EVAN FINKEL
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Evan Finkel is a registered patent attorney who serves as leader of Pillsbury’s Los Angeles IP group. His practice focuses on all aspects of computer-related technologies, consumer electronics, medical devices, video games, and automotive industry systems and components. He has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in IP litigation and post-grant proceedings, as well as alternative dispute resolution proceedings, most often involving numerous parties and a multitude of patents.
Finkel’s key clients include The Walt Disney Company and its affiliates (Pixar, ESPN, Disney Interactive Studios and LucasArts), Medtronic MiniMed, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, General Atomics, and MicroVention. He is the sole named inventor on patented technology he was working on for a client. He is a mediator on intellectual property cases on the Central District of California Court Mediation Panel. One client recently noted that Finkel, “…represents the highest level that can be achieved by an outside counsel.”
GARY HECKER
Munck Wllson Mandala LLP
Gary Hecker is one of the nation’s leading intellectual property lawyers. He is recognized for his diverse experience in all aspects of IP law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, rights of publicity, entertainment, Internet and computer law, unfair competition, and trade secrets. In the late 80s, Hecker founded his boutique IP law firm that represented well-known names in technology and entertainment.
Hecker has been involved in protecting intellectual property for his clients since the early days of the PC. He has represented many of the world’s leading companies in intellectual property matters. In 2018, seeing the opportunity that Silicon Beach presented, Hecker combined his firm with a leading technology law firm in Dallas and created a larger IP powerhouse with more than 40 registered patent attorneys and more than 850 combined years of technology and legal experience in key markets, including LA, Dallas and Austin.
BITA RAHEBI
Morrison Foerster
The world’s largest and most innovative technology companies turn to Bita Rahebi for her trial skills and her strategic direction leading complex, high-stakes litigation matters, with a particular focus on intellectual property litigation. She litigates before state and federal trial courts, the Federal Circuit, and the International Trade Commission on a wide range of matters involving semiconductors, software, consumer electronics, and medical devices.
As a trial lawyer, Rahebi is recognized for zealously representing her clients’ interests. She brings an ability to explain complicated issues to juries and judges, a skill honed through years of experience working with cutting-edge technologies. She has obtained a complete defense victory as lead trial lawyer, invalidated numerous patents, and has also obtained winning results for plaintiffs. In addition to her litigation practice, she advises clients on strategic transactional issues and negotiates on behalf of clients in patent licensing discussions.
KALPANA SRINIVASAN
Susman Godfrey LLP
Kalpana Srinivasan tries high-stakes cases for plaintiffs and defendants in courtrooms across the country. A partner in the Los Angeles office and a member of Susman Godfrey’s Executive Committee, she has secured significant victories for her clients in antitrust, patent, trade secret, copyright, class action, and other disputes.
In 2018, Srinivasan won a $706.2 million jury verdict for client HouseCanary in a misappropriation of trade secret, fraud and breach of contract case. As co-lead counsel, Srinivasan played a crucial role in this landmark win. The case was featured in Lawdragon’s feature story, “Revenge of the Hatchlings: How Susman Godfrey Won Almost a Billion Dollars for HouseCanary.” The matter was finalized by the court in late 2018 at a value of $740 million. In January of this year, Srinivasan’s opponent was denied a retrial by the court, a decision they are currently appealing.
