PALO ALTO/SAN FRANCISCO—The Daily Journal has named Covington partners Kurt Calia and Alexa Hansen to its 2026 Top Intellectual Property Lawyers list, a recognition of the leading California lawyers who specialize in intellectual property law.
Kurt is a partner in Covington’s Palo Alto office who represents life sciences and technology companies in high-stakes intellectual property and complex litigation disputes. For more than 25 years, he has led trial teams in courts across the country, including the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. His practice spans a broad range of technologies, including pharmaceutical chemistry, biotechnology, semiconductors, and aerospace and defense. Kurt has taught intellectual property law at Stanford Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, and Howard University School of Law. This is his seventh consecutive year receiving the honor, and he has also been named one of the Daily Journal’s Top Trade Secrets Lawyers.
Alexa is a San Francisco-based partner and patent litigator who represents clients in federal district courts and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, with a focus on pharmaceutical and biological patents. In addition to her litigation practice, she advises on intellectual property issues in connection with product acquisitions and other strategic transactions. Alexa is ranked by Chambers USA, which notes her growing recognition for handling high-stakes patent disputes, and has also been recognized by the Daily Journal as a Top Health Care Lawyer. Prior to her legal career, she worked as a medicinal chemist at Merck & Co., where she designed small molecule drugs and is named as an inventor on three patents. This is her third year receiving the honor.
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