April 17, 2026
Sara Tonnies Horton, Co-Chair of Willkie’s IP Litigation Practice Group, was named “Patent Litigator of the Year – Midwest” at the Managing IP Americas Awards 2026.
Managing IP recognized Sara as one of the country’s elite patent litigators and first-chair trial attorneys. She has built a record of success in complex disputes involving a variety of technologies including pharmaceuticals, polymers, packaging, alloys and food manufacturing, and excelled in a series of high-stakes trials. Her recent highlights include leading the Willkie team that defeated a patent infringement case brought against a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation relating to the COVID-19 vaccine, successfully ending multiple years of litigation.
Sara was one of six partners who helped launch Willkie Chicago in March 2020 and has been instrumental in its growth as a market leader. In addition to her leadership role at Willkie, Sara serves on the Children’s Research Fund’s Board of Directors, teaches trial advocacy at Harvard Law School and is a member of the Richard Linn American Inn of Court.
View the honorees of the Managing IP Americas Awards 2026 here.
Managing IP recognized Sara as one of the country’s elite patent litigators and first-chair trial attorneys. She has built a record of success in complex disputes involving a variety of technologies including pharmaceuticals, polymers, packaging, alloys and food manufacturing, and excelled in a series of high-stakes trials. Her recent highlights include leading the Willkie team that defeated a patent infringement case brought against a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation relating to the COVID-19 vaccine, successfully ending multiple years of litigation.
Sara was one of six partners who helped launch Willkie Chicago in March 2020 and has been instrumental in its growth as a market leader. In addition to her leadership role at Willkie, Sara serves on the Children’s Research Fund’s Board of Directors, teaches trial advocacy at Harvard Law School and is a member of the Richard Linn American Inn of Court.
View the honorees of the Managing IP Americas Awards 2026 here.
