For New York-based Kenyon & Kenyon, big-name clients with high-profile intellectual property problems is familiar turf.

The firm, which can deploy about 170 lawyers in New York, Washington and Palo Alto, Calif., in 2012 handled matters for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Barnes & Noble Inc. and Maker’s Mark Distillery Inc. With a 134-year history and lawyers who count years of intellectual property experience, Kenyon & Kenyon represents a rarity that clients covet, according to senior partner Michael Lennon in New York. "That’s the value of our firm," he said.