What Carlson Caspers does

Carlson Caspers Vandenburgh & Lindquist, PA is a Minneapolis-headquartered boutique intellectual property law firm founded in 2003 by Alan G. Carlson and colleagues from Merchant & Gould, where Carlson had served as CEO. The firm employs more than 30 attorneys and operates from Capella Tower in downtown Minneapolis, having relocated twice since founding to accommodate growth. Its legal practice spans IP litigation (patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright), patent prosecution and portfolio management, ANDA/Hatch-Waxman pharmaceutical litigation, trade secret counseling, trademark services, and IP licensing and monetization, with notable engagements across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, telecommunications, agricultural biotechnology, outdoor equipment, and ethanol production.

The firm is structured as a professional association under Minnesota law, with no external funding, no subsidiaries, and no parent company. It generates revenue through hourly-based professional services billed to enterprise clients, primarily Fortune 500 corporations with complex IP portfolios, as well as individual inventors. Marquee engagements include a $75 million win for ADC Telecommunications on a wireless OFDM patent portfolio, a $34.72 million judgment for Exmark Manufacturing against Briggs & Stratton, and the negotiation supporting a $1.75 billion DuPont Pioneer–Monsanto CRISPR-Cas9 licensing transaction. The firm supplements billable practice with thought-leadership channels including the RadioFree IP™ CLE webcast series, the ANDA Advisors Blog, conference speaking, and the Kids IP Zoom educational program.

Go-to-market is sales-led, targeting corporate IP counsel at Fortune 500 enterprises and individual inventors through direct engagement. Distribution is entirely direct, with no intermediaries or resellers, and the firm serves clients nationally from its Minneapolis headquarters while maintaining no claimed global footprint. The leadership team comprises Tara C. Norgard as President and CEO, founding partners J. Derek Vandenburgh and Alan G. Carlson, plus a broader partner group; the firm is governed by a Board of Directors and Management Committee. Its competitive positioning rests on senior-attorney involvement (practice agility model) rather than associate leverage, and on a talent base that includes two Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers (top 1% of the Bar), a rare achievement nationally.

Name

Carlson Caspers

Legal name

Carlson Caspers Vandenburgh & Lindquist, PA

Website

https://carlsoncaspers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Carlson Caspers is a Minneapolis-based boutique intellectual property law firm with 30+ attorneys providing patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, ANDA/Hatch-Waxman, and IP licensing services primarily to Fortune 500 enterprises and individual inventors nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

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 - Litigation: Hourly-based legal representation in intellectual property litigation matters including patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright disputes at trial and appellate levels.
2. Legal Services - Counseling and Opinion Work: IP counseling services including freedom-to-operate opinions, validity opinions, and due diligence investigations.
3. IP Monetization and Licensing: Assistance with patent licensing, negotiation of licensing agreements, and IP portfolio monetization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carlson Caspers is a boutique intellectual property law firm that represents Fortune 500 companies and individual inventors in patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright litigation at trial and appellate levels, before the PTAB and in arbitration. The firm also provides patent prosecution and portfolio management, ANDA/Hatch-Waxman pharmaceutical patent litigation, freedom-to-operate and validity opinions, due diligence, and IP licensing and monetization services.

Product overview

Carlson Caspers is an intellectual property law firm, not a software product company. It offers a unified set of legal services centered on intellectual property protection and enforcement, comprising its core litigation and prosecution practices plus specialized offerings in pharmaceutical ANDA litigation, trade secrets, trademarks, and licensing. The firm supplements its legal services with educational programs (RadioFree IP CLE webcasts, Kids IP events) and informational resources (ANDA Advisors Blog) that serve client education and community outreach purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RadioFree IP™: A free IP-focused CLE webcast series offering live and on-demand continuing legal education credits.
• Kids IP Zoom Events
• ANDA Advisors Blog

