Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson

What Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson does

Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson LLP is a Chicago-headquartered intellectual property law firm founded in 1898, focused on trademark, copyright, trade dress, unfair competition, and related IP litigation and prosecution. The firm represents a blue-chip enterprise client roster including Eli Lilly, Bayer, Ford, PepsiCo, BP North America, AMD, Acer, EMC, Robert Bosch, and Medline Industries, and has filed or defended more than 500 federal cases and produced more than 150 leading federal appellate and district court opinions in non-patent IP law. The firm has registered trademarks on behalf of clients, including one of the most unique marks on the U.S. register (the Peabody Hotel Duck March motion mark), and was awarded over $13 million in a counterfeiting judgment for Robert Bosch LLC.

The firm operates on a professional services revenue model, generating fees through hourly billing for litigation matters and fixed/negotiated fees for trademark prosecution and counseling. Pricing is quote-based and case-specific, with no publicly disclosed rates. The go-to-market is reputation-driven, relying on referrals from corporate legal departments, professional associations (INTA, ABA), legal directory rankings (WTR 1000 Gold Band consecutively 2013-2023, Chambers USA, U.S. News, Best Lawyers, Managing IP Magazine), and the firm's own thought-leadership products, including the Trademarks and Unfair Competition Deskbook (now in its 12th edition) authored by firm partners. Distribution is direct via enterprise engagement, supported by an established international network of trademark counsel spanning the U.S., China, India, and the UK.

The practice spans federal trials and appeals, TTAB proceedings, trademark prosecution, brand protection strategy, counterfeiting enforcement, domain name disputes under UDRP, ADR/arbitration/mediation, licensing and franchising, M&A IP due diligence, privacy and data security, trade secrets, and media law. The firm holds no proprietary technology platform—its competitive position rests on human expertise, institutional knowledge, and preeminent analyst recognition built over more than a century.

Name

Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson

Legal name

Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson LLP

Website

https://pattishall.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson LLP is a Chicago-based intellectual property law firm founded in 1898 that represents Fortune 500 clients in trademark, copyright, trade dress, and unfair competition litigation and prosecution, leveraging 127 years of institutional expertise and preeminent legal directory recognition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection (BPAHAMAB)

Keywords

• Intellectual property law
• Trademark litigation
• Copyright protection
• Brand protection
• IP prosecution

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: The firm generates revenue through legal fees for intellectual property litigation, trademark prosecution, counseling, and related legal services. Fee structures include hourly billing for litigation matters and potentially fixed fees for trademark prosecution and counseling services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson LLP is an intellectual property law firm that represents clients in trademark and copyright litigation, federal court trials and appeals, TTAB proceedings, trademark prosecution, brand protection strategy, counterfeiting enforcement, copyright counseling, trade dress protection, internet and e-commerce IP matters, advertising and promotions compliance, licensing and franchising, trade secrets, and alternative dispute resolution. The firm serves Fortune 500 companies and international brand owners seeking expert trademark and copyright legal services.

Product overview

Pattishall McAuliffe is an intellectual property law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services rather than a technology product platform. The firm's services encompass the entire IP lifecycle including trademark prosecution and litigation, copyright protection, brand protection strategy, counterfeiting enforcement, trade dress, internet and e-commerce law, advertising compliance, privacy and data security counseling, licensing and franchising, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR/arbitration/mediation). The practice is organized around core legal service areas supported by expert witness testimony capabilities, with a focus on federal court litigation, TTAB proceedings, and international trademark protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expert Witness Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ federal cases filed or defended in recent years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CPR (International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution)coreOthersFirm attorneys serve as mediators and arbitrators certified through CPR for trademark, copyright, and licensing disputes. CPR is a leading dispute resolution service provider for commercial matters.
• INTA (International Trademark Association)coreOthersFirm attorneys serve as neutrals and mediators certified through INTA for trademark disputes. INTA is the global trademark association providing dispute resolution services.
• AAA (American Arbitration Association)coreOthersFirm attorneys serve as arbitrators certified through AAA for IP disputes including trademark infringement and unfair competition matters.
• FRANARB (Franchise Arbitration and Mediation Services)minorOthersFirm attorneys certified as arbitrators and neutrals through FRANARB for franchising and commercial disputes.
• Northern District of Illinois Lanham Act Mediation ProgramcoreOthersFirm attorneys (Robert M. Newbury, David C. Hilliard, Joseph N. Welch II, Brett A. August) serve as certified neutrals for Lanham Act mediation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
• International Network of Trademark CounselcoreOthersNetwork of international associates forged over many years with lawyers and agents identified as the best trademark practitioners in their respective countries for global IP protection.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Holland & Knight LLP: Large national full-service firm with a significant IP litigation and trademark practice. Comparable in that it serves Fortune 500 trademark and copyright matters, but operates as a broad incumbent across many practice areas rather than as an IP specialist.
• Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. National full-service firm with a developed IP practice covering patent, trademark, copyright, and licensing. Comparable at the intersection of IP litigation and brand protection for corporate clients, but broader and not trademark-specialist.

Direct peers

• Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC: Washington DC-based IP boutique specializing in patent and trademark prosecution and litigation. Comparable as a specialist IP firm serving technology and consumer brand clients, though tilted more toward patent prosecution than trademark litigation.
• Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP: National law firm with a strong intellectual property practice spanning patent prosecution, trademark litigation, and brand protection. Comparable as a peer serving Fortune 500 IP portfolios, though broader in scope than Pattishall's trademark/copyright specialty.
• Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP: Largest U.S. IP-only boutique, headquartered in Washington DC with offices nationwide. Closest direct peer: both firms concentrate on intellectual property litigation and prosecution for Fortune 500 brand owners, though Finnegan is significantly larger with a much broader patent practice.
• Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C. Boston-based IP boutique focused on patent, trademark, and copyright matters for technology and life sciences clients. Direct peer as a similarly sized specialist IP firm with comparable trademark prosecution and litigation offerings.
• Brinks Gilson & Lione: Chicago-based intellectual property boutique with a comparable practice mix spanning patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets. Direct peer given shared Chicago home market and overlapping IP litigation and prosecution offerings for corporate clients.
• Fish & Richardson: Major U.S. IP-focused firm with deep patent, trademark, and litigation practices serving technology and life sciences leaders. Comparable as a top-tier IP specialist serving Fortune 500 IP portfolios, though materially larger and more patent-heavy than Pattishall.
• Neal & McDevitt, P.C. Tight trademark and copyright boutique serving brand owners in the Chicago area. Direct peer: even narrower trademark/copyright specialty than Pattishall with overlapping Chicago clientele and federal court trademark practice.
• McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. Chicago-based IP boutique focused on patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters. Direct competitor in the same Chicago IP boutique segment with overlapping Fortune 500 client base and similar mid-size boutique economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Pattishall

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson