Ms. Lea honored as “Patent Litigator of the Year”, firm takes home Impact Case honor
IRVINE, Calif., September 11, 2026 – Knobbe Martens is pleased to share that the firm received multiple honors for its outstanding work on behalf of clients across the life sciences industry at the 2026 LMG Life Sciences Awards held yesterday in New York City.
Christy Lea, Co-Chair of the firm’s Medical Device Litigation practice, received the “General Patent Litigator of the Year – California” award for her leadership on noteworthy wins at the Federal Circuit and District Court on behalf of Edwards Lifesciences. The former case, Aortic Innovations v. Edwards Lifesciences, also garnered the firm an award for “Impact Case of the Year” at the event. In that case, Ms. Lea led a team that secured a significant appellate victory for Edwards Lifesciences in a high-stakes patent infringement dispute against Aortic Innovations involving prosthetic heart valve technology.
The firm received eight shortlistings in total at the 2026 LMG Life Sciences Awards, including for “IP Boutique Firm of the Year,” which it has previously won. Last year, the firm’s Hatch-Waxman practice received multiple honors at the Awards, including “Hatch-Waxman Litigation Firm of the Year” and “Hatch-Waxman Litigator of the Year (Generic),” which was awarded to Hatch-Waxman Litigation Practice Co-Chair Carol Pitzel Cruz.
These awards represent the latest in a string of high-profile recognitions for the firm’s patent litigation successes. Earlier this year, Knobbe Martens was recognized as a “Litigation Department of the Year” finalist at the California Legal Awards. The firm also received an “Impact Case of the Year” award for the Aortic Innovations v Edwards Lifesciences case at the 2026 Managing IP Americas Awards.
About Knobbe Martens
Knobbe Martens protects the ideas that drive innovation and propel our world forward. As a leading intellectual property and technology law firm, clients worldwide rely on us to safeguard their products, brands, and technologies through strategic counsel and high-impact litigation. With offices across the U.S., our lawyers and technology specialists collaborate to deliver tailored solutions for clients ranging from multinational corporations to start-ups and emerging companies at every stage. Discover more at www.knobbe.com.
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