Samantha Michelle Leff

Samantha Michelle Leff is an attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, focusing her practice on intellectual property and complex litigation, particularly within the patent and trade secrets spheres. Her work spans diverse technology areas including life sciences and health tech, medical devices, streaming media systems, software, and projects in the aerospace, automotive, and nuclear energy industries. She also possesses experience in Hatch-Waxman Act litigation, specifically defending against generic challenges to patents protecting pharmaceutical therapies.

While one tracked appearance indicates plaintiff-side representation, Ms. Leff's broader practice includes significant involvement with teams that defend operating companies and address issues pertinent to patent holders. She has been a key member of Orrick teams contributing to amicus briefs advocating for technology and life sciences companies before the Federal Circuit on critical patent doctrines like obviousness-type double patenting, and challenging proposed USPTO rules impacting patent practice. Her team experience includes successfully defending generic patent challenges.

Ms. Leff is active in post-grant proceedings, having been part of teams that secured numerous inter partes review (IPR) victories. She also contributed to the Orrick team that achieved a notable victory for software company Pegasystems at the Virginia Supreme Court, which affirmed the rejection of a $2 billion trade secrets judgment and ordered a new trial.

Ms. Leff leverages an engineering degree from Harvey Mudd College to effectively engage with technical professionals and quickly comprehend new technologies.