A new addition to the rankings this year, Berken IP is a boutique practice that is rapidly gaining exposure, particularly in patent contentious work. The firm represents both domestic and international clients, but it mainly works for US companies. Its services are split into three practice groups: legal affairs, IP prosecution and patent intelligence. Areas of expertise include biotechnology, chemistry and pharmacy. Competitors noted that Berken is best known for its work in pharmaceuticals. "It is a good firm. It is very well known," remarked one competitor. Since December 2007, the firm has had a business alliance in the patent field with Bruchou Fernandez Madero & Lombardi, although the two are run independently.
Several key figures from the firm have strong technical backgrounds. Partner Alicia Alvarez Berkenwald, who leads the patents department, is a chemical engineer and vice president of the Argentine Group of AIPPI. Partner Ernesto Machicote, a chemist, is the former head of the IP department at the Argentinean Patent Office and partner Santiago Bassó recently co-chaired a seminar on copyright protection for the hi-tech and digital sectors during the 2010 AIPPI World Intellectual Property Congress in Paris.