Rothwell Figg

About the Firm

Rothwell Figg provides a comprehensive range of IP, litigation, and technology services from our offices in Washington, DC (principal office), New York, and Boston. We have approximately 50 attorneys.

An interdisciplinary team of lawyers who are also scientists, engineers, and litigators, we are passionate about empowering our clients to meet their business objectives through protecting, enforcing, and monetizing their IP and technology. We provide our legal services for U.S. and international clients, from startups to multinationals, and in every imaginable industry. We have the bandwidth to handle the largest, most complex, high stakes matters in the most sophisticated and complex technology areas. And, we are adaptable, collaborative, and nimble, able to deliver valuable results in all matters, small and large.

The firm is ranked #9 in Vault’s 2023 list of Best Intellectual Property Boutique Law Firms and is included among Vault’s 2023 Top 150 Under 150, a list recognizing leading small and midsize law firms with 150 lawyers or fewer that deliver big results.

Why Work Here

As a member of the team here, you’ll have opportunities, support, and mentoring that other firms don’t offer. Of course, we offer competitive salaries and benefits, including parental leave, vacation, and more. But it’s the intangibles that really set us apart.

Since our founding, Rothwell Figg has welcomed lateral attorneys at every level of experience, from young associates to senior partners. Many of our attorneys come to Rothwell Figg from large law firms, seeking a place where they can grow their practice with the backing of a supportive team. Others served as in-house counsel or in public service. But all of the lateral attorneys who come to Rothwell Figg do so because they are looking for a different experience.

Our greatest asset is our people. As a legal specialty, IP and technology law requires mastery of both legal process and issues, as well as the underlying technology. People who can do both, as well as operate effectively as part of our team, are how we deliver results for our clients. We strive to provide guidance and representation that’s both business-minded and innovative, powered by a combination of expertise and creativity. We are always looking for colleagues who are eager to tackle some of the profession’s most complex problems with energy, integrity, and skill.

We’ve deliberately built the firm we’d like to work at, and are seeking like-minded lawyers to join us. Our size and structure allow us to provide opportunities for our attorneys to thrive, while operating not just as a law firm, but as a tight-knit community. At Rothwell Figg, you’ll work with some of the most talented attorneys in the profession. Better yet, you’ll have a chance to both make a real impact, and to chart your own course. We welcome both attorneys and groups of lawyers with practices that complement our existing work. If this sounds good to you, we’d like to hear from you.

Diversity

As a firm focused on intellectual property, technology, and litigation, innovation is Rothwell Figg’s specialty. And innovative thinking is powered by diverse viewpoints and experiences. Within our walls, we emphasize creating a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming professional environment, a safe workplace, and a platform for success for everyone. We are committed to recruiting, training, retaining, and promoting a diverse workforce, and providing equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or genetic information.

At Rothwell Figg, we’re dedicated to fostering diversity in our firm, in the field of law, and with our clients.

On a day-to-day level, because of our firm’s relatively small size, associates, particularly those from a diverse background, enjoy an unusually high level of contact, collaboration, and mentorship opportunities with senior attorneys. This is how professional success and advancement are fostered in legal careers, and we are committed to supporting it. Additionally, Rothwell Figg is proud to be a Foundation Partner of The Foundation for Advancement of Diversity in IP Law (FADIPL). FADIPL supports members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in their pursuit of careers in intellectual property law.

We pay special attention to supporting women in intellectual property and technology law. Launched in 2016, the Women of Rothwell Figg group is dedicated to promoting the professional development, health, and well-being of female legal professionals, as well as promoting diversity, inclusion, and social awareness both within the professional setting and outside of it.

Pro Bono

At the highest levels of the firm, we are active in pro bono efforts that advance the public interest or the greater good, right wrongs, or prevent or remedy injustice. These projects have a particular focus on representing traditionally marginalized groups. A few examples include representing:

• The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition to stop the sale of the Moses African Cemetery, a burial ground for formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants, to a developer unless it complies with Maryland state law.
• Chabad, a worldwide Jewish organization, in a long-running lawsuit against the Russian Federation to recover sacred texts by the Nazis and illegally held by Russia.
• Kurt Eichenwald, a highly-regarded journalist, in a civil case arising from a weaponized Twitter attack on him by a white supremacist. We successfully obtained a $100,000 judgmentfor Mr. Eichenwald. The case was included in Law360’s biggest personal injury decisions and verdicts of 2020.
• The Women in STEM Solving Problems (WISSP) student group at The Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, in filing utility and design patent applications for their invention of a hybrid, partially-reusable, partially-disposable, menstrual product for young women in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, many of whom have to stop attending school when they start menstruating because such products are not available to them.