievements of junior practitioners in firms. The nominees for this award have at least one remarkable case study in which they were involved, but we may also consider other activities or factors not related to clients. This also applies to the Junior IP Barrister of the Year award category in the UK.
• In-House Team of the Year award: This award recognises IP-related achievements and developments in companies. The award also takes account of the activities or work of the company and/or its in-house legal team in and outside their business.
• In-House Leader of the Year award: This award recognises IP-related achievements by senior in-house practitioners in companies. The award also takes account of industry activities or work outside the company.

The Corporate IP Stars list, which was launched in 2015, is an annual publication which recognises senior in-house practitioners for their contributions to the management of their company's intellectual property assets and/or their influence in the IP ecosystem.

The number of individuals, companies and jurisdictions featured each year is subject to change. The 2026 edition recognised more than 300 in-house practitioners in 31 jurisdictions.

To see the 2026 in-house IP Stars, go to a jurisdiction page, click on the ‘Practitioners’ tab and select 'Corporate star' on the 'Rating' filter.

The IP STARS research analysts produce the Corporate IP Stars list, with input from Managing IP’s editorial team. They use the information, especially nominations by private practice and in-house practitioners, obtained during the research period for the 2026 edition of the IP STARS rankings and the Managing IP Awards programme. The research covered more than 30 jurisdictions.

To participate in our in-house research, please complete our in-house form here.

As part of the research, we also take account of activities that support or develop the IP ecosystem and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

All our rankings and listings are subject to change each year.

If you have any feedback, suggestions or questions about the Corporate IP Stars list please write to us (email here).

Congratulations to all the individuals who made this year’s list.

Managing IP published its first legal directory in 1994 and rebranded it in 2013 as IP STARS. The publication quickly established itself as the leading specialist guide to IP law firms and practitioners worldwide. The research for IP STARS covers several IP practice areas and more than 70 jurisdictions, making it the most comprehensive and widely respected guide in the IP profession. Read about IP STARS here.

This special publication, which we launched in 2013, recognises some of the senior female IP practitioners in private practice who have performed exceptionally for their clients and firms in the past year. The 2026 edition is based on research information available between September 2025 and February 2026.

This year’s list features more than 50 jurisdictions across the world. The full list is available on managingip.com, where you can also read our analysis of this year's rankings, including the top firms and jurisdictions. Below, you will see some of the firms featured this year and a summary of our research methodology.

We know there are other senior practitioners who can be considered for the MIP Top 250 Women in IP publication. If you have questions, feedback or suggestions, please send them to our research team, and we will consider them next year.

Congratulations to all the practitioners ranked this year.

The practitioners recognised in this publication are selected from our IP Stars list for the year. These individuals are senior practitioners, especially at partner level, in their firms.

When deciding who to select for the Top 250 Women in IP publication, our research analysts took account of all the available research information, especially data from firm questionnaires and surveys, obtained for the 2026 IP STARS rankings and Managing IP Awards programme. We can also consider an individual's activities towards the promotion or understanding of IP in and/or outside their jurisdiction. An individual can also be selected based on our independent research findings. Read about our research process here.

There is no special form or survey for individuals to complete in order to be considered for this publication. There is no fee to pay to participate in our research. No firm or practitioner can pay to be ranked. All our rankings are subject to change each year. See the full 2025 list here.

Managing IP launched its official Rising Stars publication in 2018 (read more here). This special publication, which is produced by the IP STARS research team, recognises some of the best up-and-coming intellectual property practitioners in private practice who have contributed to the success of their firms and clients. Although selection is primarily based on an individual’s contributions and expertise, we can also take account of their activities in the IP community.

The Rising Stars list is based on information obtained during the research period for the 2026 edition of IP STARS rankings and Managing IP Awards programme (September 2025 - February 2026). Our research analysts used all available research data, especially firm submissions and market feedback, to produce this list. Read about the research methodology below.

Each year, we obtain information from thousands of practitioners/firms and their clients through interviews, emails and online surveys. One of the surveys is the Managing IP Rising Star survey, which is sent to practitioners who are currently ranked as Rising Stars and other junior IP practitioners who may be interested in it. Completing the survey does not guarantee ranking.

Our research analysts review all the information and conduct their own independent research, including an analysis of publicly available information (such as court or IP office data) and previous research data, before producing the rankings. They consider all firms that submitted their research forms, but, where appropriate, they can rely on independent research findings and/or market feedback to rank practitioners and/or firms.

The individuals we select as Rising Stars typically have less than 10 years’ post-qualification experience and are below the position of partner or equivalent level. In certain circumstances, we can consider and rank individuals with more than 10 years of experience and new or junior partners.

The 2025 practitioner rankings are based on the information available at the time the core research was completed (February 2025). Except for firm name changes, any subsequent developments or information that could influence this year’s rankings will be considered during the research for the 2026 edition. Our research analysts regularly monitor firms and their practitioners throughout the year and therefore Managing IP reserves the right to change any ranking and/or remove a firm or individual from our website at any time.

For the avoidance of doubt, the ranking tag does not suggest or indicate that the expertise of the practitioner is limited to the practice area in question. Because many practitioners will have experience in different areas of IP law and practice, we offer them the opportunity (for a fee) to publish detailed information about their practice. Managing IP does not recommend or endorse any practitioner or firm for IP work. Please read the terms of use concerning our content here.

The research for the IP STARS rankings is conducted rigorously and impartially. No firm or individual can pay to be ranked, and there is no fee to participate in our research. Firms and individuals can, however, pay to publish their IP practice profile on our website. The IP STARS rankings are not influenced by any commercial relationship, including advertising, with Managing IP or IP STARS. The rankings are subject to change each year. The fact that an individual was mentioned in our firm editorial or ranked in a previous edition does not guarantee ranking in a future edition. Furthermore, participation in our research does not guarantee ranking.

For the avoidance of doubt, Managing IP’s Rising Stars publication is a separate research project which is not connected to or influenced by any other Rising Stars Awards programme run by the Legal Benchmarking Group.

Learn more about our methodology for the firm and practitioner rankings here.

Managing IP published its first legal directory in 1994 and rebranded it in 2013 as IP STARS. The publication quickly established itself as the leading specialist guide to IP law firms and practitioners worldwide. The research for IP STARS covers several IP practice areas and more than 70 jurisdictions, making it the most comprehensive and widely respected guide in the IP profession.