Sean Cunningham > DLA Piper LLP (US) > San Diego (Downtown), United States > Lawyer Profile

DLA Piper LLP (US) is sought after for its successful track record representing global and domestic clients in the tech, semiconductor and medical device sectors in patent infringement disputes, with a particular focus on proceedings at the International Trade Commission. San Diego partner Sean Cunningham chairs the firm’s patent litigation group and represent major tech companies like Lenovo, Motorola Mobility and HP Inc. in disputes at all levels of the US court system. Also in San Diego, Erin Gibson is a reputed trial lawyer with particular expertise in the tech industry, litigator Kathryn Riley Grasso represents medical device and tech companies in a wide range of litigation, and Richard Mulloy stands out for his life sciences expertise. The Palo Alto team includes patent litigators Mark Fowler and Carrie Williamson, and the key practitioners in Chicago include Matthew Satchwell, who maintains close relationships with clients in the high-tech space, and Paul Steadman, who handles patent and trade secret matters.

Co-led by seasoned ITC litigator and tech expert Erin Gibson in San Diego, DLA Piper LLP (US) has a broad ITC practice with expertise in a variety of issues relating to Section 337 actions. The group is particularly strong in tech and recently successfully defended Lenovo Group Ltd and Motorola Mobility LLC against a wide-reaching claim by Maxell Technologies. San Diego co-head Sean Cunningham frequently handles matters relating to tech, medical devices and power equipment at the ITC. Mark Fowler in Palo Alto is also an expert in medical devices and power equipment-related cases, acting for clients such as Honeywell and Samsung, and Helena Kiepura in Washington DC is a Section 337 expert. Practice co-heads Gina Durham and Michael Sitzman are based in San Francisco and handle a wide range of patent disputes. Daniel Valencia joined the the DC team in August 2023 from Covington & Burlington, and is another well versed trial lawyer at the ITC.

The collective at DLA Piper LLP (US) has been significantly bolstered by the arrival to the West Coast offices of a 30-lawyer IP team from Dentons which includes well-known names in patent prosecution; Peter Yim who has impressive experience handling IPR, PGR and re-examination work arrived to the San Diego office; team lead at his former firm Brian Ho, alongside Randy Omid and Parker Kuhl to San Francisco; Christopher Eide to Palo Alto; and Michael Swett to Seattle. Another key name in San Diego is Lisa Haile who has particular expertise in tech-related cases. Biopharma, life sciences and manufacturing are all industry sectors the team’s workload covers; its cases frequently include assisting with the key elements of the granting of worldwide patents, managing and establishing portfolios and representing clients in the array of patent prosecution as well as litigation matters. Sean Cunningham in San Diego, San Francisco-based Gina Durham and Larissa Bifano who works from the firm’s Boston hub collectively oversee the practice.