Wood Phillips
Wood Phillips is a Chicago-based IP boutique law firm with 13+ attorneys providing patent prosecution, trademark, copyright, portfolio strategy, and IP litigation services to technology, life sciences, brand, and M&A clients since approximately 1874.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1874
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Wood Phillips does
Wood Phillips is a Chicago-based intellectual property boutique law firm with approximately 150 years of continuous practice (founded circa 1874) and an exclusively IP-focused offering. The firm operates from a single office at 500 West Madison Street, employs 11-50 staff including 13+ named attorneys, and delivers services across eight practice areas: Patent Prosecution, Portfolio Strategy, Trademark & Brand, Life Sciences & Biotech, Copyright, Software & Electronics, M&A Due Diligence, and IP Litigation. A distinguishing feature is that four attorneys previously served as Patent & Trademark Counsel inside major corporations, and the team includes former USPTO examiners, providing client-side perspective that the firm markets as a core differentiator.
The firm operates a professional-services revenue model with quote-based pricing tied to matter complexity and scope, and engagements typically run on multi-year cycles tied to IP portfolio lifecycles. Its methodology applies portfolio theory principles to treat IP as financial assets — auditing, refining, and exploiting portfolios to maximize value and minimize cost. The firm pursues a horizontal segmentation strategy targeting Technology Companies, Life Sciences Companies, Brand Owners, and M&A / Investment Entities, with no anchor customer concentration disclosed. Distribution is direct (phone, website consultation requests), and the firm markets via a Knowledge Center blog covering emerging topics such as AI inventorship, generative AI trademark defense, and Federal Circuit patent rulings. The firm claims global portfolio reach through prosecution before international offices alongside its U.S. practice.
The business is privately held with no disclosed ownership structure, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no public revenue disclosures. The firm's competitive positioning rests on a boutique cost-efficiency claim versus large IP practices, depth of specialized technical and scientific expertise, and reputational longevity in the Chicago IP market.
Wood Phillips firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wood Phillips
- Legal name
- Wood Phillips
- Website
- https://woodphillips.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1874
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Wood Phillips is a Chicago-based IP boutique law firm with 13+ attorneys providing patent prosecution, trademark, copyright, portfolio strategy, and IP litigation services to technology, life sciences, brand, and M&A clients since approximately 1874.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wood Phillips industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Intellectual Property Law
- 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 industry
- IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI)
Keywords
Where Wood Phillips is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Wood Phillips business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Legal Services - Patent Prosecution: Application drafting and prosecution before the USPTO and international offices for patents that are broad, defensible, and commercially valuable.
- Legal Services - Trademark & Brand: Clearance, registration, enforcement, and global portfolio management for trademarks and brands.
- Legal Services - IP Litigation: Aggressive enforcement and defense of patent, trademark, and copyright rights in federal courts and the ITC.
- Legal Services - Portfolio Strategy: Audit, optimize, and monetize IP portfolios using portfolio theory principles to maximize value and minimize cost.
- Legal Services - M&A Due Diligence: IP identification, valuation, and risk assessment for mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and licensing transactions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based legal services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Wood Phillips product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wood Phillips is a Chicago-based intellectual property boutique law firm providing strategic patent, trademark, and copyright legal services to businesses across technology, life sciences, and consumer brand industries. The firm offers eight practice areas including Patent Prosecution, Trademark & Brand, Copyright, IP Litigation, Portfolio Strategy, Life Sciences & Biotech, Software & Electronics, and M&A Due Diligence, delivered by 13+ attorneys of whom four previously served as in-house Patent and Trademark Counsel at major corporations.
