Thirty years of federal courts
Complex patent, commercial, and criminal litigation across U.S. federal courts and ITC - tried to verdict
Federal courts coast to coast. From federal prosecutor to IP litigator.
Forty years of Japan
A connection that predates the legal career - language, culture, and business.
Collaboration with Japanese counsel in cases before the JPO & IP High Court - from gene editing to microchips
One practice that brings them together
For Japanese companies in U.S. courts, and for U.S. and European firms with Japan matters. . . .
the conversation starts here.
Practice Areas
U.S. Intellectual Property Practice
A full-service U.S. intellectual property practice — from strategic counseling and portfolio development through federal court and ITC litigation. Career focus on complex, high-stakes matters across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, semiconductors, and the full range of patent-intensive industries.
A practice dedicated to sophisticated clients and their investments in IP.
Japan-Facing Legal Services
For U.S. and European companies in Japanese proceedings: strategic co-counsel with Japanese attorneys, bridging the gap between practices, brief writing, and strategic choices.
For Japanese companies engaged in U.S. litigation and U.S. law firms with Japanese clients in U.S. proceedings: Japan-fluent co-counsel for discovery, witness preparation, and client communication - retained directly by the client, without conflicts.
Investigations & Complex Disputes
FCPA, grand jury, white collar criminal defense, tax enforcement, and technically complex commercial and product liability matters.
A former DOJ trial lawyer with first-hand experience on both sides of government investigations — from tax evasion and financial fraud to an E.D. Virginia court appointment defending a matter involving espionage against the United States.
Firm Overview
YMF Law leads clients in assembling specialized teams in the United States and Japan, tailored to the expertise required for each case.
A Practice Without Borders
YMF Law is not a regional practice. York has appeared in U.S. district courts nationwide, including D.C., E.D. Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, M.D. Pennsylvania, N.D. Illinois, W.D. North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, N.D. California, S.D. California, and the U.S. International Trade Commission. The firm's clients are as diverse as their jurisdictional needs.
The Japan Connection
Few U.S. litigators can operate in Japanese legal and business culture without an intermediary. York speaks and reads Japanese, has represented Japanese companies in U.S. courts for decades, and has worked hand-in-hand with Japanese counsel in advising U.S. and European clients navigating Japan's legal system — in both directions and in technologies involving the highest levels of complexity. York first moved to and lived in Japan from 1984 through 1986, after his freshman year at university and at the height of Japan's "Bubble Jidai" that firmly established Japan on the world's economic landscape. York has lived and worked periodically in Japan over the ensuing forty years, including nearly a decade as a partner in Quinn Emanuel's Tokyo office and then founder of YMF Law.
York Moody Faulkner
YMF Law is the practice of York M. Faulkner. York began his career as a federal trial lawyer in the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division — conducting grand jury investigations, trying cases to verdict on charges ranging from tax evasion and obstruction of justice to conspiracy to defraud the United States, and building the evidentiary instincts and courtroom discipline that have informed every matter since.
He was recruited from the DOJ by Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner — one of the country's premier intellectual property firms, which had recognized early that patent litigation required experienced trial lawyers, not just technical specialists. Over 22 years as an equity partner, York served in firm management, led the IP Specialties Group, and litigated patent and IP cases across pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, medical devices, automotive, consumer electronics, fiber optics, and more in federal district courts and before the ITC.
After three years as an equity partner in Quinn Emanuel's Tokyo office — deepening his Japan practice within one of the most demanding litigation cultures in the profession — York founded YMF Law in 2021, building an independent senior partner practice designed around the way sophisticated clients now select legal talent.
”
General Counsel, Pharmaceutical Conglomerate
We don't retain law firms. . . . We retain the best lawyers.
Independent Senior Partner Practice
Sophisticated clients have experienced the pattern: a large firm is retained on the strength of a senior partner's proposal, and the work is performed by someone else. YMF Law offers a different structure: direct access to York's judgment and experience, in whatever form the client's situation calls for — lead counsel, specialist co-counsel, or standing advisory resource.
1. Lead Counsel. Where the client needs a senior litigator to build and lead the team, York assembles it — drawing from available market talent matched to the jurisdiction, technology, and strategic demands of the specific matter. No internal rotation, no organizational constraints. The client has direct access to thirty-plus years of federal court experience from the first conversation to the verdict.
2. Co-Counsel. Where a client already has litigation counsel but the matter calls for specialized depth — in complex patent litigation, Japan-facing matters, or both — York joins the team as co-counsel, retained directly by the client. The engagement adds capability without displacing existing counsel, without creating conflicts, and without the awkward dynamics that large firm "additions" often produce. The goal is the same in either role: the best possible outcome for the client.
