Firm Expands Bay Area Presence with Second Partner Hire This Month
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announced that John (Jay) Neukom has joined the firm’s San Francisco office as a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation Group, further enhancing the firm’s expertise in a key practice area for the office. Mr. Neukom is a veteran trial lawyer who brings to the firm extensive experience advising major Bay Area companies on complex business and intellectual property disputes, including trade secret misappropriation, and patent, trademark and copyright infringement matters. Mr. Neukom joins David Bernstein, the Group’s Chair, who spends time in both the San Francisco and New York offices. He is also the second new partner joining the firm’s San Francisco office this month, following Kristin Snyder, who recently joined the firm from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Mr. Neukom has served as lead counsel for a broad range of Fortune 500 technology companies in high-stakes matters focused on intellectual property, contract and competition issues. He has litigated over 100 intellectual property disputes in jury and bench trials in state and federal courts across the U.S., as well as successfully argued before various domestic and international arbitration tribunals, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the International Trade Commission.
“We continue to prioritize growth in Northern California and providing world-class service to our clients in the Bay Area and the rest of the country,” said Presiding Partner Michael Blair. “Jay is an exceptional lawyer who is aligned with our core values, including close collaboration and teamwork in client service.”
Mr. Bernstein, Partner and Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group stated: “Jay possesses an incredible breadth of intellectual property litigation experience with extensive subject matter expertise in the technology sector, particularly in areas of semiconductors, network security and software. We welcome Jay to our preeminent IP practice and are confident that his litigation prowess will help us further scale our offerings in the Bay Area and support our clients in navigating through an increasingly competitive market.”
San Francisco Co-Managing Partner David Sarratt added: “Jay is a leader in the Bay Area legal community and we’re excited to have him join our team here. His broad knowledge and deep ties to the local tech and business communities will be a tremendous addition to our IP practice in the region and nationally.”
Prior to joining Debevoise, Mr. Neukom was Co-Head of the Intellectual Property Litigation practice in the Palo Alto office of another international law firm where he successfully asserted and defended claims for patent infringement, copyright infringement, trademark infringement and trade secret misappropriation. He has represented a broad array of clients throughout his career including Cisco, Google, Philips and Fortinet. Mr. Neukom received his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2004, his M.A. from Yale University in 2001 and his B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1997. Before entering private practice, he served as a law clerk to Judge Jose Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Neukom has been recognized as one of California’s “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers” and “Top Trade Secrets Lawyers” by The Daily Journal, and as a leading patent litigator in California by Intellectual Asset Management.
Mr. Neukom added: “I have long been an admirer of Debevoise and its collaborative culture, and the dynamic and outstanding reputation of its IP litigation practice, which has represented some of the most well-known brands in the world. I look forward to joining the firm’s impressive group of lawyers and serving its growing West Coast client base in a uniquely collegial environment.”
Debevoise’s award-winning Intellectual Property Litigation Group is one of the strongest practices of its kind, consistently ranking in the top tier by Chambers Global and having been selected as Managing Intellectual Property’s “Trademark Contentious Firm of the Year” several years in a row. Named the 2020 IP Practice Group of the Year by Law360, the Group advises on a wide variety of cases, including trademark, trade dress and advertising disputes, copyright matters in media and entertainment, right of publicity issues, and unfair competition and trade secret cases. Many of the firm’s cases have cross-border components, and it has deep experience across a wide range of industries.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices, a global perspective and strong New York roots. We deliver effective solutions to our clients’ most important legal challenges, applying clear commercial judgment and a distinctively collaborative approach.
