Ms Dale Cendali > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Based primarily in New York, Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s intellectual property practice is comfortable handling critical matters in the entertainment industry. The firm is assisted in its ability to manage high-profile cases by capable lawyers that are skilled in crisis management and communications, and have experience representing in at all levels of the US court system. Dale Cendali is a widely respected IP lawyer with Supreme Court experience, capable of understanding and resolving intricate, novel areas of law. Claudia Ray is a skillful copyright arbitrator and litigator. The firm’s reach is benefited by Los Angeles based Diana Torres, who focuses on false advertising, copyright, contractual issues and commercial strategy. Joshua Simmons is a seasoned appellate and trial litigator that has had success with complex IP and commercial disputes.

The ‘very impressive’ trade secret group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP is well-equipped to advise its portfolio of renowned clients on the range of non-contentious and litigious matters. There are no formal practice heads but the group is well-regarded for its ‘very deep bench’ of specialist attorneys. Key practitioners on the West Coast include San Francisco-based IP litigation expert Adam Alper, who is renowned for his abilities representing clients namely in the semiconductor, telecoms, computer hardware and pharma industries in particular, in complex disputes; in LA, Michael De Vries has noteworthy expertise handling high-stakes IP disputes – the pair are noted for their ‘great technical backgrounds’. Also on the West Coast, Akshay Deoras in San Francisco and Los Angeles-based Sharre Lotfollahi are names to note. Dale Cendali has notable experience representing clients in high-profile IP matters, Joshua Simmons is focused on media and tech-related IP disputes, while Leslie Schmidt also has significant trial experience; the three are based in New York. An example of the group’s high-stakes workload is its representation of Cognizant TriZetto Software Group, Inc. in a multifaceted matter of alleged misappropriation, unfair competition and breach of contract against Syntel in a healthcare tech context wherein hundreds of millions of dollars were at stake – Alper, De Vries and Simmons successfully co-headed the matter.

The team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP remains a market leader, advising multinational corporates across such tech, video games, aerospace, publishing and media sectors, including Epic Games, IBM, and Take-Two Interactive. Intellectual property authority Dale Cendali, who represented Oracle in the Supreme Court and throughout the long-running Google v Oracle case, heads the practice, bringing extensive experience to high-stakes infringement matters on behalf of celebrities, major motion picture studios and corporates in tech. Seasoned litigator Claudia Ray handles complex combined copyright and competition law matters in New York. Joshua Simmons supports Cendali in acting for clients across the tech and medical devices spaces. All lawyers mentioned work in the New York office. Miranda Means, who works at the firm’s Boston location, was promoted to partner in October 2023.

Widely regarded as a force in the trademark litigation sphere, Kirkland & Ellis LLP is regularly engaged by notable global companies to advise on market-leading issues across electronic games, software, tech, and consumer products sectors. New York’s Dale Cendali steers the practice with her impressive experience before the US Supreme Court and involvement in a number of high-profile litigations. Also in New York is Claudia Ray, who is particularly active in the entertainment and media, financial services, tech, and consumer products sectors, and Johanna Schmitt, whose capabilities extend outside the traditional trademark remit to encompass domain name and contract issues. In Los Angeles, Diana Torres operates for a consortium of clients that includes software developers, consumer product manufacturers, and entertainment and media companies, while Allison Buchner is routinely entrusted by consumers, competitors, and federal regulators, including the Federal Trade Commission. In New York, Joshua Simmons demonstrates excellence in the spheres of media and tech, Shanti Sadtler Conway’s wide-ranging expertise reaches right of publicity, social media and licensing issues, and Mary Mazzello contributes her capabilities across sports, health, financial services, and consulting industries.

With an established presence across retail, consumer, electronics and media sectors to name a few, Kirkland & Ellis LLP harnesses its global network to manage trademark licensing matters, branding, franchising and advertising matters for notable brands such as E.l.f Beauty. Practice head and IP authority Dale Cendali is especially noted for her extensive and wide-ranging experience across trademark, false advertising and trade secrets issues, while Claudia Ray demonstrates comprehensive capabilities that span the entertainment and media, financial services, technology, and consumer products industries. Other key names to note include Mary Mazzello, who regularly advises on branding matters, new product launches, and licensing, and Shanti Sadtler Conway, who bolsters the practice with her ability to handle social media, licensing and right of publicity issues, with Joshua Simmons also being recommended. All listed attorneys are based in New York.