Alice Juwon Ahn

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Alice Juwon Ahn — Patent Litigation Practice Summary

Focus areas. Ahn's practice is concentrated in technology-sector patent litigation, with stated expertise in computer software, electronics, networking, and telecommunications. Her technical background is in electrical engineering and computer science (software architecture through hardware systems), and her matters have involved semiconductor memory (DRAM/NAND, DDR4 RDIMM/LRDIMM), LED and OLED display technologies, smartphone and wireless/LAN connectivity, and emergency wireless communication systems. WilmerHale's announcement of her arrival frames her as a computer science/electrical engineering litigator, and she has publicly emphasized Korean-language fluency and Korean client relationships. One third-party attorney database (Lawtally, a non-authoritative aggregator) also lists a Hatch-Waxman pharmaceutical matter and patent prosecution work for software, internet, and telecom clients; treat that as unverified.

Side preference. Predominantly defense-side. The tracked data shows 0 plaintiff-side and 1 defendant-side appearance, and her verified representative matters (Samsung, Hyundai, a consumer-electronics manufacturer) are defenses of operating companies rather than assertions for NPEs/PAEs. On the PTAB side she has worked both directions — as counsel for a patent owner (SK Innovation) and as counsel for petitioners (Samsung).

Firm context. Ahn is a partner in WilmerHale's San Francisco office, joining in September 2025 from Covington & Burling, where she was a partner (elevated 2018) and prior to that an associate; Martindale earlier listed her at Covington's Washington, DC office. Her WilmerHale practice covers district courts, the ITC, the PTAB, and the Federal Circuit. There is no indication she has been in-house.

Notable matters and outcomes. Her tracked case is Netlist, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (E.D. Tex. 2:22-cv-00293), where she represented Samsung; the case produced a November 2024 jury verdict of $118 million against Samsung for willful infringement of three Netlist memory patents, followed by final judgment in December 2024 — an adverse result for her client. She withdrew as counsel in that matter in early September 2025, and also moved to withdraw in the related Netlist v. Samsung action (2:25-cv-00557). More favorably, WilmerHale's July 2026 announcement credits her as part of the team that defended Samsung in Vasu Holdings LLC v. Samsung (E.D. Tex., Judge Gilstrap), where Vasu sought over $150 million and the jury awarded roughly $3 million on one of three trial patents. Note that these are team results; her individual role in each is not documented publicly beyond team listings.

PTAB/IPR experience. She appears in PTAB proceedings, though not at a volume suggesting a dedicated IPR practice. Verified examples: IPR2020-00657 (LG Chem/LG Electronics v. SK Innovation, U.S. Pat. 9,698,398), where she was admitted pro hac vice for the patent owner; IPR2022-00064 (Samsung v. Netlist, U.S. Pat. 10,474,595), where she was Samsung's petitioner-side counsel and handled a related district-court IPR stipulation; and IPR2025-00161 (Samsung–SiOnyx), where she was petitioner-side counsel in a proceeding running parallel to an ITC investigation.

Bar and education. Admitted in California (Nov. 2010) and the District of Columbia (Nov. 2011), per her PTAB pro hac vice declaration. JD, UC Berkeley School of Law (2010); MS in Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology (2006); BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KAIST (2003).

Sources: WilmerHale attorney profile and Sept. 3, 2025 lateral-hire announcement; Law.com/The Recorder (Sept. 2, 2025); PTAB filings (IPR2020-00657, IPR2022-00064, IPR2025-00161); Netlist, Inc. press releases and E.D. Tex. docket entries; CourtListener docket for 2:22-cv-00293. Professional-background facts are cited from firm and court/PTAB records; aggregator-listed matters are flagged as unverified.