End-to-end guidance across the semiconductor lifecycle
Semiconductor legal services
From pressure on IP, data, and manufacturing capacity to policy-driven investment and scrutiny of cross-border transactions, semiconductor companies face mounting obstacles. You[AB1.1] need a legal advisor who sees the full picture and coordinates across complex, multi-disciplinary priorities.
Our team provides support across the semiconductor value chain, from chip design and capital raising to manufacturing facilities, commercial partnerships, intellectual property strategy, regulatory compliance, and strategic transactions.
Comprehensive semiconductor-specific advice
Backed by a single, business-focused team, we bring together corporate, IP, regulatory, disputes, employment, tax, real estate, and commercial experience to help you navigate complex investment and operational decisions.
“Semiconductors are at the center of the global AI economy, driving innovation across every industry.”
Technical depth at global scale
Our 600+ technology lawyers worldwide, including 50+ with technical and scientific degrees, bring deep knowledge of semiconductor law with extensive experience in patent litigation, licensing, commercialization, and innovation-driven transactions. We deliver advice grounded in the technology, market dynamics, and regulatory environment shaping the sector.
Deal, regulatory, and policy execution in one platform
We provide seamless support across M&A, private capital, capital markets, CFIUS reviews, export controls, sanctions, AI regulation, government incentives, and public policy matters. This integrated approach helps you manage risk, respond to evolving geopolitical developments, and execute strategic objectives with confidence.
Awards and recognition
Experience
- Qualcomm and Qualcomm Technologies in the US$1.4 billion acquisition of NUVIA, a world-class CPU and technology design company.
- Renesas, a Japan-based supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, in its US$6.5 billion acquisition of Altium, a global leader in electronics design systems.
- Silicon Laboratories, Inc. in the US$2.75 billion divestiture of its Infrastructure and Automotive business to Skyworks Solutions.
- Navitas Semiconductor, Inc. in its US$1.04 billion going-public merger with Live Oak Acquisition Corp. II, its US$80 million underwritten follow-on public offering, and its at-the-market offering of up to US$50 million of Class A common stock.
- Analog Devices, Inc. in the issuance of US$1.5 billion senior notes, comprising US$850 million of 4.250% senior notes due 2028 and US$650 million of 4.500% senior notes due 2030.
- Cohu, Inc., a supplier of equipment and services optimizing semiconductor manufacturing yield and productivity, in its acquisition of MCT Worldwide, a provider of semiconductor test handler automation equipment.
- Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. in high-stakes patent infringement actions involving processor technologies and enterprise-wide exposure, including matters brought by WiLAN/Collabo Innovations and litigation in the Western District of Texas.
- Samsung in high-stakes patent litigation and inter partes review proceedings involving image sensor technologies, core semiconductor components for mobile, automotive, and AI markets.
- A global semiconductor company on CFIUS clearance for two technology transactions critical to continuing its US acquisition strategy.
- A global technology company that designs, develops, and markets semiconductor memory solutions in an internal investigation into potential EAR violations, including a voluntary self-disclosure to BIS that was resolved with only a warning letter and no monetary penalties.
Featured insights
FAQs
Companies should look for semiconductor counsel with industry knowledge, technical fluency, relevant legal capabilities, and the ability to work across jurisdictions. The lawyer should understand where the company sits in the value chain and how IP, transactions, trade rules, AI, operations, and disputes can affect the same business objective. For cross-border matters, local regulatory knowledge and coordinated project management are also important. A company may want to ask about experience with comparable technologies, transaction types, regulators, and commercial models. DLA Piper combines a global technology platform with lawyers focused on corporate, IP, regulatory, disputes, employment, tax, real estate, and commercial matters, allowing the team to match the legal response to the client's specific semiconductor challenge.
