Counsel registry
Irell & Manella
45 case appearances — 24 as plaintiff counsel · 21 as defendant counsel.
Firm overview
Irell & Manella: Patent Litigation Summary
Effective Date: May 1, 2026
Irell & Manella LLP is a premier litigation boutique renowned for handling high-stakes intellectual property disputes. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm maintains a focused footprint with additional offices in Newport Beach, California, and Washington, D.C. Though more compact in attorney headcount than many of its "BigLaw" competitors, Irell is consistently ranked among the nation's elite for intellectual property litigation. Chambers and Partners accords its California IP Patent Litigation practice a top-tier "Band 1" ranking, and The American Lawyer has previously named it "IP Litigation Department of the Year."
The firm has a storied reputation for representing both plaintiffs and defendants but is particularly known for securing landmark, nine- and ten-figure verdicts for patent holders. The provided case data shows the firm representing plaintiff Sanas.AI Inc., which aligns with Irell's extensive public record of major plaintiff-side victories for technology companies like VLSI Technology ($2.3 billion final judgment vs. Intel), Netlist ($303 million and $445 million verdicts vs. Samsung and Micron), and TiVo (over $1.8 billion in judgments and settlements). The firm litigates across a broad spectrum of complex technologies, including semiconductors, computer memory, software, telecommunications, and biotechnology.
In the tracked case, Sanas.AI Inc. v. Krisp Technologies, Inc., Irell serves as lead counsel for the plaintiff, a developer of AI-powered real-time accent translation software, in a patent infringement and trade secret dispute against a competitor. This representation underscores the firm's specialty in cutting-edge software and artificial intelligence patent litigation. Recent court filings in the case include a February 2026 order denying the defendant's motion to dismiss on patent eligibility grounds under Section 101, allowing Sanas's claims to proceed.
The firm’s practice is led by some of the most recognized trial attorneys in the U.S. Morgan Chu, listed as lead counsel in the Sanas.AI case, is the chair of the litigation group and is widely regarded as one of the nation's preeminent patent litigators. Other key partners frequently cited for their success in high-profile patent cases include Jason Sheasby and Lisa Glasser. Beyond the courtroom, Irell & Manella maintains a robust Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) practice, with approximately 25 registered patent attorneys who handle inter partes review (IPR) and other post-grant proceedings, often in parallel with district court litigation.
Attorneys
Roles
- lead counsel37
- Counsel25
- of counsel24
- Lead Counsel11
- counsel9
- Of Counsel5
- partner4
- Counsel (Federal Circuit appeal)4
- Lead Attorney2
- Co-counsel2
- co-counsel2
- appellate counsel2
- local counsel1
- associate counsel1
- Back-up Counsel1
- Counsel (admitted pro hac vice)1
- discovery counsel1
- Counsel, Co-counsel for PTAB1
Cases (45)
- Δ defendantAlmondNet, Inc. et al. v. Roku, Inc.Jason G. Sheasby · lead counsel
- Δ defendantAlmondNet, Inc. v. Yahoo! Inc.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- π plaintiffCentripetal Networks, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc.Alan J. Heinrich · Of Counsel
- π plaintiffCentripetal Networks, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc.Alan J. Heinrich · appellate counsel
- Δ defendantCisco Systems, Inc. v. Centripetal Networks, Inc.Andrei Iancu · Of Counsel
- Δ defendantCyberfone Systems, LLC v. Citigroup Inc.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- Δ defendantDataTreasury Corporation v. NCR Corp.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- Δ defendantFast IP, LLC et al. v. Skechers U.S.A., Inc.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- Δ defendantGreenthread, LLC v. Intel Corporation et al.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- Δ defendantHandsFree Labs Licensing, LLC et al. v. Skechers U.S.A., Inc.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- Δ defendantI/P Engine, Inc. v. AOL, Inc. et al.Morgan Chu · Of Counsel
- Δ defendantLongitude Licensing Limited et al. v. Apple Inc. et al.Morgan Chu · of counsel
- Δ defendantMicron Technology, Inc. v. Netlist, Inc.Andrew Henderson · counsel
- Δ defendantMicron Technology, Inc. v. Netlist, Inc.Hong Annita Zhong · co-counsel
- Δ defendantMultimedia Technologies Pte Ltd. v. [Defendant Not Available]Stavroula H. Fdara · lead counsel
- π plaintiffNantWorks, LLC et al. v. Niantic, Inc.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- π plaintiffNetlist Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Jason Sheasby · lead counsel
- π plaintiffNetlist Inc. v. Samsung et al.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- π plaintiffNetlist, Inc. v. SamsungJason Sheasby · Lead Counsel
- π plaintiffNetlist, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al.Jason G. Sheasby · Lead Counsel
- Δ defendantNike, Inc. v. Skechers U.S.A., Inc.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- π plaintiffOptis Wireless Technology, LLC et al. v. Apple Inc.Jason Sheasby · Lead Attorney
- π plaintiffPersonalized Media Communications, LLC v. Apple Inc.Irfan A. Lateef · Of Counsel
- π plaintiffQomplx LLC v. Microsoft CorporationJason G. Sheasby · lead counsel
- π plaintiffQomplx LLC v. Microsoft CorporationMorgan Chu · lead counsel
- π plaintiffQomplx LLC v. Palo Alto Networks, Inc.Ian Robert Washburn · lead counsel
- Δ defendantRFC Lenders of Texas, LLC v. Verizon Connect Inc.Olivia M. Kim · lead counsel
- Δ defendantSampo IP, LLC v. Juniper Networks, Inc.Jonathan S. Kagan · lead counsel
- Δ defendantSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd. v. Netlist, Inc.Hong Annita Zhong · Co-counsel
- π plaintiffSanas.AI Inc. v. Krisp Technologies, Inc.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- Δ defendantStarbucks Corporation v. Valtrus Innovations Ltd. et al.Jason G. Sheasby · Lead Counsel
- Δ defendantUnified Patents v. Pictiva Displays International LtdJason Sheasby · Lead Counsel
- π plaintiffUntitled caseJason Sheasby · lead counsel
- π plaintiffUntitled caseAnthony Q. Rowles · lead counsel
- π plaintiffUntitled caseJason G. Sheasby · lead counsel
- π plaintiffUntitled caseIan Robert Washburn · Counsel
- π plaintiffUntitled caseJason Sheasby · lead counsel
- π plaintiffUntitled caseJason Sheasby · Lead Counsel
- π plaintiffUntitled caseMorgan Chu · Lead Counsel
- Δ defendantUntitled caseLucas Oxenford · Counsel
- π plaintiffValtrus Innovations Limited v. Google LLCHong Annita Zhong · Lead Counsel
- Δ defendantValtrus Innovations Limited v. Google LLCJonathan M. Lindsay · lead counsel
- π plaintiffVerance Corp. v. Digimarc Corp.Morgan Chu · lead counsel
- π plaintiffWI-LAN Inc. et al. v. Toyota Motor Corporation et al.Morgan Chu · Lead Counsel
- π plaintiffZepp North America Inc et al. v. Oura Health OyMorgan Chu · lead counsel