Susan Leader
Partner
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Akin Gump partner Susan Leader is a recognized leading litigator in California with an impressive track record for securing favorable verdicts in highly publicized, bet-the-company cases. It is her intense focus in these high stakes matters as well as her well-honed trial skills that make her a go-to lawyer for many global players including Bliss Media, DirecTV and Playboy.
Among her significant recent matters, Leader is representing Gentle Monster, a Korean sunglasses brand, in a high profile fraud and breach of contract action relating to an agreement with defendants to produce videos featuring Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and other artists. Gentle Monster alleges that defendants engaged in an elaborate and well-orchestrated scam that included forging Kanye’s signature, creating a shell company named after Kanye’s deceased mother, and creating fake invoices. This marquee lawsuit has received significant media coverage and is currently pending in Los Angeles Superior Court.
