Noel Cook practices trademark and copyright litigation, prosecution, and licensing. He represents clients in automotive, product and furniture design, character merchandising, software, internet, and the outdoor and retail industries. He is a frequent speaker INTA, Copyright Society and ABA meetings on product design protection, trademarks on the internet and damages in trademark and copyright cases.
Priya Sopori is an experienced trial attorney representing clients in business, real estate, intellectual property, labor and employment, securities, entertainment, cannabis, wrongful death and white-collar litigation. Additionally, Priya serves as outside general counsel to clients in investment funds, REITs, hospitality, hedge funds, manufacturing, distribution and retail. She provides counsel on matters involving employment, contracts, real estate, intellectual property, SEC compliance and government investigations. She served as an assistant US attorney in the Central District of California, where she indicted 45 cases and successfully prosecuted federal matters including sex crimes against women and children, white-collar fraud, and cybercrimes.
Brent Yamashita focuses on patent litigation, patent prosecution, and inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. He has tried patent cases in federal district courts and before the International Trade Commission, argued as lead counsel at IPR oral hearings in cases and technologies involving circuit design, computer hardware and software, wireless communication and networking. Additionally, Brent prosecutes patents and manages patent portfolios and has obtained over 150 United States patents in hardware and software technologies, and drafted and obtained over 150 U.S. patents in hardware and software technologies.
Jeewon Serrato will head Pillsbury’s Global Consumer Protection team, co-lead the Retail Industry team, and join the firm’s Global AI Task Force leadership group. Jeewon represents clients in high-stakes regulatory defense matters, complex security incident investigations, new and emerging data monetization strategies and cross-border M&A and tech transactions. She advises in the areas of consumer privacy, cybersecurity, data optimization, data science, compliance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act and various state consumer protection, unfair competition and deceptive practices acts.
Shruti Bhutani Arora focuses on privacy matters, including issues involving data optimization and transformation, high-stakes investigations and drafting and negotiation of related complex technology contracts. She has collaborated with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies in markets around the world, providing advice in connection with CCPA, GDPR and other privacy compliance regulations. She also advises on AI strategies and works with international clients on trademark and copyright matters.
Jeewon and Shruti are joined by senior associate, Christine Mastromonaco, who counsels clients on privacy compliance and reporting issues, including tech, retail, healthcare and financial services. She is a trusted advisor on the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and other U.S. state privacy laws.
Melissa Muro LaMere’s practice focuses on employment counseling and litigation and business disputes involving non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, trade secrets, business contracts and torts, unfair competition and trade practices. Her clients include multinational corporations, small businesses, and individuals. She represents clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts, arbitration, and mediation.
Rory Miller will serve as Co-Head of Private Equity Litigation for Locke Lord’s California offices. Rory’s practice focuses on the needs of private equity firms in connection with their relationships to investors and their own directors, as well as the needs of portfolio companies. He practices general commercial litigation including contract disputes, employment and patent litigation. He has extensive first-chair trial experience before state and federal courts and has argued appeals before the 9th and 10th circuits, and the California Court of Appeal.
Amin Al-Sarraf will serve as Head of Entertainment Industry Group for Locke Lord. Amin regularly represents individuals, talent agencies, partnerships, production companies, talent management companies, distributors and studios in disputes including those arising under the California Talent Agencies Act. His practice includes business, commercial, employment, media/defamation, real estate, securities, and intellectual property litigation and crisis management and internal corporate investigations. He has extensive experience in trials, arbitrations and mediations.
David Rutan focuses on entertainment matters, as well as complex business cases, such as foreign real estate developments and international distribution agreements, shareholder and partnership disputes, fraud, real estate and land use disputes, breach of contract, unfair competition, trade secret disputes, and employment disputes. He is experienced in all phases of litigation, including drafting pleadings, conducting legal research, developing case strategies, drafting and arguing motions, deposition preparation, conducting discovery, drafting meet and confer correspondence, and communicating with and advising clients regarding case developments.
Bill D’Angelo is a corporate partner whose practice focuses on M&A, emerging growth and general corporate matters including opinion work, contracts and licensing agreements. He represents clients in corporate finance, corporate governance, and entertainment and media matters, with an emphasis on technology, digital media, hospitality, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions in Europe and Japan. His practice includes restructurings, joint ventures, recapitalizations, financings, fund formation, the creation of specialized limited liability companies, and private equity transactions.
Gene Ryu has extensive experience representing employers in labor and employment matters, including California Wage & Hour Class Actions and PAGA representative actions, disability-related issues, discrimination and harassment, family and medical leave, and workplace safety, health, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) matters. Gene’s clients include global and national companies, emerging growth companies, start-ups, and entrepreneurs in state, federal, and administrative courts; he also represents US subsidiaries of multinational Korean parent companies and has clients based in Europe and Mexico. Gene is joined by his senior associate Penny Chen.
Mitchell Kim is experienced in business disputes involving contracts, corporate ownership, partnerships, distribution of assets, copyright and trademark and commercial matters. Additionally, he serves as outside general counsel to domestic and international companies from start-ups through Fortune 500 companies. He represents clients in industries including garment manufacturing, real estate investing, banking and finance, and commercial manufacturing.
Carmen Cole represents employers in industries including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, aerospace, restaurant and higher education. She has extensive litigation experience in wage and hour, California Labor Code violations, worker misclassification, wrongful termination, breach of contract and employment-related torts. Additionally, Carmen has significant advice and counseling experience in areas including compliance with wage and hour laws, reductions in force, recruitment and hiring, employee classification, leave laws, terminations and human resources practices.
