WASHINGTON, D.C., September 17, 2026 – Baker Botts L.L.P., a leading international energy, technology and life sciences law firm, has appointed nationally recognized intellectual property litigator Katharine Burke as Intellectual Property Chair in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. 

Burke, who has spent nearly a decade at Baker Botts, also serves as co-chair of the firmwide IP Litigation Practice Group. She has built a distinguished practice representing clients in complex patent, trade secret and licensing disputes in federal district courts and before the U.S. International Trade Commission. With a background in electrical engineering, she specializes in sophisticated technology litigation, including mobile telecommunications, software, flash memory, network protocols, multimedia and medical devices. 

In her new role, Burke will lead a Washington IP practice with experience across patent litigation, prosecution, licensing, appellate matters and proceedings before the ITC and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The practice is ranked by Chambers USA and has been repeatedly recognized for patent litigation and prosecution excellence in IAM Patent 1000. 

“Our Washington IP practice has tremendous depth across technologies, specialties and forums,” said Managing Partner Danny David. “Katharine’s technical fluency, courtroom experience and record in complex disputes make her the right leader to build on that strength and expand the work we are doing for clients.” 

“Katharine has earned the trust of clients, mentored colleagues and invested deeply in the development of our people,” said Intellectual Property Department Chair Christa Brown-Sanford. “She brings sound judgment and a collaborative leadership style, making her exceptionally well suited to lead our Washington IP practice into its next chapter.” 

“The Washington office has elite litigators and IP lawyers across specialties, technologies and forums,” Burke said. “Our clients can turn to this team with their most complex IP challenges and know that we have the experience, technical knowledge and courtroom ability to handle it. I am honored to lead this exceptional group and excited about what we will continue to build together.” 

Burke earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.S.E., magna cum laude, from Princeton University. She is ranked for intellectual property litigation by Chambers USA and is recognized as a Leading Partner for trade secret litigation by The Legal 500 U.S. 

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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.