Michael J. De Vries

Michael J. De Vries is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, specializing in high-stakes intellectual property litigation, including patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation. His practice often involves complex disputes for technology companies across various sectors such as semiconductors, telecommunications, computer hardware and software, and life sciences.

De Vries demonstrates a strong track record representing both plaintiffs and defendants. While the tracked case shows an appearance on the defendant side for Apple Inc. in HBCU Messaging US LP v. Apple, Inc. et al., his broader practice includes securing significant plaintiff-side jury verdicts and settlements. He has achieved over $2.5 billion in jury trial victories and settlements for clients in IP litigations since 2018. Notably, he secured a complete defense victory for Samsung in February 2024 against a multi-patent case alleging $4 billion in damages, which would have been the largest patent verdict in US history. He has also led eight consecutive jury trial victories totaling over $2.5 billion in awards.

He joined Kirkland & Ellis in 2011 from Latham & Watkins. Some of his prominent cases include securing an $855 million jury verdict for Cognizant in a trade secret and copyright case (2020), a $765 million jury verdict for Motorola Solutions in a trade secret case (2020), and a $125 million jury verdict for EagleView Technologies in a patent case (2019). In 2018, he achieved victories for Cisco against Arista in multiple proceedings and trials, including exclusion orders from the ITC.

While details on his IPR/PTAB specific experience are not extensively highlighted in general firm biographies, the case Apple Inc. v. HBCU Messaging US LP (IPR2026-00109) indicates his involvement in PTAB proceedings, representing Apple Inc.

De Vries earned his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 2000, where he also received a Certificate in Law and Technology. He completed his B.A. at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1996. He has been recognized as a "Trial MVP of the Year" by Law360 in 2020 and 2021 and has been repeatedly named a "Top Trade Secrets Lawyer" and "Top IP Lawyer" by the Daily Journal.