Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP (BSKB)

What Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP (BSKB) does

BSKB is a mid-sized intellectual property law firm founded in 1976 and headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, operating as a private limited liability partnership. The firm delivers a full suite of IP legal services across seven practice areas — Patent Prosecution, Post-Grant Proceedings (including IPR, PGR, and CBM), Trademarks and Copyright, Litigation, Opinions and Counseling, Design Patents, and Licensing — organized around four industry verticals: Chemical, Electronics and IT, Life Sciences/Biotech, and Mechanical. Its attorneys hold advanced technical degrees in these disciplines, enabling prosecution of complex technology portfolios. Clients include large and small corporations, universities and research institutions, and foreign entities (particularly from Japan, China, Korea, and Europe) seeking U.S. IP protection.

The firm also operates a long-running educational seminar business anchored by the annual three-week Summer Patent Seminar ($3,750 per attendee) and the week-long U.S. Brand Protection and Trademark Seminar ($1,250 per attendee), which have run for more than 45 years and draw IP practitioners from around the world. Multilingual capabilities in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, combined with dedicated regional welcome pages on the firm's website, support international client development, and BSKB maintains active leadership roles in AIPPI, FICPI, and LSPN, including conference chairperson and sponsorship positions.

BSKB generates revenue primarily through professional services fees billed to corporate and institutional clients for IP prosecution, litigation, and counseling, supplemented by registration fees from its educational seminars. The firm goes to market via direct enterprise engagement at its Virginia offices, conference speaking and sponsorship across LSPN, FICPI, AIPPI, WIPR, and INTA, and a thought-leadership publication pipeline in outlets such as World IP Review, The Trademark Lawyer, and the FICPI Blog. There is no public revenue, headcount, or financial disclosure; the firm does not raise external capital and operates as an independent partner-owned LLP.

Name

Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP (BSKB)

Legal name

Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP

Website

https://bskb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BSKB is a mid-sized U.S. intellectual property law firm founded in 1976, headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, providing patent prosecution, litigation, trademarks, licensing, and post-grant proceedings to corporations, universities, and international clients across chemical, electronics, life sciences, and mechanical industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Law Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411), Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection (BPAHAMAB)

Keywords

• Intellectual property law
• Patent prosecution services
• Trademark registration
• IP litigation support
• Patent licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Falls Church

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Full range of intellectual property legal services including patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings, litigation, opinions and counseling, design patents, trademarks, and licensing. Revenue generated through professional legal fees for corporations, universities, and individuals seeking IP protection.
2. Educational Seminars: The firm generates revenue through its established seminar programs including the Summer Patent Seminar ($3,750 per attendee) and U.S. Brand Protection & Trademark Seminar ($1,250 per attendee). These educational programs have been running for over 45 years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BSKB is an internationally-recognized intellectual property law firm that provides a comprehensive suite of IP legal services, including patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings (IPR, PGR, CBM), trademark and copyright registration and enforcement, IP litigation, design patents, licensing, and opinions/counseling. The firm's attorneys hold advanced technical degrees in chemistry, electronics and IT, mechanical engineering, and life sciences/biotechnology, and the firm also runs long-running educational seminar programs for IP practitioners worldwide.

Product overview

Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP (BSKB) is a full-service intellectual property law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services rather than a technology product. The firm provides core legal services including Patent Prosecution, Post Grant Proceedings, Litigation, Trademarks & Copyright, Opinions & Counseling, Design Patents, and Licensing. These services are organized across four primary industry practices: Chemical, Electronics & IT, Life Sciences/Biotech, and Mechanical. BSKB also operates educational programs including the Summer Patent Seminar, U.S. Brand Protection & Trademark Seminar, and Medical Technology IP Webinar. Since 1976, the firm has provided intellectual property law services to clients in these areas, with attorneys holding advanced degrees in chemistry, electronics and IT, mechanical engineering, and life sciences/biotechnology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patent Prosecution First-hand knowledge and insight into the procedures and prosecution strategies for obtaining patents before the USPTO.
• Post Grant Proceedings Extensive experience with Post Grant Proceedings including Inter Partes Review (IPR), Post Grant Review (PGR), and Business Method Review (CBM) before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
• Trademarks & Copyright Counseling clients in the selection, adoption, registration, and enforcement of trademark and copyright rights.
• Litigation Leveraging technical and legal expertise to help clients protect and enforce their patent and trademark rights through litigation.
• Opinions & Counseling Working closely with clients to help secure freedom-to-operate (FTO) opinions or enforce their patent and trademark rights.
• Design Patents Developing strategies to protect clients' designs and to enforce their design patent rights.
• Licensing Representing companies looking to license intellectual property rights and expand markets for their products.
• Chemical Industry Practice Legal services for chemical industry clients including patent prosecution, litigation, and counseling.
• Electronics & IT Practice Legal services for electronics and information technology industry clients.
• Life Sciences/Biotech Practice Legal services for life sciences and biotechnology industry clients including pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies.
• Mechanical Practice Legal services for mechanical engineering industry clients.
• Summer Patent Seminar Annual educational seminar providing a comprehensive overview of U.S. patent law, attended by IP practitioners from around the world.
• U.S. Brand Protection & Trademark Seminar Week-long seminar covering selection, clearance, registration, enforcement, proper use, and protection of brands and trademarks in the United States.
• Medical Technology IP Webinar Free webinar covering patent issues in the medical technology and healthcare fields, including recent developments at the Federal Circuit, Supreme Court, and ITC.