Semiconductor industry experience matters because legal advice must account for the technology, the value chain, and the regulatory environment shaping the business. A provision that appears routine may affect access to IP, manufacturing capacity, customers, data, or a key jurisdiction. Industry-experienced counsel can more quickly identify which issues deserve technical diligence, regulatory analysis, or commercial negotiation and how those workstreams connect. This is especially useful when a matter combines advanced technology with cross-border investment, export controls, AI, or patent risk. DLA Piper's semiconductor practice advises chip designers, fabless innovators, manufacturers, equipment suppliers, foundries, and investors, giving its lawyers context for the different priorities and dependencies that arise across the sector.
A semiconductor M&A lawyer can help align transaction strategy with the regulatory, technical, and operational issues that may affect value, timing, and closing. Relevant workstreams may include IP and AI diligence, export controls, CFIUS or other foreign-investment reviews, financing, tax, employment, governance, supply arrangements, and post-closing integration. Counsel can identify dependencies early, coordinate specialists, and reflect material findings in the deal structure and negotiation. For a divestiture or carve-out, the team may also need to address which contracts, facilities, employees, licenses, and commercial arrangements move with the business. DLA Piper brings its semiconductor, M&A, regulatory, IP, and operational capabilities together so clients can manage the transaction as one connected project.
Semiconductor companies raising capital may need coordinated advice on transaction structure, disclosure, governance, tax, regulatory matters, and investor diligence. The appropriate path may involve an IPO, follow-on offering, private placement, debt financing, venture round, or another structure that fits the company's capital requirements and stage of growth. Counsel can help management prepare materials, organize diligence, review public-facing claims, and explain how technology differentiation, AI strategy, IP, manufacturing dependencies, and regulatory exposure may affect the financing. Market windows can be narrow, so preparation before launch is often valuable. DLA Piper advises issuers, underwriters, investors, growth companies, and sponsors across capital markets, private equity, and venture transactions involving semiconductor businesses.
Legal counsel can support semiconductor investors by combining deal execution with diligence on technology rights, regulatory exposure, manufacturing dependencies, and future growth plans. For private equity, the work may involve acquisitions, carve-outs, platform investments, add-on transactions, and post-closing operational priorities. Venture and corporate venture investments may require financing terms that support later rounds while accounting for strategic relationships, cross-border ownership, export classifications, or foreign-investment review. Counsel should tailor the scope to the target's place in the semiconductor value chain and the investor's objectives. DLA Piper represents companies, sponsors, and strategic investors throughout the investment lifecycle, allowing corporate, regulatory, tax, IP, and operational lawyers to address issues in a coordinated manner.
A semiconductor patent lawyer can help align patent development with the company's product roadmap, commercial strategy, and likely enforcement needs. That may include drafting and prosecuting patents, coordinating filings across jurisdictions, reviewing portfolio coverage, advising on licensing, and preparing for monetization or disputes. In a technically complex sector, counsel should understand how innovations in circuits, manufacturing methods, electronic design automation, emulation, or chip verification create business value. A litigation-informed approach can also help a company evaluate claim scope and identify gaps before a dispute arises. DLA Piper's semiconductor IP lawyers advise on patent development, portfolio strategy, licensing, commercialization, enforcement, and litigation, supported by lawyers with technical and scientific backgrounds.
A semiconductor company should prepare for patent litigation or a licensing dispute before a claim, negotiation, or enforcement deadline limits its options. Preparation may include reviewing the relevant patents and licenses, mapping the affected products and technologies, organizing technical and commercial information, and assessing how the dispute could affect business operations or strategic transactions. Companies may also consider whether portfolio development, licensing, monetization, and litigation positions remain aligned. Because semiconductor disputes can involve complex technologies and multiple jurisdictions, coordination among technical teams, business leaders, patent counsel, and litigators is important. DLA Piper's semiconductor team handles patent strategy and disputes involving processor, memory, image sensor, design automation, manufacturing, and related technologies, connecting long-term IP strategy with litigation readiness.
Semiconductor companies using AI may need to address governance, regulatory compliance, data integrity, bias, IP ownership, privacy, and deployment controls. The legal work should follow the AI system from design or acquisition through implementation and monitoring, with responsibilities and approval processes that reflect the use case. AI issues may also arise in M&A or investment diligence when technology assets or product capabilities depend on AI. Because the relevant expectations continue to evolve, organizations may consider coordinating legal, technical, compliance, and business teams rather than treating AI as a standalone policy issue. DLA Piper combines semiconductor knowledge with AI, data, regulatory, and transactional capabilities to help clients assess and manage AI-related issues across the business lifecycle.
An experienced semiconductor export-control lawyer can help a company classify products and technology, assess licensing requirements, review transactions, and design internal compliance processes. Counsel may also support investigations, corrective action, voluntary disclosures when appropriate, and communications with relevant authorities. For businesses operating across the United States, China, and other markets, export rules may affect customers, technology transfers, investments, supply decisions, and continued operations. The analysis should therefore involve technical and business teams as well as legal and compliance personnel. DLA Piper's National Security and Global Trade lawyers work with its semiconductor team on export controls, sanctions, licensing, and related cross-border issues, helping clients connect regulatory requirements to commercial decisions.
Semiconductor companies and investors should assess CFIUS and other foreign-investment issues early in any transaction involving cross-border ownership, investment, or control. Whether a filing or approval may be relevant depends on the transaction, the technology, the investor and ownership profile, and the jurisdictions involved. Early analysis can inform structure, diligence, timing, governance arrangements, and risk allocation before the parties make difficult-to-change commitments. It can also help the deal team coordinate foreign-investment questions with export controls and other regulatory workstreams. DLA Piper advises semiconductor companies, private equity sponsors, corporate venture investors, and other parties on CFIUS and foreign-investment strategy. Because the rules and government expectations continue to evolve, transaction-specific analysis remains important.
Semiconductor legal counsel can help management identify where trade rules, sourcing, manufacturing, customers, strategic partners, and government policy create concentrated exposure. The legal team can coordinate regulatory, policy, and commercial analysis for decisions involving market entry, supply arrangements, capital investment, or cross-border transactions. It may also help leaders evaluate how changes in export restrictions, foreign-investment rules, sanctions, industrial policy, or stakeholder expectations could affect planned activity. DLA Piper's semiconductor practice works across corporate, national security, global trade, government affairs, and commercial matters, with local insight in key jurisdictions. This integrated approach can give business leaders a clearer view of legal dependencies while regulatory and geopolitical conditions continue to change.
Semiconductor manufacturing projects may require legal support across real estate and facility arrangements, employment, tax, incentives, supply contracts, commercial partnerships, regulatory compliance, and global trade. The mix will depend on the location, operating model, technology, and role of government funding or policy. Companies may benefit from coordinating these workstreams before committing to a site, investment structure, or key commercial arrangement, especially when the project crosses jurisdictions. Counsel can also help connect the expansion plan to IP protection, workforce needs, sourcing, and market-access considerations. DLA Piper's semiconductor practice brings together operational, regulatory, transactional, tax, employment, real estate, and policy capabilities to support manufacturing and footprint decisions.
Companies seeking semiconductor lawyers with cross-border and multidisciplinary experience should look for a team that can address transactions, IP, regulation, disputes, operations, and policy through one coordinated relationship. The team should understand semiconductor technology and have lawyers in the markets where the client invests, manufactures, sells, and enforces its rights. DLA Piper's Semiconductors practice combines industry-focused lawyers with a broader global technology platform. Its capabilities include M&A, capital markets, private equity, venture capital, patent development and litigation, AI governance, export controls, CFIUS, government affairs, employment, tax, real estate, and commercial matters. Visitors can use the Semiconductors webpage to explore these capabilities and connect with DLA Piper's global semiconductor leaders or another lawyer suited to the issue at hand.