Mr Brett Schuman > Goodwin > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile
Goodwin Offices
THREE EMBARCADERO CENTER
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111
CALIFORNIA
United States
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Mr Brett Schuman
Position
Partner / Co-Chair Intellectual Property
Career
Brett Schuman is the co-chair of Goodwin’s Intellectual Property group. He is the former chair of the firm’s San Francisco office and the former head of the Litigation department for Goodwin’s California offices. He is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He is a partner in the firm’s IP Litigation group, focusing his practice on patent and other IP litigation in federal and state courts around the country.
Brett’s patent litigation practice comprises patent cases on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants across various industries. He serves as lead partner and lead trial counsel in patent infringement litigation matters involving mobile phone technology, broadband communications technology, semiconductor fabrication and circuitry, wearables, and pharmaceuticals. He also has handled approximately 30 IPR and CBM proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Brett is an approved panel counsel for RPX, the leading provider of patent risk solutions and insurance services.
Brett’s practice also comprises copyright and trade secret litigation, including trade secret litigation relating to employee mobility and trade secret litigation between competitors. For example, Brett was co-lead counsel for Otto Trucking, LLC in the Waymo LLC v. Uber Technologies, et al., where Goodwin achieved a summary judgment victory for our Otto Trucking in late 2017. Brett also served as co-lead counsel during the related Google v. Anthony Levandowski et al. arbitration proceedings.
Brett also co-chairs the firm’s Cannabis practice where he advises US and international businesses in, or looking to get in, the cannabis industry. His clients range from Fortune 50 companies to emerging companies. He advises cannabis industry clients regarding the federal and state regulatory regimes relating to cannabis, IP issues, products liability, and other issues. He also represents cannabis industry clients in litigation, including leading brands such as PAX Labs and Kiva Brands, Inc.
Education
J.D., 1996 Harvard Law School (cum laude) / B.A., 1993 University of Michigan
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Industry focus > Cannabis
(Leading lawyers)Goodwin assists clients in cannabis acquisitions, significant capital raises and disputes, as well as transactions. The department also represents private equity, venture capital funds and investors in cannabis investments and regulatory approvals. Joint team heads Jennifer Fisher and Brett Schuman are both located in San Francisco, with the former possessing extensive knowledge of cannabis regulatory and litigation mandates and frequently representing cannabis industry operators. Bill Growney is located in Silicon Valley and assists investors in cannabis related transactions, while Boston based David Apfel represents a diversity of clients in corporate, litigation and regulatory mandates.
United States > Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
Goodwin has a presence on both coasts, with San Francisco-based Koray Bulut, Silicon Valley-based Andrew Ong, New York-based Albert Solecki and Boston-based Mark Tully leading the interdisciplinary team, which is able to handle the full spectrum of trade secret matters, including those involving employment, cybersecurity and criminal litigation. It is adept at advising clients ranging from well-known companies and start-ups to individual employees, particularly on mobility cases. Silicon Valley-based partner Neel Chatterjee has particular expertise in high-stakes technology work while San Francisco’s Brett Schuman is noted particularly for his work representing Rivian Automotive, Inc against Tesla. Counsel Jeremy Lateiner, also in San Francisco, is one to watch, developing his specialism in the field of employee mobility and competitor disputes.
United States > Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
The intellectual property litigation team at Goodwin frequently represents innovators and creators of generics in pharma and biotech-related litigation, seeing success in significant federal circuit and Supreme Court cases. In addition to pharma-related expertise, the tech industry is another area of strength, with the firm regularly involved in high-profile, innovative cases within the space. The strength of the practice is clearly demonstrated through a client list, including Amneal Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceuticals all on the life sciences side, and IBM, CommScope, and Samsung displaying strong tech expertise. Brett Schuman leads the team out of San Francisco, alongside Daryl Wiesen based in the firm’s Boston office. Noted practitioners within the team include Elaine Blais, with experience across all stages of patent litigation, and PJ McCarthy with specialist knowledge in complex tech related disputes, particularly within computer, electronics, and mechanical arts. Naomi Birbach, with extensive experience in Hatch-Waxman linked generic drug litigation, is also integral to the team.
Lawyer Rankings
- Cannabis United States > Industry focus
- Leading lawyers United States > Industry focus > Cannabis
- Patents: litigation (full coverage) United States > Intellectual property
- Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters) United States > Intellectual property
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Finance > Financial services regulation
- Industry focus > Cannabis
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Industry focus > Education
- Labor and employment > ERISA litigation
- Finance > Fintech
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m)
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- International Trade > CFIUS
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Real estate > Real estate
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Healthcare > Service providers
- International Trade > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Intellectual property > Patents: prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings)