Four firms reach highest tier in WIPR’s 2025 Global Trade Secrets Rankings

Insulet and Masimo are among the parties that feature in this year’s one-of-a-kind rankings, courtesy of sister magazine WIPR, detailing the year’s most significant trade secrets matters around the world and who handled them.

WIPR Rankings, part of sister magazine World IP Review (WIPR), has released its annual Global Trade Secrets Rankings, a guide to the firms and lawyers that excel in this lesser-known area of IP law on an international level.

Now in its third year, it is the only directory to assess trade secrets expertise on a global scale, with firms and practitioners ranked in four tiers as well as a Hall of Fame for those with outstanding careers in the field.

From allegations of trade secrets misappropriation against TikTok that started in China and ended up in the US, to a sensitive matter in the German courts involving the departure of a key employee from the world’s oldest maker of printing presses, the rankings reveal the truly global nature of trade secrets issues—and which firms are handling them.

The rationale to include firms and individuals on the list can be found in their respective profiles, which give an overview of practice, team, work highlights and clients.

In an area of IP law that is rapidly evolving and overlaps with multiple other legal domains, some firms have yet to fully identify the scale and scope of their trade secrets practice.

However, there is a small number that are leading the way in coordinating multiple specialists in offices around the world to guide clients through complex and cross-border trade secrets disputes.

A borderless challenge

The key matters, or work highlights, detailed for firms in the rankings reflect that the US is the main jurisdiction for trade secrets disputes.

‘Recommended’ firm Goodwin was involved in one of the country’s most significant trade secrets disputes over the past year, representing medical device company Insulet in its row with rival EOFlow over wearable insulin patch pumps in Massachusetts.

In this year’s ‘Highly Recommended’ category, WilmerHale acted in another high-profile US dispute, acting for Apple in its clash with Masimo over smartwatch technology, and Kobre & Kim handled a litigation for Propel Fuels which was awarded a staggering $883 million in a secrets dispute with Phillips 66 following an additional exemplary damages award in August 2025.

However, firms on the list all demonstrated their ability to take on trade secrets matters wherever they arise.

For example, Bird & Bird assembled a Helsinki-based team to represent Finnish company Konecranes, which manufactures and services cranes and lifting equipment, in a dispute against 13 of its former managers who are alleged to have started competing activities during their employment before resigning.

Dentons drew on trade secrets expertise in its Frankfurt office when entrusted by pioneering deep-tech company planq to ensure the robust legal protection of its proprietary information, including developing tailored agreements around trade secrets.

Other firms demonstrated strong capacity in the critical trade secrets jurisdiction of China such as ‘Outstanding’-ranked Steptoe, which has “brilliant litigators” such as associate Grace Wang based in Beijing and is noted for its “dedication” to China-based clients, which the team visits in person to discuss case strategy.

Hybrid teams

The rankings reflect the multifaceted nature of trade secrets work, with firms assembling teams comprising specialists in employment law, cybersecurity, white-collar crime, and more. O’Melveny & Myers and Simmons & Simmons provide examples of how this is done particularly well.

Individuals ranked this year also displayed diverse skill sets, from “an intuitive understanding of how to present information in a way that’s digestible” (Doug Lumish, Weil) to an “encyclopedic” knowledge of trade secret law (Bill Toth, Steptoe).

Highlighting the high personal stakes involved when IP overlaps with criminal law, one attorney told WIPR Rankings that they had been asked to ensure “that my husband doesn’t go to jail” by the wife of a senior executive embroiled in a trade secrets suit.

With much riding on lawsuit outcomes for both defendants and plaintiffs, the research team received many recommendations for lawyers able to consistently secure favourable results—“we have not had a single trade secrets matter go against us since Shima [Roy, Baker McKenzie] became our lawyer,” said one client.

“For companies facing existential IP threats, he is the definitive go-to counsel to transform peril into triumph,” said a peer of Steptoe’s Boyd Cloern, elevated to this year’s ‘Outstanding’ category.

The rankings also take into account those providing a high-quality service for the non-contentious aspects of trade secrets practice, including advising on transactions and issuing training and protocol guidance around how to manage sensitive information.

Some practitioners stood out for their thought leadership in the area of trade secrets. Victoria Cundiff, who has “dedicated her career to the practice of trade secrets”, and “grandfather” of the industry James Pooley, were considered by peers to be highly deserving of their places in this year’s Hall of Fame. Both continue to be regarded as invaluable sources of knowledge and expertise on the subject.

There have been some notable moves over the past year as firms seek to strengthen their trade secrets practices.

Among the most significant of these was the trio of departures from Latham & Watkins’ team when Lumish, Jeff Homrig and Gabe Gross joined Weil. Lumish and Homrig return to their former firm as co-heads of the IP, Technology & Science Litigation practice.

Other changes included Indradeep Bhattacharya’s pivot from Eversheds Sutherland to Baker McKenzie, Neel Chatterjee’s move from Goodwin to King & Spalding and Anita Nador’s departure from Gowling WLG to join INQ Law.

WIPR’s China 2025 Rankings are currently being researched in August. To be considered for inclusion law firms can direct enquiries to rankings editor Baron Armah-Kwantreng at barma-kwantreng@worldipreview.com