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Fish & Richardson P.C.

Unverified

Boston, MA

About

If intellectual property litigation is your calling, Fish & Richardson is the gold standard. The firm earned Band 1 rankings from Chambers USA for nationwide IP and ITC practices, Gold Band recognition from IAM Patent 1000, and Vault's number-one ranking for Best Law Firm for Intellectual Property, a level of dominance across every major IP ranking that no competitor can match. With approximately 400 attorneys in offices including Boston, Washington DC, Silicon Valley, and other key markets, Fish is the largest dedicated IP firm in the country.

Fish & Richardson handles the full spectrum of intellectual property work, patent prosecution, patent litigation, trademark, trade secret, ITC Section 337 proceedings, and PTAB post-grant proceedings, at the highest level. The firm's patent litigation trial record is exceptional, and its appellate practice before the Federal Circuit is among the most active in the country. Fish also maintains strong practices in commercial litigation and regulatory counseling for life sciences and technology clients.

The culture at Fish is deeply technical and collegantly competitive. Many attorneys hold advanced degrees in engineering, computer science, and the hard sciences. The firm uses a free-market system and summer associates work on real IP matters from day one, gaining exposure to both prosecution and litigation. The atmosphere is described as intellectually rigorous but collaborative.

To stand out in recruiting, highlight any technical background, a STEM degree is a significant advantage here. Be prepared to discuss patent law developments and show that you understand how IP litigation actually works in practice. Fish values candidates who combine legal acumen with genuine scientific curiosity.

Recruiting & Summer Program

Summer Class Size

41 associates

Billable Hours

2,000 hours

Practice Areas & Rankings

Source: Chambers USA 2026 Rankings

Practice AreaBandJurisdictions
Government Regulatory / Public PolicyBand 1Nationwide
Intellectual Property (General / Trademark)Band 1Nationwide, Delaware, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Minnesota
Intellectual Property (General / Trademark)Band 2Texas
Intellectual Property (Patent)Band 2Nationwide, California
Intellectual Property (General / Trademark)Band 3Georgia
Intellectual Property (Patent)Band 3District of Columbia
Life Sciences / FDABand 3California
Intellectual Property (Patent)Band 5New York

Firm Profile

Vault Rank (2026)

#84

Founded

1878

Chair / Managing Partner

John Adkisson

Attorneys

~400

Partnership Track

8 years

Billable Hours Target

2,000 hours

Summer Class Size (2025)

~40

Revenue per Lawyer (FY2025)

$950K

1st-Year Total Comp (2026)

$245,000+

Offices (11 locations)

Boston, MA(HQ)
Dallas, TX
Minneapolis, MN
Palo Alto, CA
San Diego, CA
Wilmington, DE
Atlanta, GA
Houston, TX
New York, NY
Austin, TX
Washington DC, DC
Visit firm website

Data sources: Financial data from AmLaw 200, FY2025. Practice area rankings from Chambers USA 2026. Summer program data from Chambers Associate 2026. Office locations from firm websites. Last verified: March 27, 2026. View our data methodology