Big ideas do not require a big firm. We are proud to share that Erik M. Pelton & Associates has been named to Bloomberg Law’s 2026 Leading Law Firms list, a recognition of law firms demonstrating strength across several measures of success, including financial performance, talent, growth, and technology and innovation.
For our five-person trademark law firm, this recognition is particularly meaningful.
Rethinking What a Leading Law Firm Looks Like
For many years, success in the legal industry was often associated with size: more lawyers, more offices, and bigger headquarters.
Bloomberg Law’s Leading Law Firms program takes a broader view. The ranking is open to firms of all sizes and looks at multiple dimensions of performance, including how firms are growing, developing talent, and using technology and innovation.
That approach resonates with us. When I founded Erik M. Pelton & Associates in 1999, the goal was never to build the largest law firm. The goal was to build a better experience for trademark clients.
That meant making trademark protection more understandable and accessible. It meant transparent flat-fee pricing. It meant embracing technology early. And it meant continually looking for ways to make our systems more organized, efficient, and client-friendly.
Innovation Is Not Just for Large Firms
One of the things that makes this recognition especially gratifying is Bloomberg Law’s emphasis on technology and innovation. Technology has been woven into our firm for decades. We developed our own proprietary docketing software to help manage trademark deadlines and records. That software ultimately became patented. We have continued to develop systems and processes designed specifically around the needs of a busy trademark practice.
Why? Because innovation should ultimately make the client experience better.
Good technology helps us stay organized. It helps us track deadlines. It helps our team collaborate. And it gives us more time to focus on the work that requires experience, judgment, creativity, and personal attention. For a small firm, the right systems can have an enormous impact.
Small Can Be a Strength
Being a boutique firm allows us to make decisions quickly, experiment with new ideas, and remain closely connected to the people and businesses we serve.
Our team has more than 25 years of trademark experience, including experience as a former USPTO trademark examiner, and we have helped clients secure more than 5,000 trademark registrations.
But numbers only tell part of the story. What matters most is what those years have taught us about building a practice around the needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses: communicate clearly, make pricing predictable, develop strong systems, continue learning, and never stop looking for ways to improve.
Grateful for the Recognition
We are honored to be included on Bloomberg Law’s 2026 Leading Law Firms list alongside firms of many different sizes and backgrounds. But the recognition also reinforces something we have believed since 1999:
A small business can build something innovative, distinctive, and powerful without trying to become a big business.
That is true for a trademark law firm. And it is true for the entrepreneurs and businesses we are fortunate to work with every day.
