McKee Voorhees & Sease

What McKee Voorhees & Sease does

McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC (MVS) is a privately held intellectual property boutique law firm headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, founded in July 1924 by Talbert Dick. The firm provides specialized IP legal services across patent prosecution (biotechnology, chemical, electrical, mechanical, software/business methods, and design patents), trademark registration and enforcement, copyright and media law, trade secret protection, IP licensing, federal and state court litigation, and regulatory counseling (FDA, USDA, EPA). MVS serves clients ranging from individual inventors and venture-capital-backed startups to Fortune 500 corporations and major global research universities, with active representations in 160 countries supported by its membership in the LEGUS International referral network of 70+ independent law firms.

The firm's competitive position rests on a team of 25+ STEM-degreed attorneys and patent agents (including 7 engineers, 14 scientists, 4 master's, 3 Ph.D.'s, and 1 pharmacist) who hold advanced degrees in molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, physics, and engineering, enabling technically precise patent drafting. Reported allowance rates of 99% in the Biotechnology/Organic Chemistry Tech Center and 100% in the Chemical/Materials Engineering Tech Center since 2014 materially exceed national averages. The firm has handled landmark matters including the U.S. Supreme Court case Pioneer v. J.E.M. Ag Supply (2001) and one of the first PVP certificates for AOSCA-certified hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill.

MVS generates revenue through traditional professional services billing on an hourly or matter-based engagement model, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Go-to-market is relationship-led, anchored in decades-long client relationships, industry association membership (AUTM, INTA, Licensing Executives Society, Iowa Biotechnology Association, ACS), content marketing (Filewrapper blog, MVS Briefs newsletter), and participation in conferences including the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue, BIO World Congress, and CRISPRcon. Client segments prioritize research universities and technology transfer offices (40+ organizations including Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa State, Michigan State) and agritech/plant breeding companies, followed by biotech, consumer products, individual inventors, and Fortune 500 corporations.

Name

McKee Voorhees & Sease

Legal name

McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC

Website

https://ipmvs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McKee, Voorhees & Sease is a 100-year-old Des Moines-based intellectual property boutique law firm providing patent prosecution, trademark, licensing, litigation, and regulatory counsel to universities, agritech and biotech companies, and Fortune 500 clients across 160 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Law Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Due Diligence & Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Analysis (BPAHAMAG), IP Filing, Annuities & Renewals Administration (BPAHAMAJ), IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI), Copyright Services & Content Protection (BPAHAMAC)

Keywords

• Intellectual property law
• Patent prosecution services
• Trademark registration
• IP litigation counsel
• Technology transfer legal

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

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 Billing: MVS generates revenue by providing intellectual property legal services including patent prosecution and drafting, trademark registration and enforcement, trade secret protection, copyright registration, IP litigation, licensing negotiations, and regulatory compliance counsel. Services are billed as professional services on an hourly or matter-based basis.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC is an intellectual property law boutique that provides specialized legal services including patent prosecution and drafting across biotechnology, chemistry, electrical, mechanical, software, and design technologies; trademark registration and enforcement; trade secret identification and litigation; copyright and media law; IP licensing and technology transfer; federal court and PTAB litigation; and regulatory counsel with FDA, USDA, and EPA. Services are delivered by STEM-degreed attorneys and patent agents to clients ranging from individual inventors and startups to Fortune 500 corporations and global research universities across 160 countries.

Product overview

McKee, Voorhees & Sease (MVS) is an intellectual property law firm offering comprehensive legal services rather than a technology product. The firm provides patent prosecution and protection across multiple specialized practice areas (biotechnology, chemical, design, electrical, mechanical, software/business methods patents), along with trademark, copyright, trade secrets, licensing, litigation, regulatory law, international, and data privacy services. The firm's portfolio includes both individual service lines (each patent specialty, trademark services, litigation, etc.) and content publications (Filewrapper Blog and Briefs Newsletter). Founded in 1924 and based in Des Moines, Iowa, MVS serves clients ranging from individual inventors to Fortune 500 corporations across 160 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Filewrapper: The firm's blog providing timely information about latest case reviews and IP developments as an educational resource

Products and services

• Biotechnology Patents Patent prosecution and protection for biotechnology inventions including CRISPR, transgenic cells, gene editing, vaccines, immunology, and plant-related biotech for biotech and pharmaceutical companies, universities, and research organizations.
• Chemical Patents Patent services for chemical inventions including chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, organic/inorganic chemistry, polymer science, and semiconductor materials.
• Design Patents Protection for ornamental and non-functional design elements of products including shapes, surface aesthetics, and visual features.
• Electrical Patents Patent protection for electrical inventions including hybrid mechanical-electrical products and fully electric systems.
• Mechanical Patents Patent services for mechanical inventions across agriculture, consumer appliances, medical devices, construction equipment, and more.
• Software and Business Methods Patents Patent protection for software inventions and business method innovations.
• Trademarks Brand protection services including U.S. and foreign trademark clearance, registration, federal and state court litigation, oppositions, cancellations, and domain disputes.
• Copyright and Media Law Copyright registration, enforcement, media agreements, licensing, and protection for creative works including music, film, publishing, and digital content.
• Trade Secrets Identification, maintenance, licensing, and litigation services for trade secret protection.
• Licensing Negotiation and drafting of patent licenses, trademark licenses, technology transfer agreements, and other IP licensing arrangements.
• Litigation Intellectual property litigation in federal and state courts, including patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret disputes.
• Regulatory Law Regulatory counseling for product development and commercialization of regulated products with USDA, FDA, EPA, and global regulatory agencies.
• International IP Practice International patent and trademark filing, prosecution, and enforcement across jurisdictions worldwide.
• Data Privacy and Cybersecurity GDPR and CCPA compliance consulting, data breach response, security policies, and privacy impact assessments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% patent allowance rate in the Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry Tech Center since 2014
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LEGUS InternationalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMVS is the Iowa member of LEGUS International, a global network of diverse independent law firms serving members and their clients for over 25 years. LEGUS firms are organized to provide client referrals in specific substantive and/or geographic areas and to provide education on effective law firm and law practice management. Member firms reside in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, with more than 70 firms in over 35 countries and 35 U.S. states. MVS is able to place and receive referrals with affiliated firms, ensuring quality service and timeliness globally. Kirk Hartung of MVS served as Chair of the LEGUS advisory board (2017-2019).
• AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMVS lawyers have actively participated in AUTM for decades, from serving on boards to speaking at invitation-only leadership forums, in order to stay up to date on pressing industry issues and advocate on behalf of clients. MVS is an annual sponsor and supporter of AUTM Regional Meetings and Partnering Forums. MVS has cultivated relationships with over 30 universities, technology transfer offices, and research foundations and their licensees through AUTM.
• Iowa Agritech AcceleratorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCassie Edgar serves as a mentor for the Iowa Agritech Accelerator in Des Moines. MVS regularly mentors startups through the Iowa Agritech Accelerator program, providing IP guidance to early-stage agricultural technology companies.
• World Food Prize / Borlaug DialogueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMVS hosted a session at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa. The event brings together international experts, policy leaders, business executives, and farmers to address cutting-edge issues in global food security and nutrition.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Foley & Lardner: National full-service firm with a sizable IP practice spanning biotech, medical devices, and technology, and a long-standing university and research institution client base. Comparable to MVS at the client-segment level (research universities, life-sciences enterprises) but with much broader practice offerings.
• Cooley LLP: Large full-service firm with a substantial IP practice serving life-sciences and technology clients, including emerging-company and university spin-out work. Represents the integrated generalist competition MVS faces for mid-market and tech-transfer mandates.

Direct peers

• Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner: IP boutique with a particularly strong medical-device and software practice, plus chemical and biotech prosecution. Comparable to MVS in serving technology-transfer and innovation-driven clients with STEM-degreed professionals.
• Merchant & Gould: Mid-sized IP and technology law firm with a strong patent prosecution, licensing, and litigation practice across electrical, mechanical, and chemical technologies. Comparable to MVS in technical breadth and mid-market enterprise focus.
• Oblon McClelland Maier & Neustadt: IP boutique with a strong international patent prosecution practice and a technical team covering physics, electrical, software, chemistry, and biotech — directly comparable to MVS's prosecution-heavy, internationally oriented model.
• Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox: Washington, D.C.-based IP boutique specializing in patent prosecution, post-grant, and litigation in biotech, pharma, software, and electronics. Highly comparable to MVS in technical specialization and STEM-talent model, with a stronger Washington litigation footprint.
• Fish & Richardson: One of the largest U.S. IP boutique law firms, Fish & Richardson provides patent prosecution, litigation, and post-grant services across electrical, software, chemical, and life-sciences technologies — directly comparable to MVS's full-service IP practice but at substantially greater scale.
• Knobbe Martens: Major IP boutique with a leading life-sciences and medical device practice alongside mechanical, electrical, and software prosecution. Closely comparable to MVS in technical depth, biotech focus, and university/research institution client base.
• Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti: Albany, NY-based IP boutique focused on patent prosecution and counseling in electrical, software, and computer-related technologies. A direct niche competitor for MVS's electrical/software patent work, though less biotech-oriented.
• Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner: A premier IP boutique with deep patent prosecution and litigation capabilities across mechanical, electrical, chemical, and biotech disciplines. Like MVS, Finnegan serves enterprise, university, and international clients on technically complex IP matters, but at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInbit.ly/3S0vc3y
• Xx.com/ipmvs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 McKee Voorhees & Sease