Mr Adam Alper > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile

The team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP  is distinguished by its trial readiness and strong track record in patent litigation across all major venues, including US district courts, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuits, the PTAB and the ITC. The practice is chosen for high-stakes competitor cases and recently worked on the largest defence-side patent win in US history for its client Samsung. Gregory Arovas represents plaintiffs and defendants in high-profile cases in New York. Seasoned litigator Gregg LoCascio, based in Washington DC, regularly acts as lead counsel on high-stakes IP disputes. Adam Alper, from the Bay Area, focuses on competitor cases in the telecommunications, computer hardware and pharmaceutical industries. In Los Angeles, Michael De Vries consistently achieves victories in both plaintiff and defence-side patent litigation. Other key practitioners include Chicago-based James Hurst, a seasoned trial lawyer, and Robert Appleby, based in New York, who focuses on patents and trade secret cases in state and federal courts. Additionally, further expertise can be found on the West Coast: Brandon Brown a specialist in high-tech patents, is also based in the Bay Area, while Sharre Lotfollahi, located in Los Angeles, concentrates on patents related to semiconductors, microprocessors and medical devices.

The team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP regularly assists clients in complex trade secret matters, a noteworthy example being its continued representation of Motorola Solutions Inc. in the ongoing, cross-jurisdictional and high-value case regarding trademark, copyright and trade secret infringement. On the West Coast, Adam Alper works from San Francisco and has expertise handling multifaceted disputes involving patent, trade secret and copyright violations in industry sectors ranging from telecoms to pharmaceuticals. The San Francisco office was bolstered in August 2024 by the arrival of Laura Vartain Horn. Michael De Vries is a key name in Los Angeles who specializes in trials regarding the misuse of trade secrets. Key attorneys on the East Coast are Dale Cendali, Leslie Schmidt and Joshua Simmons in New York. Cendali has handled trade secrets disputes up to US Supreme Court level and Simmons is also a noteworthy litigator, particularly in the media and tech sectors, among others, while Schmidt has experience handling cases with international scope. In the same office, Claudia Ray offers pre-litigation advice across the range of IP work.