Introduction
Recognized by Chambers, Forbes, and IAM, Sumedha advises on IP and AI law with a business-first approach, aligning legal and technical strategy with clients’ marketplace goals.
Sumedha Ahuja, co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence industry group, focuses on patent issues and has spent her legal career on the development, execution, and enforcement of worldwide market exclusivity strategies for products and technologies that are the core assets of AI and software companies of all sizes. She draws on hands-on engineering and scientific experience developing AI and machine learning solutions to help clients protect their IP in these fields. She also has extensive experience in other technology areas, including cybersecurity; telecommunications; digital health; virtual, augmented, and mixed realities; advertising and behavioral analysis; search and search result processing; fintech and blockchain; Internet of Things; cloud computing; and virtual computing. She is also adept at counseling clients to help turn those assets into business opportunities, such as capital transactions, strategic partnerships, and product acquisitions.
Sumedha is recognized as a leading lawyer by numerous organizations, including Chambers USA, where clients praise her for “being highly skilled and extremely committed to her clients' needs,” her “expert-engineer level knowledge of machine learning and artificial intelligence,” “[understanding] the intersection of AI patenting better than anyone I have come across,” being “astonishingly perceptive in understanding AI” due to her software engineering background, and having a “really great background to support emerging technologies.” She is also consistently named to the IAM Patent 1000 list for guiding clients through risks and challenges in computer software and AI: “Sumedha is skilled and dedicated. She is a leader in cutting-edge patent matters like AI and ML.”
Prior to practicing law, Sumedha was a software engineer at Sapient Corp., where she designed, developed, and deployed software solutions for large enterprise clients.
Education & credentials
- The George Washington University Law School, J.D., 2012
- McGill University, M.S., Computer Science, 2005
- Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, B. Tech., Computer Science and Engineering, 2003
- Washington
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Washington, D.C., Associate
- Goodwin Procter LLP, Washington, D.C., Associate
- Sapient Corporation, Arlington, VA, Software Engineer
Professional recognition
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Ranked in Chambers USA "America's Leading Lawyers" for Intellectual Property, 2025-2026
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Listed in Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000, 2024-2026
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Named "Best-in-State, Washington - Artificial Intelligence," by Forbes, 2025
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Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Litigation - Patent; Patent Law, 2026
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Perkins Coie's Diversity Champions Award, 2018
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Recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers, 2016-2022
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Named to Lawyers of Color’s Second Annual Hot List
Latest thinking
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Latest news, deals and awards
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News IAM Patent 1000 Recognizes Perkins Coie and 39 Lawyers as Patent Leaders
June 02, 2026
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News Perkins Coie Lawyers Recognized by Forbes for Client Excellence
June 26, 2025
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News Perkins Coie Ranks Among Top Law Firms in 2025 Chambers USA
June 05, 2025
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News IAM Patent 1000 Recognizes Perkins Coie and 39 Lawyers as Patent Leaders in US and Asia
June 03, 2025
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News Perkins Coie Launches New Data Center Hub
May 09, 2025
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