Products and services

• Intellectual Property Litigation Full-service IP litigation representing clients in patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright disputes in federal courts, appellate courts, and arbitrations nationwide.
• Patent Prosecution and Portfolio Management Patent application preparation, prosecution, and strategic portfolio management before the USPTO, including inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review (PGR) proceedings.
• ANDA/Hatch-Waxman Litigation Specialized Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) litigation representing generic pharmaceutical companies in Paragraph IV certification challenges and branded drug companies in patent enforcement.
• Trade Secret Counseling and Litigation Advice and litigation services for trade secret protection, misappropriation claims, and defensive matters.
• Trademark Services Trademark registration, enforcement, and litigation services protecting brand identity and trade dress.
• Licensing and Monetization IP licensing negotiations, technology transfer agreements, and patent monetization strategies including CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology licensing.

Quantifiable outcome

• $34.72 million judgment in Exmark v. Briggs & Stratton patent case
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 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.

• Federal Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTara Norgard served as President of FBA Minnesota Chapter and founded and chaired the national organization's Committee on Advancing the Legal Profession, leading multi-year action plan across 100+ chapters nationwide.
• Broad InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarlson Caspers assisted DuPont Pioneer in securing a non-exclusive license to the Broad Institute patent portfolio relating to CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology, and negotiated governance framework and standard licensing terms for joint out-licensing.
• Twin Cities Habitat for HumanityminorOthersTara Norgard serves on the board of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
• Friends of FANA MinnesotaminorOthersTara Norgard supports Friends of FANA Minnesota, a nonprofit connecting Colombian children with adoptive families.
• Children's Law Center of MinnesotaminorOthersSamuel Lockner performs pro bono work for the Children's Law Center.
• Great North Innocence ProjectminorOthersMultiple attorneys including Sam Lockner and Alex Olson have been part of teams that secured freedom for wrongfully convicted individuals through Great North Innocence Project.
• Federal Bar Association Minnesota Chapter IP CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNate Louwagie serves as co-chair of the Intellectual Property Committee for the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
• Midwest IP InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamuel Lockner serves on the planning committee for the Midwest IP Institute.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Robins Kaplan: Minneapolis-headquartered full-service firm with a strong IP litigation practice and significant overlap with Carlson Caspers' Minnesota Fortune 500 client base; competes for the same regional IP matters.
• Merchant & Gould: Minneapolis-based IP firm where founder Alan G. Carlson previously served as CEO; directly comparable in geographic focus and historical overlap in patent litigation and prosecution work.

Direct peers

• McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff: Mid-size IP boutique with strong patent prosecution and litigation capabilities across biotech, chemistry, and high tech; similar boutique positioning and technical focus.
• Marshall Gerstein & Borun: IP boutique emphasizing patent prosecution, litigation, and IP transactions; comparable in size and client focus on life sciences, chemistry, and high tech.
• Harness Dickey: Largest pure patent prosecution firm in the U.S. with growing litigation and post-grant practices; comparable IP-only focus and technical depth.
• Knobbe Martens: Leading IP boutique focused on patent prosecution and litigation across biotech, pharma, medical devices, and high tech; comparable technical depth and Fortune 500 client roster.
• Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox: Boutique IP firm specializing in patent prosecution, litigation, and PTAB post-grant proceedings for life sciences and high-tech clients; directly comparable in size and focus.
• Banner Witcoff: IP boutique with nationally recognized patent prosecution, litigation, and PTAB practices; comparable in scale, technical specialization, and Fortune 500 client base.
• Fish & Richardson: Largest U.S. IP boutique offering full-service patent prosecution, litigation, and post-grant proceedings; competes directly with Carlson Caspers for high-stakes patent litigation and Fortune 500 IP portfolios.
• Finnegan: Premier IP law firm with deep patent litigation, prosecution, and Hatch-Waxman expertise; directly comparable to Carlson Caspers in Fortune 500 client base and technical specialization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carlson-caspers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Carlson Caspers