Erin M.B. Leach

Erin M.B. Leach is Of Counsel in the Los Angeles office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, specializing in high-stakes patent disputes. Her practice encompasses a broad array of technologies, including life sciences, computer hardware and software, semiconductors, video streaming, energy storage, automotive components, wearable devices, and nuclear reactors. Her experience includes litigation in U.S. District Courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Leach has a background representing both plaintiffs and defendants, working with companies from early-stage startups to multinational corporations. In her tracked appearances, she represented Hanwha Solutions Corporation as a plaintiff in the patent infringement case Hanwha Solutions Corporation v. Maxeon Solar Pte Ltd.. This case, which involved Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology, was ultimately resolved through a global settlement, with Maxeon's claims dismissed with prejudice.

Her experience extends to inter partes review (IPR) proceedings before the USPTO, as evidenced by Hanwha Solutions Corporation filing an IPR against Maxeon Solar Pte. Ltd. related to their patent dispute. She has also served as a patent examiner at the USPTO and as a law clerk to then-Chief Judge Sharon Prost of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Leach earned her J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School in 2015, an M.S. in Nuclear Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007, and a B.S. in Physics from Spelman College in 2004. She is admitted to practice in California and Nevada.