What Is Sterne Kessler Known For in Intellectual Property Law?

Updated

Sterne Kessler is a top-ranked intellectual property law firm whose reputation rests primarily on patent litigation, alongside IP prosecution and strategic counseling. If you are looking for a firm that treats IP as its core practice rather than a side service, this profile is worth understanding before you shortlist or contact them.

The Three Pillars of Its Practice

The firm's own description identifies three connected strengths:

  • Patent litigation — Disputes over patent rights, which is the practice most associated with the firm's ranking.
  • IP prosecution — Preparing and pursuing IP applications before the relevant authorities.
  • Strategic counseling — Advising clients on how to position, manage, and use their IP portfolio.

These are not separate businesses bolted together. Litigation, prosecution, and counseling feed each other: prosecution experience informs how claims are drafted, and litigation experience informs how those claims will survive a challenge.

Why "Top-Ranked" Matters in This Context

IP work is specialized enough that general-practice firms often refer it out. A firm described as top-ranked in IP is signaling that this is its primary business, not an ancillary offering. For a client, that generally means:

  • Deeper bench strength in patent-specific disputes
  • Familiarity with how patent offices and courts actually behave
  • Counseling that reflects real dispute outcomes, not just theory

What It Does Not Tell You

The available description does not specify pricing, firm size, jurisdiction coverage, or industry focus. Those are exactly the details you should confirm directly, because they determine fit more than a ranking does. For example, if your matter is a trademark opposition in a specific country, patent litigation strength alone does not answer whether the firm is the right choice.

How to Decide If It Fits Your Situation

Use the same dimensions to compare it against other IP firms:

Dimension What to check
Core focus Is IP the firm's main practice or one of many?
Litigation depth Does it handle disputes, or only filings?
Counseling Will it advise on strategy, not just execute paperwork?
Your matter type Patent, trademark, copyright, or trade secret?
Practical fit Cost structure, location, and responsiveness

If your need is patent-centric and you expect disputes or want strategy tied to enforcement, a firm with this profile is a reasonable candidate. If your need is narrow and transactional, confirm the specific service before assuming coverage.

Next Step

You can follow the firm's own output to judge its expertise firsthand through its news and insights, which are available via subscription on its site. Reading a few recent pieces is a fast way to test whether its thinking matches your problem before you invest time in a consultation.