3. Outside Advisory. For companies with predictable U.S. litigation exposure — where regulatory timelines, competitor patent activity, or known enforcement signals make the onset of litigation foreseeable in advance — York provides a standing advisory relationship structured around the client's business cycle, not around billable events. The model is closer to an outside advisory function than a traditional litigation retainer: continuous, informed, and available at whatever level of engagement the situation requires.
Across all three models, what remains constant is this: the engagement is structured around the client's needs and existing relationships — not around a firm's roster, billing structures, or institutional conventions. As the general counsel of a major pharmaceutical group put it: "We don't retain law firms. We retain the best lawyers."
Recent Articles
YMF Law publishes regularly on U.S. and Japanese IP decisions, government investigations, and developments in the legal profession. The following are recent articles appearing on the firm's Insights page and distributed through Lexology and Mondaq.
When Knockoffs Arrive Overnight but Justice Takes Years - Why the gap between infringement and justice is wider than most clients think when trying to serve a Complaint on Chinese infringers.
Dismissal with Prejudice Creates Implied License Under the Patent Marking Statute? The Federal Circuit Seems Unconvinced - Why patentees should think twice before agreeing to dismiss an infringement suit with prejudice. It might create a patent "license."
The Vanishing $10 Million Verdict in Rex Medical v. Intuitive Surgical - "The math is stark: infringement victory + validity win + $10 million jury award = $1, if you cannot apportion value to the patented invention. . . ."
Eastern District of Virginia Rocket Docket - Schedules & Procedure - A concise walk-through of the peculiar local rules of the EDVA Rocket Docket that accelerate the case schedule, compress discovery dispute resolution, and open common pitfalls to the unwary.
The Taxation of Tip Income - The Untold Story - York's detailed recounting of the decades-long war waged against tip taxation by Las Vegas casino dealers, as told by one who served in its trenches.
Thought Leadership
Japan Focus
The firm frequently publishes articles on patent and other IP related decisions by Japanese courts that are of interest to clients and practitioners outside Japan:
The CRISPR Patent Wars Hit Japan: A High-Stakes Battle Over Gene-Editing's Future - Detailing the University of California's favorable outcome before Japan's IP High Court, rejecting Toolgen's efforts to invalidate the university's foundational CRISPR Cas9 gene editing patent.
In Vivo Production and Patent Infringement - An Issue of First Impression in Japan's IP High Court - A groundbreaking decision that may shape the scope and enforceability of Japanese patents directed to patient therapies administered by medical professionals in Japan.
Law Firm Opportunities in the Japanese Market - Documenting opportunities for U.S. law firms arising from shifting trends in Japanese corporate foreign investment. Legal needs for transactional, regulatory, litigation, and arbitration work - amplified by recent tariff policies.
FDA Pharmaceutical Regulation and Drug Patent Litigation: A Guidebook for U.S. Drug Development (published by "Keizai Sangyo Chosakai" Research Institute of Economy, Trade & Industry) - York co-authored the leading Japanese-language publication on FDA approvals and Hatch-Waxman drug and biosimilar litigation.
Future of the Profession
The legal profession is rapidly changing. York writes about law firm economics from the perspective of his years in BigLaw firm management, the founding of his own firm, and his background in economics. The following "DOGE" trilogy traces the fortunes of a fictional managing partner who, while struggling to keep the law firm afloat, is visited by a data analyst from "DOGE." The visits result in a near 300% profit turnaround only to be faced with the challenges and disruptions of artificial intelligence:
What if DOGE Paid a Visit to YOUR Law Firm? - A detailed and mathematical presentation of how hourly cost rate and hourly profit rate metrics can revolutionize your firm's profitability with concrete guidance on headcount management, hourly rate pricing, and more.
The DOGE Analyst Returns to YOUR Law Firm to Discuss the Rise of Non-Equity Partners: A Sequel - A formalized analysis explaining the role of technology in driving modern trends in law firm management, including seniority biased staffing, the rise of non-equity partners, runaway hourly billing rates, and more.
Banishing the DOGE Analyst from YOUR Law Firm: The End of a Trilogy and the Practice of Law as We Know it? - An analysis of your law firm's uncertain future when confronted with the full scope and force of artificial intelligence. See the drama unfold in real time during your partners' annual retreat.
Contact Information
Conflicts checks and preliminary inquiries are welcomed at no charge.
Disclaimer: This form and email information is provided as a convenience for communicating with the legal professionals at YMF Law. Contact via this form or attorney email directly does not create an attorney-client relationship, and your transmission of information and materials via this form or direct email does not create an attorney-client relationship with YMF Law or any of its affiliated attorneys. If you contact YMF Law using this form or direct email regarding a matter in which the firm does not represent you, any information you communicate will not be treated as privileged or confidential. Check the box before submission to confirm you understand this disclaimer.