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

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.

Praised by clients for fielding a team of ‘exceptionally talented and experienced‘ trial lawyers, Kirkland & Ellis LLP has extensive experience handling patent infringement matters in the full range of litigation forums, with particular expertise in competitor disputes. Intellectual property litigator Gregory Arovas in New York is a ‘top notch lead counsel‘ in patent disputes, trial lawyer Gregg LoCascio in Washington DC handles a varied caseload of IP and commercial litigation matters, and San Francisco-based lawyer Adam Alper specializes in patent and trade secret litigation. Also in New York, Robert Appleby focuses on intellectual property litigation and Todd Friedman handles disputes in the tech and medical devices sectors. The group also includes experienced trial lawyer James Hurst in Chicago, Austin-based Jeannie Heffernan, and Edward Donovan in Washington DC, who specializes in tech-related IP litigation. The Los Angeles team includes IP trial lawyer Michael De Vries and the ‘impressive’ Sharre Lotfollahi, who focuses on tech licensing disputes. Trial lawyer Brandon Brown in San Francisco, who specializes in high-tech patent disputes, is another name to note.