Joe Mueller, the Co-Chair of WilmerHale’s firmwide Trial Practice, is a top national trial lawyer who has played a leading role in dozens of high-stakes trials in courts across the country. He has first-chaired many trials involving billion- or multi-billion-dollar stakes, and several others involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr. Mueller is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the preeminent professional organization for North American trial lawyers, and he has repeatedly been named among the top 100 trial lawyers in the country by Benchmark Litigation. In 2026, Bloomberg Law honored him as one of 25 “Unrivaled” trial lawyers who “lead[] the profession in high-stakes trials and settlements.” Chambers USA 2026 quotes commentary that “Joe is unparalleled as a trial lawyer.”

Mr. Mueller is in the highest tier of trial lawyers for intellectual property cases. He is consistently ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA for intellectual property, and per feedback reported by IAM Patent 1000, “is a commanding courtroom presence” and “is in the top 1% of US patent trial lawyers of his generation.” Chambers USA 2026 likewise quotes the following: “[h]e is one of the best first-chair trial lawyers in patent litigation,” and “[h]e is a truly preeminent lawyer in patent litigation.” In 2025, Benchmark Litigation named Mr. Mueller the “Intellectual Property Litigator of the Year” for the United States. In 2022 alone, he achieved the rare feat of leading four billion-dollar-stakes cases in four intellectual property disciplines—patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and licensing—through three trials and a summary judgment hearing in the fourth case, in courts from coast-to-coast.

Mr. Mueller’s trial experience extends beyond intellectual property to many other types of trials, including civil trials involving wide-ranging subjects (e.g., antitrust, contract, and fiduciary duty claims) as well as criminal trials. He has a special skillfulness in crafting trial strategies for high-stakes cases involving interdisciplinary and cross-jurisdictional (including cross-border) issues.

Among his many recognitions, Mr. Mueller has been honored as an Intellectual Property Trailblazer by The National Law Journal, repeatedly named the Lawyer of the Year for Patent Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation in Massachusetts by Best Lawyers in America, and is a four-time winner of Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week.” In 2024, 2025, and 2026, Managing IP named Mr. Mueller the “Litigator of the Year” for Massachusetts. He was also named a finalist for the 2023 New England Attorney of the Year (across all substantive disciplines).

Earlier in his career Mr. Mueller served as a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Special District Attorney in the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted cases involving violent crimes, financial fraud, and many other criminal offenses. While at the Middlesex DA's Office, Mr. Mueller tried thirteen criminal cases to juries and judges.

Mr. Mueller’s advocacy work extends beyond trials. He has considerable appellate experience and has argued before federal and state appeals courts including the United States Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Fourth Circuit, and Ninth Circuit. He has also worked on projects involving a wide array of federal agencies and has spearheaded the formulation and implementation of policy strategies for interactions with those agencies.

Beyond his domestic practice, Mr. Mueller has in-depth knowledge regarding strategies for international litigations and regulatory proceedings. He has experience with courts and government agencies throughout Europe and Asia.

Mr. Mueller has worked on significant pro bono matters involving disability rights, political asylum, detainee and prisoner rights, public school disciplinary procedures, and healthcare. Over the years, he has received the Boston Bar Association's President's Award and the firm's John H. Pickering Award for his exemplary pro bono service.

Professional Activities

At the appointment of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Mr. Mueller served as a Special Prosecutor for the Eastern District. He has also served on multiple special committees for the Eastern District.

Mr. Mueller has been an adjunct professor of law at Boston College Law School for over 20 years. He has taught courses on trial practice and patent litigation, and worked with the school's international law advocacy programs.