joseph cianfrani
Direct: 949 734 4869
University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1997)
Editor, University of Virginia Law Review
John M. Olin scholarship winner
George Mason University (M.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering, 1997)
University of Virginia (B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1991)
Law Clerk to the Honorable Arthur J. Gajarsa of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (1997-98)
Joe has focused on IP litigation for his entire 25-year legal career. In that time, he has successfully represented clients in high-stakes intellectual property disputes at both the trial and appellate levels. Joe combines a strong technical background with a thorough understanding of his clients’ business goals and then tailors the legal strategy to achieve those goals.
Joe's practice primarily involves representing litigants in federal district court in patent and trademark cases, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where he served as a law clerk to Judge Arthur Gajarsa. Joe has represented clients on more than 50 appeals and petitions for inter partes review involving computer peripherals, optics, electronics, software, pharmaceuticals, DNA sequencing, and medical devices.
Before founding Friedland Cianfrani, Joe was a partner at Knobbe Martens for two decades, where he served as the Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department and the co-chair of the appellate practice group. Joe is a leader in the intellectual property bar community and has served on the Board of Directors of the American Intellectual Property Association and has chaired the Association’s amicus and legislative committees. He has authored numerous amicus briefs for the AIPLA and other bar associations on a variety of intellectual property issues and is a frequent lecturer on intellectual property law and litigation strategy. Joe is also an active community leader and has coached local high school mock trial teams for the past several years.
Joe has also been consistently recognized with numerous awards as a “Rising Star,” "Super Lawyer," and "Best Lawyer," including Lawyer of the Year award by Best Lawyers in 2021.
Awards & Honors
Named as one of the "World's Leading Patent Professionals" for Litigation in the Patent 1000 guide by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine (2019 - 2021)
Recognized by The Legal 500 "United States" for Patent Licensing and Patent Litigation (2019 - 2021)
Selected to The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, Patent Law and Trademark Law (2007 - 2022). In the 2021 edition, he was named "Lawyer of the Year" for his outstanding work in Intellectual Property Litigation
Selected for inclusion in the "Southern California Super Lawyers" list and was recognized for his work in intellectual property litigation by Super Lawyers Magazine (2013 - 2021)
Named as one of Southern California’s “Rising Stars” in intellectual property law published in Los Angeles magazine and Super Lawyers magazine (2006-2008, 2012)
Recognized as one of Orange County’s “Top Attorneys” (2009 - 2011)