DALLAS, January 20, 2026 — Baker Botts L.L.P., a leading international energy, technology, and life sciences law firm, has been named Law360's IP Practice Group of the Year for 2025, winning the recognition for the second time in three years.

The award caps an extraordinary two-year period in which the Firm achieved nearly $3 billion in IP verdicts won or overturned across telecommunications, consumer technology, and fintech disputes. The wins came at every level of the patent system, including trial courts, the Federal Circuit, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

"We've built a practice that blends technical depth and courtroom instinct," said Managing Partner Danny David. “Our clients are innovators, and they need advocates who understand the science as deeply as the inventors do. We have intentionally assembled a team that can go toe-to-toe on technical prosecution and still command a jury's attention during a complex trial.”

Baker Botts helped eliminate an $850 million jury verdict for Ericsson and Verizon in the Eastern District of Texas, persuading Judge Gilstrap to grant a new trial motion on infringement, a historic first in his courtroom for a defendant. The case settled after just one day of retrial, three days after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had invalidated the asserted claims in one of the asserted patents.

In September, the Firm reversed a $166 million verdict against AT&T at the Federal Circuit, with Judge Kimberly Moore writing the panel opinion that wiped out the infringement finding. During the same month, the Firm secured a Federal Circuit win for Lyft to invalidate vehicle identification claims across five patents, affirmed a full defense win for Samsung, and secured a judgment for Mastercard in a decade-long patent licensing dispute.

"The common thread in these wins is that we're taking on the hardest fights at the moment they matter most," said Christa Brown-Sanford, chair of Baker Botts' IP Department. "Companies come to us after an initial bad outcome or when the technology is too complex for generalists, and based on our trial calendar, 2026 is shaping up to be our busiest year yet."

The Firm’s IP department remains one of the largest in a general practice firm, with more than 165 lawyers and professionals holding over 200 technical degrees to effectively deliver superior client service in patent litigation, prosecution and in the transactional space. This technical horsepower has also led to historic regional recognition; in late 2025, Texas Lawyer named Baker Botts the IP Litigation Department of the Year for the second consecutive year, the first back-to-back winner in the award’s history. 

"One thing that sets us apart is the seamlessness with which our team operates across different forums and technology areas," said IP Department Deputy Chair Jennifer Tempesta. “While our litigation wins generate headlines, we're equally active on the transactional side, representing clients in significant patent licensing matters and IP aspects of M&A transactions.”

Law360's Practice Group of the Year awards recognize firms that have achieved exceptional results in high-stakes litigation and complex transactions.

ABOUT BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.
Baker Botts is an international law firm whose lawyers practice throughout a network of offices around the globe. Based on our experience and knowledge of our clients' industries, we are recognized as a leading firm in the energy, technology and life sciences sectors. Since 1840, we have provided creative and effective legal solutions for our clients while demonstrating an unrelenting commitment to excellence. For more information, please visit bakerbotts.com.