Rankings methodology
Public lists name the metric in the title. They are not “best lawyer” rankings and do not use a single opaque score.
No methodology version is pinned to a live published run for 2026 yet.
Who is listed
Only attorneys and firms that already exist in USPTO-linked identity tables (`attorney_stats` / `firm_stats`). People are never invented. An application may match more than one technology theme; it is counted in each matching theme.
Activity window
Volume and momentum use U.S. granted patents with CPC codes for which the attorney or firm is prosecution counsel of record. Year-over-year growth compares grant issue years (2026 is year-to-date). This measures grants associated with prosecution that ultimately issued during each period — not live pending application volume or post-grant activity. Lists use counsel-of-record links on U.S. granted patents that have CPC codes. Pending applications without a grant usually lack CPC and are omitted.
What we are not measuring
- Pending applications without a grant (CPC is usually absent until grant).
- Post-grant litigation, licensing, or portfolio management activity.
- Subjective attorney quality, client satisfaction, or outcomes at the USPTO.
- A single composite “best lawyer” score across metrics or technologies.
Sample floors and publication
- Most active / highest concentration: at least 25 theme grants.
- Fastest growing: at least 10 theme grants in each of the two years compared.
- A list is unpublished if fewer than 25 identities clear the floor.
- Theme must have at least 100 CPC-mapped granted patents.
- Data timestamps must be within 45 days.
- Public pages load published runs only — calculated stats are not auto-published.
CPC themes in this launch
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning — prefixes G06N, G06F18
- Computer Vision — prefixes G06V, G06T7
- Semiconductor Computing — prefixes G06F15, G11C, H01L25
- Battery Technology — prefixes H01M4, H01M10, H01M50
- Medical Devices — prefixes A61B17, A61F2, A61M5
What stays in Attorney Intelligence
Allowance, examiner difficulty, DNA, and “what happens after responses” remain the paid product. Public profiles show activity ranks and claimed biography only — claimed fields cannot change calculated statistics.
Decision support only — not legal advice, not a directory of “best lawyers,” and not an endorsement. Calculated statistics cannot be edited by the attorney or firm.