Dilworth IP

What Dilworth IP does

Dilworth IP, LLC is a privately held, founder-owned intellectual property law firm founded in January 2007 by Michael P. Dilworth and headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut. The firm employs 17 people, of whom nine are attorneys organized across a founder/managing partner, six additional partners, one of-counsel, and one IP counsel designation, supported by paralegal and operations management. Dilworth IP delivers end-to-end IP legal services organized around eight practice areas: Patent Drafting and Prosecution, Trademarks and Trade Dress, IP Agreements, Opinions, IP Strategy, Post-Grant Proceedings, Client Counseling, and Patent Analytics. Service delivery is anchored by direct attorney-to-client relationships, multi-year engagements, and a proprietary '8 Pillars of Client Support' framework covering counsel quality, responsiveness, results focus, reasonable rates, stakeholdership, flexibility, time discipline, and onboarding.

The firm's commercial model is professional services billing — a mix of hourly rates for complex matters and flat fees for routine tasks — with no public pricing disclosure. Go-to-market relies on consultative, relationship-driven B2B sales: long-tenured enterprise clients include Stepan Company, Resinate Materials Group, Galata Chemicals, Hubbell, and Whelen Engineering, supported by referral networks from in-house counsel. Demand generation is layered on top with content marketing (a patent law blog and downloadable guides), newsletters, and a webinar program that has drawn over 2,000 participants, including content on the intersection of AI and IP law. Distribution is purely direct; the firm does not use intermediaries or resellers.

Underlying technical breadth spans electrical systems, computer science, mechanical systems, biotechnology and life sciences, chemistry, and pharmaceuticals, with documented case-study work covering more than 2,500 global patent assets managed for a multinational industrial client and a 100 percent grant rate across 16 Resinate patents. Owner concentration sits with founder Michael P. Dilworth, with equity-style integration of promoted partners (Ryan Schneer promoted to Partner in March 2026) and recent lateral additions (Eric Osterberg and Alan J. Morrison) broadening the practice's capability into copyright, IP litigation, software licensing, and biotechnology.

Name

Dilworth IP

Legal name

Dilworth IP, LLC

Website

https://dilworthip.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dilworth IP is a privately held, founder-owned intellectual property law firm in New Haven, CT, providing patent prosecution, trademark, IP agreements, opinions, and analytics services to enterprise technology companies and high-growth startups via a 17-person attorney-led team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Intellectual Property (IP) Law (BPAHAAAF), IP Due Diligence & Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Analysis (BPAHAMAG), IP Compliance, Anti-Counterfeiting & Enforcement (BPAHAMAK), IP Valuation, Damages & Royalty Analysis (BPAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Patent prosecution
• Trademark registration
• Intellectual property law
• IP licensing
• Patent analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

New Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Patent Prosecution: Patent drafting, prosecution, and global portfolio management services billed primarily through hourly rates and flat fees for routine tasks
2. Trademark Services: Trademark filing, prosecution, oppositions, renewals, and licensing services
3. IP Agreements and Licensing: Contract drafting, licensing negotiations, technology transfer, and M&A IP support services
4. IP Opinions and Counseling: Invalidity opinions, freedom-to-operate analyses, patentability opinions, and strategic counseling engagements
5. Patent Analytics: Landscape analysis, competitive intelligence, and portfolio analysis services for clients

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dilworth IP is an intellectual property law firm providing comprehensive IP legal services including patent drafting and prosecution, trademark registration and protection, IP agreements and licensing, legal opinions (invalidity, freedom-to-operate, patentability), IP strategy, post-grant proceedings, client counseling, and patent analytics. The firm serves enterprise technology companies and high-growth startups needing strategic IP portfolio management, prosecution, and global IP protection.

Product overview

Dilworth IP is an intellectual property and business law firm that operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of IP legal services through eight interconnected practice areas: Patent Drafting & Prosecution, Trademarks & Trade Dress, IP Agreements, Opinions, IP Strategy, Post Grant Proceedings, Client Counseling, and Patent Analytics. These services work together to provide clients with end-to-end intellectual property protection and strategic guidance—from initial patent drafting and trademark registration through post-grant proceedings and portfolio analytics. The firm serves industries including Electrical Systems & Devices, Computer Science, Mechanical Systems & Devices, Biotechnology/Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Pharmaceuticals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patent Drafting & Prosecution Comprehensive patent services including US Utility and PCT Patent Applications, Design Patent Applications, Global Portfolio Management, Foreign Filing Licenses, and Expedited Patent Examination for technology companies and innovators.
• Trademarks & Trade Dress
• IP Agreements
• Opinions
• IP Strategy
• Post Grant Proceedings
• Client Counseling
• Patent Analytics

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% success rate on 16 granted patents for Resinate Materials Group
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dilworth & BarreseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Strategic affiliation with Dilworth & Barrese, a law firm providing complementary legal services. This affiliation extends the firm's service capabilities and referral network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Banner Witcoff: Mid-sized IP boutique with strong patent prosecution and licensing practices for technology clients. Closely comparable to Dilworth IP on boutique scale, prosecution-centric model, and enterprise/technology client base.
• Oblon: Mid-sized IP and technology boutique known for technical prosecution in software, electrical, and biotech. Closely comparable to Dilworth IP in firm size, prosecution focus, and enterprise/starup client mix.
• McAndrews Held & Malloy: Mid-sized IP boutique delivering prosecution, litigation, and licensing across diverse technical fields. Closely comparable to Dilworth IP as a similarly positioned prosecution boutique with parallel service lines.
• Bookoff McAndrews: Mid-sized IP boutique with prosecution and licensing focus across biotech, chemistry, and pharma. Closely comparable to Dilworth IP on chemistry/biotech technical depth and boutique-firm client profile.
• Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti: Albany/New York-based IP boutique with strong prosecution practice in software, electrical, and mechanical arts. Closely comparable to Dilworth IP as a similarly sized, prosecution-anchored boutique serving enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Cooley: Large national law firm with a substantial IP practice (prosecution, litigation, licensing), particularly strong in life sciences and technology. Compares to Dilworth IP because both serve enterprise technology companies and startups for full-stack IP needs, though Cooley operates across many other practice areas at significantly greater scale.
• Sterne Kessler: Boutique IP firm specializing in patent prosecution and post-grant proceedings, especially in electrical, software, and biotech areas. Most comparable in prosecution focus and technical-breadth strategy to Dilworth IP.
• Finnegan: Top-tier IP firm known for patent prosecution and litigation, particularly in chemistry, biotech, and electrical/mechanical arts. Overlaps with Dilworth IP's prosecution-heavy model and target verticals, though at materially larger scale.
• Fish & Richardson: Large national IP-focused law firm with deep patent prosecution and litigation practices. Compares to Dilworth IP because both center on patent prosecution and technical/legal expertise across chemistry, biotech, and software — though Fish & Richardson operates at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Knobbe Martens: Premier IP boutique with strong prosecution, litigation, and post-grant practices, especially in biotech, chemistry, and medical devices. Directly comparable in technical-center-of-gravity to Dilworth IP's chemistry/biotech emphasis, but with substantially larger bench.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dilworth-ip
• Facebookfacebook.com/dilworthip

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Dilworth IP