Quantifiable outcome

• National Tier 3 ranking for Patent Law in 2026 Best Law Firms
• +1 more outcomes

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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LSPN (Life Sciences Patent Network)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 November 2025BSKB sponsors LSPN Europe and LSPN North America conferences. Partner MaryAnne Armstrong serves as conference chairperson for LSPN Europe. The firm was nominated as a finalist for LSPN Awards USA 2025 for Inclusive Law Firm of the Year.
• FICPI (Fédération Internationale des Conseils en Propriété Industrielle)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2024BSKB is a main sponsor of FICPI for 2024. Partners MaryAnne Armstrong and Chad Billings serve in leadership positions (Chair of AIPPI-US, Secretary of FICPI-US). The firm participates in FICPI Open Forums and World Congress events.
• World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 September 2024BSKB co-hosts events with WIPR including the Influential Women in IP conference. Attorneys contribute articles to WIPR publications. WIPR Trademarks Live events feature BSKB partners as speakers and chairs.
• INTA (International Trademark Association)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2022BSKB attorneys attend INTA Annual Meetings, including in Washington D.C. in 2022, for networking and professional development in the trademark community.
• AIPPI (Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2021MaryAnne Armstrong serves as US delegate and Chair of Study Question 276 Leadership Committee for AIPPI. BSKB attorneys participate in AIPPI World Congress and AIPPI-Japan events.
• RegimbeaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2014European IP firm partnership for joint seminars on U.S. and European patent practice. BSKB partnered with Regimbeau to present seminars in Japan on Recent Trends in U.S. and EU Intellectual Property Litigation, and seminars for newly admitted Japanese patent attorneys on U.S. and European practice.
• UBIC Patent PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2014Joint seminars in Japan hosted by UBIC Patent Partners on IP and litigation support services. BSKB partnered with UBIC and Regimbeau to present seminars on Recent Trends in U.S. and EU Intellectual Property Litigation.
• Regimbeau (Patent Seminar in China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2013Joint patent seminar in China co-hosted with Regimbeau discussing how to draft quality international patents from both U.S. and European perspectives, offering Chinese patent attorneys practical insight into global patent portfolio building.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Knobbe Martens: West Coast-headquartered IP boutique serving technology and life sciences clients. Direct peer in patent prosecution and IP litigation, particularly for electronics, mechanical, and biotech subject matter.
• Finnegan: Large Washington DC-area IP boutique with deep patent prosecution, PTAB post-grant, and IP litigation practices. Direct competitor for the same enterprise and international client base BSKB serves.
• Oblon: Virginia-based IP firm with comparable patent prosecution, post-grant, and trademark practices. Closely overlaps BSKB's DC-metro focus and technical depth across chemistry, electronics, and life sciences.
• Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox: DC-based IP boutique with strengths in patent prosecution, PTAB proceedings, and trademark practice. Direct competitor for the same corporate and university clients and the same USPTO-facing work.
• Fish & Richardson: Nationally leading IP firm with full-service patent prosecution, litigation, and post-grant practice. Competes with BSKB for high-stakes patent matters but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff: Chicago-based IP boutique with patent prosecution, PTAB, and trademark practices. Comparable mid-sized competitor with similar technical domain coverage and professional-services model.
• Harness IP: Michigan-headquartered IP boutique with patent prosecution and trademark practices serving similar corporate and university clients. Comparable in size and orientation as a regional-to-national IP firm.

Broad incumbents

• Foley & Lardner: Large national full-service law firm with a sizable IP practice. Overlaps with BSKB in patent prosecution and IP litigation but serves a broader corporate client base across many non-IP practice areas.
• Cooley LLP: National law firm with strong IP and life sciences practices, particularly for venture-backed and public technology and biotech clients. A broader incumbent offering IP services alongside corporate, litigation, and regulatory work.

Regional players

• Regimbeau: European IP firm that has partnered with BSKB to deliver joint seminars in Japan and China on U.S. and EU patent practice. Functions as a complementary European counterpart rather than direct U.S. competitor.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/maryanne-armstrong-8652b916
• Xx.com/bskbip
• Facebookfacebook.com/bskbip

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP (BSKB)