The IP STARS trademark rankings went live on May 20, with Bhering Advogados and Knobbe Martens among the firms that climbed the leaderboard.
You can see the full rankings below.
More than 880 firms in 51 jurisdictions were ranked for their trademark work.
More than 1,700 firms participated in the research for this edition, which includes firms submitting details of trademark work and other practice areas.
The Managing IP editorial team does not select these rankings but we sat down with IP STARS’s global research editor Kingsley Egbuonu and its Americas editor Chris Adams to learn more about the research process and why some firms have moved up the ranks.
Jurisdictions covered
As you can see below, the rankings cover several jurisdictions across the world. We also released trademark rankings for California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Texas.
Click on a jurisdiction to see the 2024 trademark rankings on ipstars.com.
Global trends
Although many firms retained their 2023 spots, the IP STARS team did make 245 changes this year.
The top five jurisdictions with the most changes were China, the UK, the Netherlands, France, and Romania.
The UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US were the top four jurisdictions for upgrades in the rankings, with at least four firms moving up in each jurisdiction.
Haseltine Lake Kempner and Nordemann are among the firms in Europe that moved up.
In the Asia-Pacific region, there are upgrades for firms like Saikrishna & Associates, Robin Bridge & John Liu, and DLA Piper.
There were were also some positive changes in the Middle East and Africa, with Moore Attorneys moving up in South Africa and international law firms like Charles Russell Speechlys and Bird & Bird making progress in the Middle East.
Tier 1 entrants
Of course, the most coveted ranking is Tier 1, and it's not one that's easy to break into.
Bhering Advogados in Brazil managed this feat for its trademark prosecution work. The firm also won trademark firm of the year in Brazil at this year's Americas Awards.
Adams notes that the firm has an impressive bench of attorneys.
"It certainly has quite a strong book of clients – the type of IP-minded companies that have a lot of branding and trademark considerations. The portfolios they're handling are impressive," he said.
Adams added that a firm moving up to Tier 1 does not happen often.
"As with all of our rankings, but certainly with Tier 1, we try to make sure we're operating off a consensus when making moves. As you would expect, that should be reserved for the best of the best."
US climbs
Still, while Tier 1 may be the most prestigious, moving up in general is a big deal.
A few examples of firms that have met the research team's criteria for promotions can be found in the US.
Adams delved into some of the key upgrades in the Americas and why IP STARS moved them up.
Katten Muchin Rosenman, for example, moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 this year in the trademark disputes category.
Adams said the research team has been monitoring Katten for quite some time.
"We're quite well acquainted with the group," said Adams, noting that the firm had also won trademark disputes firm of the year for the Midwest at this year's Managing IP Americas Awards.
"So, the aggregation of notable work that we've been seeing, plus an award-worthy year in 2024 – all that came together for a clear case for moving up in the rankings."
Knobbe Martens also climbed the ranks to Tier 2 in the trademark prosecution rankings.
Adams pointed out that the firm also rose to Tier 2 in the trademark disputes rankings last year. He said the research team has found that the firm is well-respected for trademark work generally.
"This is indicative of a firm that has quite a strong focus in the area with key practitioners who are well regarded by their peers and consistent submissions that have shown impactful work," he said.
"They have coveted portfolios with lots of marks to manage that any firm would want to have in their client book. We saw plenty of data this year, and going back a couple of research cycles, to elevate the firm."
While these firms have risen in the US rankings this year, another prominent firm has joined them.
Morrison Foerster, which hasn't been ranked nationally in trademark disputes for a few years, was added to Tier 3 of this category in 2024.
Adams noted that the research team had already been monitoring the firm, but said the firm’s combination with Durie Tangri in January 2023 also bolstered its position.
He added that the firm had worked on YYGM SA v Redbubble, a precedent-setting dispute related to contributory liability that was recognised as an impact case of the year at the Americas Awards in 2024. The firm also won trademark disputes firm of the year for the West at the awards.
Markets elsewhere in the Americas saw some jumps too.
Baker McKenzie made its way into Tier 2 in Canada for trademark prosecution.
"In addition to frequent, impressive submissions, the firm’s elevation was pushed by a 2024 award win for key practitioner Stephanie Vaccari," Adams said.
And in Mexico, AVA was promoted to Tier 2 for trademark disputes.
According to Adams, AVA showed a strong body of trademark litigation work over the course of a few years.
"We thought that upgrading the firm to Tier 2 was pretty fitting for this year," he said. "The accumulation of consistent positive analysis of the firm over the course of a couple of years resulted in a case for Tier 2 here."
The methodology
Firms can partake in the IP STARS research process by completing submission forms that explain the matters they've worked on and provide a list of client referees.
Egbuonu explained that the research team implements a thorough process before moving firms up or down.
"These decisions are not ones that we take lightly," he said, referring to choices to downgrade or remove firms.
Firms sometimes move down a tier because of losing practitioners to rivals over a period of time without replacing them, Egbuonu explained.
But downgrades usually happen because of not submitting information, firms submitting poor information, or having practice area weaknesses, he said.
Client feedback is also something the team takes seriously, Egbuonu noted.
But he added that this doesn’t completely determine a firm’s ranking.
"For the client feedback, we're aware that these are clients that the firms have provided to us. These are clients that are, of course, going to provide positive feedback," he said.
"That's why that's not the only reason for us to make positive changes. If we do that, we're essentially saying that every firm with positive client feedback would be ranked in Tier 1 or at least ranked somewhere."
What can help firms climb up in the rankings, however, is consistently providing good submissions for each practice area that they want to be ranked in.
Egbuonu said that a firm is more likely to be upgraded if the research team sees that it has been doing well over the years and there is positive feedback from both clients and competitors.
But he noted that some firms will consistently submit information and still not get ranked.
"We do not rank firms simply because they received positive feedback, have an IP practice, or participated in our research. We consider a range of factors, as explained in our methodology, before making decisions."
Individual practitioners can still be ranked even if their firms don't make the cut, added Egbuonu.
The full rankings list is available on the IP STARS website.
