William Woodford is an intellectual property lawyer with twenty years of experience handling complex, high-stakes litigation. Some of William’s recent successes include a $31M jury verdict as lead trial counsel in a patent infringement lawsuit involving tire pressure monitoring systems and a $235M jury verdict for infringement of a patent involving methods of treating heart failure patients. William has also led numerous appeals, including the landmark Halo Electronics case where the United States Supreme Court set the standard for enhanced damages in patent cases. He also obtained the first ruling in a federal district court that IPR estoppel can extend to prior art products described by printed publications.
William’s engineering background and thirst for knowledge has led to a proficiency across a wide range of technologies in the physical and life sciences. He has analyzed and valued thousands of patents for potential enforcement, commercialization, and sale. William’s success in these efforts required that he correctly anticipate ongoing changes in the law, such as the determination of patent damages and patent eligibility under Section 101. In addition to his work evaluating and litigating patents, William has helped clients obtain dozens of patent licenses, successfully navigate inter partes reviews, and commercialize patents. He has worked with numerous clients on the development of worldwide patent portfolios to protect mission-critical technology and monetize his clients’ scientific advancements.
Before launching Avantech Law, William spent nearly 20 years handling intellectual property and technology litigation at Fish & Richardson P.C., one of the nation’s leading IP firms. He co-founded Fish’s alternative fee practice and continues to be a pioneer in designing business-centric alternative pricing structures. Despite his success at Fish, William was driven to start his own firm with the goals of leveraging advancements in legal technology, offering alternative fee arrangements that minimize reliance on the billable hour, maximizing an alignment of firm and client interests, and building a firm that translates the modern business environment to the legal industry.
- IAM Strategy 300 (2022)
- “Midwest Trailblazer” by The American Lawyer (2021)
- Best Lawyers in Minnesota List (2021-22)
- “Case of the Year” by Managing Intellectual Property (2017)
- “Attorney of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer (2016)
- Minnesota Super Lawyer
- Minnesota Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2012-2013)
- Minnesota “Up & Coming Lawyer” (2012)
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
