What McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. does

McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. is a full-service intellectual property and technology law firm founded in 1988 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is privately held, operating as a professional services corporation in Illinois, and has maintained independence throughout its 35+ year history. It delivers six core practice areas — Design Rights, IP Litigation, IP Transactions, Patent Prosecution, Post-Grant Practice, and Trademarks & Copyrights — to industry-leading companies as well as businesses and innovators of all sizes, across verticals spanning Chemical, Computer & Electronics Technology, Consumer Products, Food/Beverage & Nutrition, Industrial & Mechanical, Life Sciences, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Quantum Technologies.

The firm's competitive platform is built on technical depth: it claims one of the largest single teams of USPTO-registered attorneys with science and engineering degrees, with 42% of attorneys holding prior industry or government technical experience and an average of 18 years of practicing experience. Most attorneys carry both patent litigation and patent prosecution experience, a hybrid profile the firm uses to differentiate against prosecution-only and litigation-only boutiques. The business model is hourly professional-services billing on a multi-year contract basis, marketed through thought leadership (an annual IP Symposium, an active News & Insights publication), analyst rankings (IAM Patent 1000, Lawdragon 500, Chambers, WTR 1000, U.S. News–Best Lawyers Tier 1 in Patent Law, IP Litigation, and Trademark Law), and direct enterprise engagement rather than intermediaries or digital channels. Distribution is domestic-direct through relationship-driven sales, with no public pricing, no app or platform product, and no disclosed AI tooling.

Name

McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd.

Legal name

McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd.

Website

https://mcandrews-ip.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

McAndrews, Held & Malloy is a Chicago-based, full-service intellectual property law firm offering patent prosecution, IP litigation, trademark, design rights, IP transactions, and post-grant services to industry-leading and growth-stage companies across medical devices, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, and emerging deep-tech verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Law Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Compliance, Anti-Counterfeiting & Enforcement (BPAHAMAK), Copyright Services & Content Protection (BPAHAMAC)

Keywords

• Patent prosecution services
• Intellectual property litigation
• Trademark protection services
• Design rights law
• IP transaction support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Revenue: Professional legal services including patent prosecution, IP litigation, trademark protection, design rights, IP transactions, and post-grant practice. The firm offers value-focused, competitive billing structures and emphasizes budget certainty for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. is a full-service intellectual property law firm offering six core legal service practice areas: Design Rights, IP Litigation, IP Transactions, Patent Prosecution, Post-Grant Practice, and Trademarks & Copyrights. The firm serves industry-leading companies and innovators across nine specialized verticals including Chemical, Computer & Electronics Technology, Consumer Products, Food/Beverage/Nutrition, Industrial & Mechanical, Life Sciences, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Quantum Technologies. Service delivery emphasizes team-based collaboration with senior-level attorney attention rather than delegation to junior associates, and most attorneys maintain both patent litigation and patent prosecution experience.

Product overview

McAndrews, Held & Malloy is a premier full-service intellectual property and technology law firm offering six core legal service practice areas: Design Rights, IP Litigation, IP Transactions, Patent Prosecution, Post-Grant Practice, and Trademarks & Copyrights. The firm serves industry-leading companies across nine specialized industry verticals including Chemical, Computer & Electronics Technology, Consumer Products, Food/Beverage & Nutrition, Industrial & Mechanical, Life Sciences, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Quantum Technologies. Rather than a technology product platform, the firm's offering is legal expertise delivered through collaborative, team-based approach with high levels of senior-attorney attention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Rights Protection and enforcement of design patents and rights related to the appearance of consumer products, including litigation, portfolio development, and international filing strategies. The firm represents clients on design patent strategy through application preparation and worldwide filing strategies, leveraging experience as a globally recognized design patent practice.
• IP Litigation Full-spectrum intellectual property litigation services including patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret disputes in federal courts, the Federal Circuit, and International Trade Commission. The firm's litigation attorneys typically also have patent prosecution experience, providing integrated litigation strategy.
• IP Transactions Licensing, due diligence, portfolio acquisition, and strategic transaction support for intellectual property assets. Includes competitive IP analysis, product clearance, licensing transactions, and IP-related due diligence for corporate transactions.
• Patent Prosecution Patent application preparation, prosecution, and management across diverse technical fields including electrical, computer, chemical, and mechanical engineering. Serves industry-leading companies and innovators requiring comprehensive patent portfolio development before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Post-Grant Practice Inter partes review (IPR), reexamination, and other post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Includes post-grant proceedings as a distinct practice area within the firm's IP litigation strategy.
• Trademarks & Copyrights Trademark registration, prosecution, and litigation services, including proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and international trademark protection, alongside copyright counseling and dispute work. The firm maintains a recommended-firm status with the World Trademark Review (WTR 1000).

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved $166 million victory for Advanced Cardiovascular Systems in patent infringement case
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP: One of the largest and most established IP-only boutique law firms in the U.S., with offices in multiple jurisdictions. Comparable to McAndrews as a top-tier IP boutique serving enterprise clients across patent prosecution, litigation, and post-grant practice, and frequently appearing alongside McAndrews in IAM Patent 1000 and Lawdragon rankings.
• Fish & Richardson P.C. Largest IP-only law firm in the United States, with deep patent prosecution, litigation, and post-grand practice capabilities serving major technology, life sciences, and consumer products companies. Directly comparable to McAndrews in service mix, client caliber, and pursuit of top IAM Patent 1000 recognition.
• Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP: Premier IP-only boutique with strong life sciences and technology patent prosecution and litigation practices. Competes with McAndrews for the same enterprise IP mandates, particularly in medical devices, biotech, and consumer electronics, and is regularly co-ranked in IAM Patent 1000 and Chambers IP.
• Brinks, Gilson & Lione: Mid-size IP-only boutique headquartered in Chicago, directly competing with McAndrews in the same metropolitan market for patent prosecution, IP litigation, and trademark work. Notable as a shared prior employer of several McAndrews attorneys (e.g., Rajendra Chiplunkar), reflecting direct talent competition.
• Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. Washington, D.C.-based IP boutique specializing in patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings (IPRs), and litigation, with strong technical depth across electrical, mechanical, chemical, and biotech disciplines. Comparable to McAndrews in IP-only focus, USPTO-registered attorney base, and elite IAM Patent 1000 recognition.
• Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, LLP: Established IP boutique focused on patent prosecution, litigation, and post-grant practice for technology and life sciences clients. Competes with McAndrews for enterprise IP mandates across similar technical disciplines and routinely appears alongside it in IP-focused legal directories.
• Merchant & Gould P.C. Multi-office IP boutique with strong patent prosecution and litigation practices serving technology and consumer products clients. Comparable to McAndrews in IP-only focus, technical breadth, and pursuit of mid-to-large enterprise IP matters, though with broader geographic reach.
• Harness, Dickey & Pierce, PLC: Long-standing IP boutique headquartered in Michigan with offices across the U.S., focused on patent prosecution, IP litigation, and trademark matters. Directly comparable to McAndrews as an IP-only firm serving enterprise automotive, manufacturing, and technology clients.

Broad incumbents

• Ropes & Gray LLP: Major global full-service law firm with a substantial IP litigation and prosecution practice serving life sciences, technology, and private equity clients. Competes with McAndrews for high-stakes IP litigation mandates while offering broader corporate, litigation, and transactional capabilities that McAndrews does not.
• Kirkland & Ellis LLP: One of the world's largest and highest-grossing law firms, with a sizable IP litigation practice that frequently handles patent matters at the highest stakes and competes with McAndrews for bet-the-company technology and life sciences IP work, though as part of a much broader transactional and litigation portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd.