Attorney Intel is pleased to announce The Top 25 Telecommunications Attorneys of 2025. This year’s honorees are trusted legal advisors in a field where engineering complexity and regulatory scrutiny converge. They represent network providers, device manufacturers, cloud platforms, and startups navigating everything from spectrum rights and infrastructure licensing to IP disputes and constitutional appeals. Their clients span continents and sectors, but all depend on lawyers who understand how technical standards, compliance regimes, and market access rules shape modern communications.
The attorneys recognized here have argued precedent-setting cases, counseled on the launch of next-generation products, and negotiated with regulators in high-stakes matters that influence the direction of telecom policy. Whether safeguarding core patents, challenging government action, or guiding companies through structural reform, these attorneys are helping define the legal and commercial frameworks that underpin global communications.
Among this year’s awardees, Sean Stokes, Partner at Keller and Heckman, is recognized for his leadership in broadband infrastructure projects and regulatory strategy, advising utilities, cooperatives, and local governments on public-private partnerships and network deployment. Steven Haber, Partner at Obermayer, is noted for his litigation and compliance work in telecommunications law, drawing on over three decades of experience navigating regulatory disputes and business challenges. Deepa Acharya, Partner at Quinn Emanuel, stands out for her intellectual property litigation involving wireless standards such as 5G and LTE, where she represents clients in complex patent and trade secret disputes across federal courts and regulatory forums.
This year’s awardees were selected following a close review of their legal careers, depth of telecommunications expertise, and the influence of their work on the sector’s legal and regulatory landscape. Please join us in recognizing The Top 25 Telecommunications Attorneys of 2025.
1. Eric Barbier de La Serre
Partner, Jones Day
Eric Barbier de La Serre is a Partner at Jones Day. Barbier de La Serre has more than 25 years of experience in European and French competition law. He has handled numerous antitrust and state aid cases involving the telecommunications, electronic components, media, financial services, and energy sectors.
Barbier de La Serre has been involved in settlement, commitment, interim relief, and sanctions proceedings before the European Commission and the French Competition Authority. He also has very extensive litigation experience before the EU courts and regularly advises on other aspects of EU law such as free movement of goods and services.
Prior to working in private practice at several international law firms, Barbier de La Serre served for five years as référendaire and then Chef de Cabinet to Bo Vesterdorf, at that time president of the European Court of First Instance (today's General Court) in Luxembourg. He holds a master’s degree in law from Harvard Law School, a master’s degree from Sciences Po, and an MBA from HEC Paris.
2. Deepa Acharya
Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
Deepa Acharya is a Partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. Acharya’s practice focuses on intellectual property litigation. She represents clients in all aspects of offensive and defensive litigation matters. Her practice focuses on high-stakes, high-technology patent and trade secrets litigation. She has litigated numerous cases through trial and appeal in federal courts, the International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office in a variety of disputes relating to patents, trade secrets, contracts, licensing, and other complex commercial issues.
Acharya has cross examined witnesses at trial, argued in federal courts around the country, and deposed technical experts as well as apex corporate executives. She has experience litigating a wide range of technologies, including digital camera technology, Internet communications, software, digital video recording/decoding, electrical vehicle technologies, semiconductors, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, streaming, digital rights management, content delivery systems, payment systems, network security, financial/banking business methods, integrated circuits, and various consumer electronics.
Recently, Acharya has played a leading role in multiple matters involving the licensing and enforcement of standard essential patents relating to wireless technology. She has a deep understanding of wireless standards, such as 5G, LTE, WCDMA, CDMA, GSM, Wi-Fi, and other wireless technologies. Acharya holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering and economics from Carnegie Mellon University as well as a JD in intellectual property law from the University of Texas School of Law.
3. Nicholas Tsui
Partner, Alston & Bird LLP
Nicholas Tsui is a Partner at Alston & Bird LLP, a leading international law firm providing innovative legal services to clients across industries such as healthcare, financial services, technology, and energy, with a strong focus on regulatory, litigation, and corporate matters.
Tsui focuses his practice on patents and patent litigation in the district courts, ITC, and PTAB related to technologies including telecommunications, video coding, standard essential technologies, circuit design, software, mobile applications, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals/ANDA. He draws on his background in materials science and engineering to handle technically complex disputes and explain them clearly to judges, juries, and clients. He also advises on the strength of patent portfolios and has led enforcement campaigns involving large-scale assertions.
Tsui first got his start in 2008 as a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, his most recent position before joining Alston & Bird LLP. He holds a JD from Stanford Law School, a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the named inventor on U.S. Patent No. 8,273,848, titled “Protective Polymeric Materials and Related Devices.”
4. Bryan McWhorter
Partner, Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear LLP
Bryan McWhorter is a Partner at Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear LLP. McWhorter focuses on patent procurement and dispute resolution, particularly for companies in the software, telecommunications, and food and beverage areas. McWhorter’s practice includes all aspects of patent development and acquisition for both utility and design patents, including identifying patentable concepts, drafting patent applications, and negotiating with patent offices to gain allowance of applications.
His practice also focuses on helping clients to analyze, manage, and mitigate risks stemming from intellectual property, by conducting patent searches to identify potential risks, infringement analyses to quantify risks, and dispute resolutions and license negotiations to mitigate risks. A significant portion of McWhorter’s practice involves appeals and other special proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
McWhorter represents companies within a number of fields, including cloud computing, mobile applications, computer storage manufacturing, travel services, and the food and beverage industry. He has investigated and prosecuted both utility and design patents in a diverse area of technologies, including computing networking, user interfaces, e-commerce, machine learning, culinary science, food and beverage products, automated image processing and analysis, audio/visual processing, and social networking. McWhorter frequently works directly with business leaders, general counsel, and other non-IP professionals to assist in integration of intellectual property strategies into clients’ business goals.
McWhorter holds a JD from the University of Texas at Austin, an LLM in innovation, technology, and the law from the University of Edinburgh, and a BBA in management information systems from Texas Tech University.
5. Russell Balikian
Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Russell Balikian is a Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Balikian practices in the firm’s Appellate & Constitutional Law Group and Administrative Law & Regulatory practice group. He represents clients in high-stakes litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States and other federal and state courts across the country, as well as in major proceedings before administrative agencies.
Balikian has extensive experience in administrative law, especially in the telecommunications and technology sectors. He regularly represents clients challenging or supporting agency rules and orders, and he defends companies against enforcement actions by federal regulators, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Balikian brings the capabilities of an appellate attorney to all stages of the case, from building the record before the agency to litigating the case in court.
Balikian also has nationwide experience litigating appeals and dispositive motions in high-profile matters, including putative class actions, major commercial disputes, and mass-tort cases. He has represented clients at every level of the federal and state judiciary. Balikian also advises clients on appellate strategy and critical legal issues. Balikian graduated from Yale Law School with a JD and from Taylor University with a bachelor's degree in political science and biblical literature.
6. Stephen Crosswell
Partner, Baker McKenzie
Stephen Crosswell is a Partner at Baker McKenzie. Crosswell’s practice covers investigations, dawn raid response, multijurisdictional cartel investigations, leniency, merger clearance, collaboration/joint ventures and antitrust advisory. His three decades of experience includes running and advising on some of the largest and most high-profile competition trials, dawn raids, leniency applications, cross-border cartel matters, and merger clearance projects in Asia.
Crosswell is also one of the leading telecoms, media and technology regulatory lawyers in Asia, with a practice that covers a broad range of regulatory and litigation issues in China, Hong Kong and throughout the Asia Pacific. This includes digital market regulation, AI, interconnection disputes, premium media content disputes, telecommunications licensing, spectrum allocation and auctions, 5G rollout, submarine cables, cable landing stations, satellite disputes, pay and free TV licensing, judicial review proceedings and access claims.
Crosswell advises clients across a broad range of sectors, including media, telecommunications, technology, government contracts, oil and gas, electricity, healthcare, retail, banking and finance, property and ports. He also shapes policy on TMT and competition matters across the Asia-Pacific, including digital market regulation, AI policy and legislative proposals, regulated industry negotiations with governments and regulators, deregulation, privatization and state owned enterprises reform. He advises multinational businesses, leading business chambers, think tanks, governments and regulators on policy and is able to combine practical legal solutions with policy insights and cross-border perspective.
