The lateral market for PTAB practitioners has been particularly active in 2025. As PTAB proceedings remain central to U.S. patent strategy, firms are actively recruiting attorneys with proven PTAB track records.

Unlike traditional lateral hiring cycles driven primarily by litigation revenue or geographic expansion, PTAB-driven lateral moves are increasingly performance-based. Firms are targeting attorneys with measurable success in inter partes review (IPR) and related proceedings, and data is playing a larger role than ever before.

The 2025 PTAB Talent Landscape

Using insights from the latest Patexia PTAB Intelligence Report, we analyzed the most impactful PTAB lateral moves happening since the previous report release and what they signal for the competitive environment. Over the five-year reporting period (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2025), the PTAB recorded 6,573 IPR petitions, challenging 4,862 unique patents. During the same period, 850 law firms and 5,650 attorneys participated in one or more cases, highlighting the depth and breadth of the PTAB proceedings.

By comparing this data with the previous Patexia PTAB report, our analysis identified 61 lateral moves among the top 1,000 most active PTAB attorneys. This level of mobility highlights the continuing evolution of the PTAB, where talent shifts often reflect broader trends in technology sector demand, client portfolios, and firm strategies.

These moves also illustrate how firms are increasingly focusing on performance-based recruiting, targeting practitioners with proven track records in IPR and related proceedings. Below, we highlight the top 10 lateral moves of 2025 based on activity rank, offering insight into current and previous firms, as well as the number of proceedings.

Attorney	Current Firm	Old Firm	Overall Activity Rank	All Cases
Steven W. Peters	Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton	Latham & Watkins	26	111
Amy E. Hayden	BC Law Group, P.C.	Russ August & Kabat	34	95
Robert A. Auchter	BC Law Group, P.C.	Auchter PLLC	71	73
Daniel D. Smith	Haynes and Boone, LLP	Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks	76	100
Theodoros Konstantakopoulos	Goodwin Procter LLP	Desmarais LLP	88	97
Eugene Goryunov	Brown Rudnick LLP	Haynes and Boone, LLP	151	56
Kyle E. Friesen	Heim, Payne & Chorush LLP	Shook, Hardy & Bacon	161	42
Giri Pathmanaban	Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton	Latham & Watkins	169	56
Patrick G. Maloney	Cork Maloney LLP	Armond Wilson LLP	183	65
Jacob L. Peterson	Morgan Lewis & Bockius	Knobbe Martens	199	53

A Couple of Observations

● Boutique and specialized firms are actively building PTAB depth. Firms like BC Law Group and Brown Rudnick LLP have successfully attracted multiple high-performing attorneys from other firms, signaling a strategic emphasis on PTAB expertise over other litigation volume.
● Top-tier talent continues to move among the top firms. High-activity partners (overall ranks 1–100) often migrate between large and established firms, reflecting both the competitive demand for proven IPR practitioners and the role of firm reputation in PTAB recruiting.
● Movements often happen in groups. Rather than isolated hires, many lateral moves involve multiple attorneys moving from the same firm to a single destination, suggesting coordinated recruitment strategies. Examples include Brown Rudnick bringing in four attorneys from Bochner PLLC and Cleary Gottlieb adding several partners from Latham & Watkins, indicating that firms are seeking to build cohesive teams with established working relationships and shared PTAB experience.

The Role of Data in Modern Legal Recruiting

Historically, legal recruiting relied heavily on brand, client lists, and anecdotal reputation. Today, especially in PTAB practice, performance and conflicts can be measured.

Patexia Legal Link focuses on data-driven lateral placements across intellectual property and complex litigation practices. Unlike traditional recruiting models, Legal Link leverages proprietary PTAB and litigation analytics to:

● Identify active and high-performing attorneys
● Benchmark candidates objectively
● Match firms with strategically aligned talent
● Provide market intelligence during compensation and partnership negotiations

By combining recruiting expertise with quantitative legal performance data, Patexia Legal Link brings transparency and strategy to lateral hiring decisions. To explore more about talent trends and discover unique opportunities with top-performing IP attorneys, contact Legal Link today!