Product overview
Wood Phillips is a Chicago-based IP law firm providing comprehensive intellectual property legal services through eight distinct practice areas: Patent Prosecution, Portfolio Strategy, Trademark & Brand, Life Sciences & Biotech, Copyright, Software & Electronics, M&A Due Diligence, and IP Litigation. The firm positions itself as an IP boutique with attorneys who have client-side experience, offering strategic patent, trademark, and copyright counsel to help clients build, manage, and monetize IP portfolios as business assets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Patent Prosecution
- Portfolio Strategy
- Trademark & Brand
- Life Sciences & Biotech
- Copyright
- Software & Electronics
- M&A Due Diligence
- IP Litigation
Companies that use Wood Phillips
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Wood Phillips technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Wood Phillips partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Wood Phillips competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- McAndrews, Held & Malloy: Chicago-based IP boutique law firm of comparable size specializing in patent prosecution, trademark, and IP litigation. Directly comparable as a peer IP boutique anchored in the same Chicago market.
- Banner Witcoff: IP-focused law firm with patent prosecution, trademark, and copyright practices. Direct peer in the IP boutique category with similar client mix in technology and brand-driven industries.
- Brinks Gilson & Lione: Mid-size IP-focused law firm with strong Chicago presence, offering patent prosecution, trademark, and litigation services. Direct peer in the IP boutique segment with overlapping practice mix.
- Marshall, Gerstein & Borun: Chicago-based IP boutique law firm focusing on patent prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Direct peer given shared Chicago base and similar IP-only positioning.
- Leydig, Voit & Mayer: Chicago-headquartered IP boutique firm with comparable practice areas in patent prosecution, trademark, and litigation. Directly comparable boutique IP peer.
- Finnegan: One of the largest dedicated IP law firms in the US, with extensive patent prosecution, litigation, and portfolio strategy capabilities. Direct competitor in the IP-specialist segment, though materially larger than Wood Phillips.
Broad incumbents
- Fish & Richardson: Largest dedicated IP law firm in the US with broad patent prosecution and litigation practices. Larger incumbent in the same IP-specialist space, competing for similar technology and life sciences clients.
- Foley & Lardner: Large general-practice law firm with a significant IP practice including patent prosecution and IP litigation. Broad incumbent that competes with Wood Phillips for IP work as part of a wider service portfolio.
- Holland & Knight: Major national law firm with a sizable IP practice spanning patent prosecution, trademark, and litigation. Broad incumbent competing in the IP services space with greater geographic reach.
- Mintz: AmLaw 200 firm with a notable IP practice including patent prosecution and IP litigation. Broad incumbent in the same legal services category with overlapping technology and life sciences client base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wood Phillips social profiles
Digital presenceWood Phillips financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wood Phillips leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Wood Phillips funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wood Phillips M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wood Phillips
What does Wood Phillips do?
Wood Phillips is a Chicago-based intellectual property boutique law firm providing strategic patent, trademark, and copyright legal services to businesses across technology, life sciences, and consumer brand industries. The firm offers eight practice areas including Patent Prosecution, Trademark & Brand, Copyright, IP Litigation, Portfolio Strategy, Life Sciences & Biotech, Software & Electronics, and M&A Due Diligence, delivered by 13+ attorneys of whom four previously served as in-house Patent and Trademark Counsel at major corporations.
Is Wood Phillips a public or private company?
Wood Phillips is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Wood Phillips founded?
Wood Phillips was founded in 1874. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Wood Phillips based?
Wood Phillips is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wood Phillips make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Legal Services - Patent Prosecution is the primary driver. The others are legal Services - Trademark & Brand, legal Services - IP Litigation, legal Services - Portfolio Strategy and legal Services - M&A Due Diligence.
Who are Wood Phillips's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Banner Witcoff, Brinks Gilson & Lione, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, Leydig, Voit & Mayer and Finnegan. Broad incumbents are Fish & Richardson, Foley & Lardner, Holland & Knight and Mintz.
Does Wood Phillips have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wood Phillips.
What industry is Wood Phillips in?
Wood Phillips's product category is Intellectual Property Law. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAMAA, Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management, with a secondary code of BPAHAMAI, IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence. Its NAICS code is 541110 and its SIC code is 8111.