Before joining Baker McKenzie, Crosswell was a consultant and head of antitrust Hong Kong at Clifford Chance LLP and, before that, a senior consultant and head of antitrust Hong Kong at Herbert Smith Freehills. Crosswell holds conjoint degrees in law and commerce from the University of Auckland.
7. Mark Liang
Partner, O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Mark Liang is a Partner at O'Melveny & Myers LLP. Liang focuses his legal practice on patent and technology-related litigation. He has experience in all stages of patent cases, including claim construction, fact and expert discovery, dispositive motions, trial, post-trial, and appeal. He represents clients in federal courts, the International Trade Commission, and United States Patent and Trademark Office, including reexaminations and inter partes review (IPR).
Liang has a background in electrical engineering, and he leverages his expertise to assist clients across a number of technical fields, including telecommunications, signal processing, multimedia, computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality, computer hardware, electronics, internet technologies, display technologies, machine learning, neural networks, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor/chip structures and fabrication. He focuses his practice on the most contentious patent litigation matters, particularly the most technically challenging cases.
Liang also handles trade secret matters and advises on software copyright and technology standards matters, including F/RAND damages and obligations to standards setting organizations. Liang also publishes and speaks regularly on issues relating to patent law and litigation, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. He is a faculty member for Practising Law Institute (PLI) and Strafford, and regular contributor to the firm’s artificial intelligence hub and client alerts. Liang graduated from the University of Chicago Law School with a JD and from the University of Toronto with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
8. Krishnan Padmanabhan
Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP
Krishnan Padmanabhan is a Partner at Winston & Strawn LLP. Padmanabhan is experienced in all aspects of patent litigation, including performing pre-filing investigations, handling complex discovery, preparing for and presenting at Markman hearings, working with fact and expert witnesses, and preparing and presenting cases for trial.
Padmanabhan represents clients in an array of technologies, including telecommunications, networking, semiconductors, and medical devices. He has significant experience representing telecommunications providers and multiple systems operators in patent litigation related to interactive television and multimedia delivery technologies in several of the leading patent jurisdictions.
Previously, Padmanabhan was an associate at Howrey and, before that, an engineer at Northrop Grumman. Earlier in his career he worked with Northrop Grumman Space Technology as a product engineer.Padmanabhan earned a JD from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.
9. Stuart Knight
Partner, Foley Hoag LLP
Stuart Knight is a Partner at Foley Hoag LLP, a law firm recognized for its focus on innovative industries and high-stakes litigation. The firm’s diverse team of lawyers and business professionals brings a wide range of perspectives and experiences. With offices in Boston, Denver, New York, Paris, and Washington, D.C., Foley Hoag combines local insight with global reach to address the complex legal needs of businesses and organizations across industries.
Knight's intellectual property expertise spans a diverse array of fields, including biotechnology, medical devices, telecommunications and information technology, standard essential technologies, semiconductors, sequencing and bioinformatics, and polymer chemistry. Knight has successfully advised and represented clients in various legal forums, including before U.S. district courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, arbitration panels, U.K. High Court, U.K. Court of Appeal, and the European Patent Office.
Before joining Foley Hoag LLP, Knight was an intellectual property associate at WilmerHale and, before that, an intellectual property associate at Powell Gilbert LLP. Earlier in his career he worked with Herbert Smith Freehills as an intellectual property associate. Knight graduated from the New York University School of Law with an LLM in intellectual property law and from the University of Warwick with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
10. Mark Johnson
Partner, Dentons
Mark Johnson a Partner at Dentons. Since beginning practice in 1980, Johnson has provided advice to clients concerning all manner of employment issues. He has represented employers in all aspects of the employment relationship, including hiring, compensation and benefits, discipline and termination. Johnson focuses on representing management and highly compensated executives in the negotiation and administration of employment agreements and severance agreements. This work involves issues unique to the special relationship between companies and their management executives.
For nearly 30 years, Johnson has represented telecommunications companies in transactional and contract negotiation matters, and in all aspects of state and municipal regulation, including obtaining initial certification, tariff approval, applications for Eligible Telecommunications Carrier designation, responses to consumer and regulatory commission complaints, negotiation and arbitration of interconnection, resale and commercial agreements with incumbent local exchange carriers, and negotiation and interpretation of municipal franchise, pole attachment, right-of-way, collocation and building access agreements. He also represents firm clients in the negotiation and administration of long-term telecommunications agreements with large local exchange, interexchange, and wireless carriers.
Johnson also practices in the First Amendment field, through his longstanding representation of media companies and individual reporters. His experience extends to First Amendment issues in election matters and campaign finance. He regularly handles matters involving current issues in the field of media law, including advice on First Amendment-related issues such as libel, copyright clearance and news story analysis.
Johnson has taught First Amendment law at the University of Kansas' journalism school since 2008 and election law and campaign finance at the University of Kansas Law School since 2010. Prior to joining Dentons, he was a partner at Spencer Fane Britt & Browne. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University.
11. Manny Rouvelas
Partner, K&L Gates
Manny Rouvelas is a Partner at K&L Gates. Rouvelas engages in a wide-ranging law and lobby practice representing leading companies and trade associations in transportation, telecommunications, high technology, hospitality, and manufacturing. For five decades, he has traveled globally to more than forty countries advising clients and working with U.S. administrations, Congresses, and American and foreign embassies and governments.
Rouvelas opened the Washington, D.C., office of Seattle’s Preston firm in 1973 and led its growth until its 2007 merger into K&L Gates. He is a founder of the firm’s Public Policy and Maritime practices. Prior to joining the firm, he served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce and chief counsel to its Merchant Marine and Foreign Commerce Subcommittees, where he had lead staff responsibility for thirty-two public laws, including legislation related to vessel construction, oil spill prevention, vessel traffic systems, and maritime regulation.
He has served as an advisor to two U.S. presidential transitions, a bipartisan congressional caucus, an executive branch reorganization, several members of Congress, and numerous political campaigns. In 2016, he participated in the Bipartisan Policy Center’s working group on vice presidential selection. He was also an advisor to Connected DMV, a regional initiative aimed at addressing physical, digital, and economic infrastructure across the District, Maryland, and Virginia.
Rouvelas holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a JD from Harvard Law School. He has served on the boards of three U.S. public companies and several nonprofit organizations, including the American Architectural Foundation, Greater Washington Board of Trade, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and Washington Monthly magazine. He is a lifetime trustee, former vice-chair of the board, and visiting professor at the American College of Greece in Athens.
12. Kristopher Ritter
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Kristopher Ritter is a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he focuses on complex litigation across a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, energy, petrochemicals, automotive, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, air travel, defense, professional sports leagues, and accounting and auditing services. He first joined the firm in 2006 as an associate.
Ritter has significant experience managing high-stakes litigation and settlement strategy. His recent work includes representing a leading auto manufacturer in product liability and economic loss litigation, an international energy company in multidistrict litigation related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and an agribusiness in class settlement proceedings involving genetically modified corn. He also served as counsel in a nationwide product liability class action involving holographic weapon sights. He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wheaton College.
13. Sean Stokes
Partner, Keller and Heckman LLP
Sean is a Partner in the Communications and Technology Practice of Keller & Heckman. Sean represents clients across the country on a broad range of communications matters, including high-capacity broadband network projects, public-private broadband partnerships, pole attachments, small cell and wireless facility siting, right-of-way management, fiber leasing, federal and state regulatory compliance, barriers to community broadband, and broadband funding.
His practice has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the digital divide, representing new entrants, nontraditional providers, infrastructure owners, and public-private partnerships as they work to deploy essential broadband infrastructure. His clients include internet service providers, electric utilities, public power utilities, local governments, and electric cooperatives, as well as national and state utility associations, and numerous public and private entities throughout the U.S.
Much of Sean’s work involves collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams of legal, financial, engineering, and other technical experts, assisting clients in developing, negotiating, and implementing comprehensive telecommunications and broadband plans.
Sean’s extensive career experience includes serving as associate general counsel for the Utilities Technology Council in the 1990s. Prior to joining Keller and Heckman, Sean was a principal of Baller Stokes & Lide, PC, a nationally ranked boutique Washington, DC telecommunications firm. Sean is a graduate of the National Law Center at George Washington University.
14. Leslie Snyder
Partner, Snyder & Snyder LLP
Leslie Snyder is a Partner at Snyder & Snyder LLP, where she has developed a prominent practice in real estate and telecommunications law. With over 25 years of experience negotiating commercial and retail leases and securing governmental approvals, she has positioned the firm as a leader in the development of telecommunications infrastructure across the tri-state area, including switching facilities and distributed antenna systems (DAS).
She also leads the firm’s Real Estate and Commercial Transactions group. Snyder is a frequent speaker on wireless infrastructure development, zoning, and environmental issues, and is active in industry associations such as the New York State Wireless Association, the Westchester Women’s Bar Association, and the New York State and New York City Bar Associations.
Snyder previously served as the Town of Harrison attorney and currently sits on the board of the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation. She has also led efforts within the firm to support working mothers and build a diverse legal team. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in economics and earned her JD from New York University School of Law. Snyder is admitted to practice in New York State and is active in both state and federal courts.
Leslie Snyder's Insight
“I am honored to be recognized for my achievements as a telecommunications attorney. I have been involved in telecom for over twenty years. Each year, I find myself focused on a different aspect of the business. My work in telecom spans many different disciplines, including real estate, land use, environmental and litigation. I am grateful to work with a wonderful team of lawyers in a field that is engaging and challenging on a daily basis.”
15. Steven Haber
Partner, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP
Steven Haber is a Partner at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel. With over 100 attorneys in offices throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Delaware, the law firm provides businesses, organizations and individuals with legal representation and counsel in a wide array of legal disciplines.
In his current role, Haber serves his clients both as a tenacious litigator and as an experienced business counselor. His practice encompasses many areas of law such as business litigation, construction disputes, telecommunications law, products liability, intellectual property, class actions, securities litigation, commercial code disputes, trusts and estate litigation, regulatory compliance, and property escheatment. Haber first joined the law firm in 1990.
Haber graduated from Georgetown University Law Center with a JD and from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
16. Ulises Pin
Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Ulises Pin is a Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, where he serves as deputy leader of the firm’s Telecommunications, Media, and Technology (TMT) practice and co-leads its Data Center Strategic Initiative. He represents U.S. and international communications and technology companies in corporate, financial, and regulatory matters, with a focus on telecommunications infrastructure including wireline, wireless, satellite, and submarine cable networks.
Pin also advises private equity firms, venture capital funds, and financial institutions on investments in the TMT sector, particularly in digital infrastructure and data centers. He represents clients before the Federal Communications Commission and government agencies across Latin America, Europe, and Asia. His practice includes mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and public offerings, as well as drafting and negotiating telecom and tech contracts on behalf of hyperscalers, telecom operators, and data center providers.
He has deep experience navigating foreign investment and national security reviews, including securing approvals from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and advising on export controls and embargoes involving the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, State, Defense, and Homeland Security. He is a member of the Morgan Lewis CFIUS working group.
Before joining Morgan Lewis, Pin was a partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP and Swidler Berlin. He holds an LLM from New York University and a JD from Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City.
17. Paul O'Hop
Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
Paul O'Hop is a Partner at Squire Patton Boggs in Washington, D.C., where he has represented government agencies, international companies, and financial institutions in major infrastructure transactions across the energy, transportation, and telecommunications sectors. His practice spans development and financing work around the world, with a focus on complex cross-border deals.
O’Hop founded the firm’s Renewable Energy practice and previously chaired its Latin American practice. He also advises multinational corporations on the structuring and management of overseas holdings and has extensive experience with international joint ventures, including public-private partnerships involving both government and private entities.
Before joining Squire Patton Boggs, he worked as an exchange attorney at Loeff Claeys Verbeke, an associate at Paul Hastings, and a senior associate at Arent Fox. He holds an LLM in international and comparative law from Georgetown University Law Center and both a JD and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of Notre Dame.
18. Christian McDermott
Partner, Latham & Watkins
Christian McDermott is a Partner at Latham & Watkins, where he co-chairs the firm’s Payments Practice and advises clients on large-scale technology transactions and commercial collaborations. Based in London, he focuses on complex matters involving fintech, outsourcing, licensing, and IP across sectors including financial services, technology, telecommunications, and travel.
McDermott represents financial institutions, telecom providers, payments platforms, and emerging companies on technology development and commercialization. His work spans complex fintech contracts, international joint ventures, co-branded financial products, and regulatory strategy for payments rollouts. He also leads the technology and IP aspects of M&A and capital markets deals, and regularly negotiates outsourcing and telecom agreements covering voice and data networks.
His recent experience includes advising a European financial services provider on its joint venture with a major U.S. telecom firm, and a global retail bank on renegotiating a framework covering its voice and data telecommunications requirements. He has also counseled clients on payment infrastructure for crypto platforms, cross-border investments in mobile payments, and public-private fintech initiatives.
Previously, McDermott was a solicitor at Dundas & Wilson. He earned an LLM in commercial law from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Edinburgh.
19. Mark Guerrera
Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Mark Guerrera is a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP and serves as co-leader of the firm’s global Commercial Litigation and Disputes practice. He represents clients in high-stakes commercial litigation and government investigations, with experience trying cases in federal court and before regulatory agencies. He has also handled cross-border litigation in Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and the Cayman Islands.
Guerrera’s clients include leading companies in the financial services, pharmaceutical, energy, telecommunications, government contracting, and real estate industries. His matters often involve allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, deepening insolvency, market manipulation, unfair business practices, securities fraud, breach of contract, and violations of the False Claims Act and RICO. He has also litigated class action securities cases, bid protests, government contracts disputes, and intellectual property matters, including multi-billion-dollar claims. His representative experience includes defending a telecommunications company in federal court actions under the Telecommunications Act.
He has conducted internal investigations for clients in the U.S. and abroad and defended companies in connection with government inquiries involving allegations of fraud, accounting irregularities, employee misconduct, and violations of anti-bribery, anti–money laundering, securities, and banking laws. Prior to joining Sidley, Guerrera clerked at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals.
Guerrera earned his JD from The George Washington University Law School, where he served on the George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics. He holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Georgetown University.
20. Inmaculada Lorenzo
Partner, Hogan Lovells
Inmaculada Lorenzo is a Partner at Hogan Lovells, where she focuses on the enforcement and litigation of intellectual property rights, particularly in the areas of patents, trademarks, and unfair competition. She represents national and international clients in the Life Sciences and Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sectors, advising on complex patent and trademark disputes, including trade secrets, copyright, and design claims.
Lorenzo regularly acts before the Spanish Commercial Courts and the European Union Trademark & Designs Court, and is frequently involved in multi-jurisdictional litigation. She works closely with Spanish and foreign experts, including European Patent Attorneys and university professors. Her experience spans preliminary injunctions, pre-trial inspections, inquiries proceedings, and protective actions, as well as pre-contentious advice and dispute settlement.
Her recent matters include representing a leading telecommunications company in one of the largest patent disputes in Spain, as well as advising multinational smartphone manufacturers and internet platforms in Barcelona patent proceedings. She has also advised companies in the fiber optics, IT, and fashion sectors in patent and trademark litigation.
Lorenzo studied law, business administration and management, and music. She lectures on IP and international litigation in master’s programs at University Carlos III of Madrid and ISDE Law School, and regularly publishes on developments in IP law.
21. Lindsey Reighard
Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
Lindsey Reighard is a Partner at McDermott Will & Emery, where she advises private and public companies, as well as private equity sponsors, on a broad range of corporate and transactional matters. Her practice includes mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, carve-outs, leveraged buy-outs, joint ventures, equity and debt investments, and recapitalizations. She also provides ongoing counsel on general corporate and governance issues.
Reighard routinely works with clients in the telecommunications, technology, healthcare, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and real estate industries. Her representative experience includes advising a global information and communications technology company on its acquisition of a U.S. telecommunications and network provider, and supporting an international retail chain in multiple convenience store acquisitions.
She is a member and past chair of the firm’s Dallas Pro Bono & Community Service Committee and serves on the Gender Diversity Committee. Reighard holds a JD from the University of Iowa College of Law and a BBA in marketing from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. Prior to joining McDermott in 2015, she was an associate at K&L Gates and at Hunton & Williams LLP.
22. Mathias Bernuth
Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
Mathias Bernuth is a Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and heads the firm’s São Paulo office. He provides New York law advice to Brazilian, Latin American, U.S., and international clients in a broad range of corporate transactions, including cross-border mergers and acquisitions, public and private equity and debt offerings, restructurings, and financings.
Von Bernuth has extensive experience across industries such as telecommunications, energy, oil and gas, steel, financial services, real estate, manufacturing, education, infrastructure, transportation, environmental services, and retail. His representative matters include advising a telecommunications company in one of Brazil’s major patent disputes and working with a global ICT firm in cross-border transactions involving telecom networks and service operations.
In addition to his transactional work, von Bernuth has conducted internal investigations for boards and entities in connection with compliance and government enforcement matters, including U.S. securities actions. His experience also includes advising on cross-border corporate governance and disclosure risks.
Before joining Skadden, von Bernuth was a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP, and earlier in his career, an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and Gleiss Lutz. He earned an LLM from Columbia Law School and a PhD in law from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
23. Justin Cohen
Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Justin Cohen is a Partner at Holland & Knight LLP, where he focuses on intellectual property litigation. He has represented clients in patent, trademark, and copyright cases before federal district courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).
Cohen has particular experience in litigation involving software, electrical, telecommunications, and semiconductor technologies. His representative matters include defending a telecommunications infrastructure-equipment company and a wireless handset manufacturer in a patent dispute over 3G cellular-transmission protocols, resulting in a jury verdict of non-infringement and invalidity, as well as defending handset manufacturers in cases involving LTE and processor functionality.
With a background in electrical and computer engineering and prior industry experience in information technology, Cohen routinely helps companies identify, evaluate, license, and enforce their intellectual property assets. He also advises major brand owners on strategies to protect their marks from infringement.
Cohen began his career in high-performance computing for the U.S. Army TACOM and later worked in IT at Behr America. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, he was a partner at Thompson & Knight LLP. He earned his JD in intellectual property law from Wayne State University Law School, and holds bachelor’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering from Kettering University.
24. Fernando Gómez
Partner, White & Case LLP
Fernando Gómez is a Partner at White & Case LLP, where he focuses on administrative, commercial, and constitutional litigation. His practice spans energy, antitrust, regulatory, telecommunications, and public procurement matters, as well as anti-dumping proceedings, international arbitration, and financial law. He joined the firm in 2012.
Gómez has advised clients in a number of high-profile constitutional appeals involving the telecommunications and energy sectors. His work includes defending a major telecommunications provider against the granting of 2.5 GHz frequency concessions to a competitor, and representing a mobile operator in litigation challenging interconnection rate rulings. He also advises satellite and broadcasting companies on regulatory and constitutional issues.
Before joining White & Case, Gómez worked in the Legal Department of Public Credit at the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit and at a law firm in Mexico City. He has also been involved in various pro bono initiatives in collaboration with international NGOs and White & Case’s global offices. Gómez earned a master’s degree in economic law, a specialization in amparo law, and a law degree, all from Universidad Panamericana.
25. Amadou Diaw
Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP
Amadou Diaw is a Partner at Goodwin Procter LLP, where he focuses on intellectual property litigation and counseling. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in patent infringement and trade secret disputes, handling matters from pre-suit investigation through trial. His litigation experience spans major IP venues including the Eastern District of Virginia, Eastern District of Texas, District of Delaware, and the Northern and Central Districts of California.
Diaw has argued dispositive, claim construction, and procedural motions before federal district and magistrate judges, and has examined both expert and fact witnesses in depositions and at trial. His representative matters involve technologies such as wireless networking and communications, proxy networks, cloud computing, computer hardware and software, power systems, and digital image processing.
In addition to litigation, Diaw advises startups and high-growth companies on IP strategy, product launches, licensing, and IP protection policies. He also counsels on branding, terms of use, and terms of service development for early-stage businesses and mature enterprises alike. Diaw holds a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in English and computer science from Georgetown University.
