Perkins Coie

Firm overview:

International law firm Perkins Coie provides a complete service on trade secrets issues, with more than 100 attorneys focused on the practice area. Clients go to the firm for advice on sophisticated, large-scale matters, involving trade secrets misappropriation, economic espionage, non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, and more.

Perkins Coie takes a multidisciplinary approach to handling secrets claims, drawing on the expertise across the firm from departments including Litigation, Employment, and Criminal Matters and Internal Investigations.

Some of the firm’s exemplary work on trade secrets includes obtaining a $100 million award for Anacor Pharmaceuticals in a JAMS arbitration that involved trade secret misappropriation; and representing Boeing at trial and on appeal in one of Washington’s most widely cited trade secrets cases, Boeing v Sierracin—as well as in a more recent matter. Perkins Coie also lists Amazon as a client for trade secrets work.

Team overview:

John Gray and James Sanders lead the firm’s trade secrets practice from Phoenix and Seattle respectively.

Gray, ranked as a ‘Recommended Individual’ this year, advises well-known technology clients across the US on business and IP disputes. He has a special emphasis in trade secret litigation and has served as counsel for plaintiffs and defendants on multiple high-risk and prominent cases. Gray also speaks widely about topics such as managing trade secrets risk.

Key matters:

• Zunum Aero v The Boeing Company

In August 2024, a Perkins Coie and Hueston Hennigan team convinced a Seattle judge to throw out a $72 million trade secrets verdict against client Boeing. The judge said Zunum’s win could not stand because it had failed to show that the contested information was eligible for trade secret protection. David Perez and Madeline Swan of Perkins Coie acted for Boeing.

Clients:

Amazon, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Boeing, Hitron Americas, TriQuint