Cleary Gottlieb Adds Premier Five-Partner Intellectual Property Litigation Team, Solidifying “Bet the Company” Capabilities

Cleary Gottlieb announced today that a team of top-tier IP litigation lawyers has joined the firm as partners across its New York, Washington, D.C., and Bay Area offices.

Clement Naples, Bert Reiser, Giri Pathmanaban, Greg Sobolski and Thomas Yeh have led many of the most high-profile and complex patent and trade secrets cases of the last decade.

“We serve as trusted advisors to some of the largest household name clients in technology, life sciences, and media in their most important transactions and disputes,” Cleary Managing Partner Michael Gerstenzang said. “The addition of our newest partners immediately positions Cleary to serve our clients in winning their most complex IP cases.”

“Clem, Bert, Giri, Greg and Thomas have worked closely shoulder to shoulder for over a decade to deliver  exceptional results for clients facing high-stakes IP disputes on both sides of the ‘v.,’” said Victor Hou, co-practice group leader of Americas litigation. “The arrival of this incredibly talented team of trial lawyers — alongside our other litigation partners in our industry leading antitrust, enforcement, and commercial practice groups — reinforces Cleary’s commitment to be the go-to firm for bet-the-company litigation.”

About the team:

• Clement Naples is a nationally recognized first chair trial lawyer who has led some of the most complex patent infringement and trade secret actions in federal and state courts and at the International Trade Commission. With a background in physics, Clem is renowned for his deep experience in cases involving semiconductor design and manufacturing related technologies. He joins Cleary’s New York office.
• Giri Pathmanaban is a trial lawyer who represents clients in high-stakes patent, trade secret, and IP contractual disputes. With a background in computer science and engineering, Giri leads cases involving complex technologies including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and cybersecurity, and regularly handles cases in the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. He joins Cleary’s Bay Area offices.
• Bert Reiser is one of the most highly regarded practitioners to litigate at the International Trade Commission (ITC). Bert has represented companies as complainants and respondents in more than 70 ITC investigations and was previously the attorney advisor to Chief Judge Paul J. Luckern of the ITC. He joins Cleary’s Washington, D.C., office.
• Greg Sobolski is a trial lawyer who represents clients from venture capital-backed growth startups to Fortune 100 companies in patent and trade secret matters. In addition to his trial work in federal courts and at the ITC, Greg provides strategic counseling on complex intellectual property matters. Greg was a law clerk to Chief Judge Kimberly Moore of the Federal Circuit. He joins Cleary’s Bay Area offices.
• Thomas Yeh is a trial lawyer who represents companies in large-scale global patent and trade secret matters, often through trial. With a background in electrical engineering, Thomas regularly handles cases involving advanced technologies in the semiconductor, internet, and computer hardware industries and is on the forefront of litigating cases involving artificial intelligence. He joins Cleary’s Bay Area offices.

“Cleary is well known both for its client-first culture and its truly international approach. We are thrilled to join the firm’s platform which boasts an unmatched commitment to excellence and client service,” said Naples, “and look forward to working alongside the highest quality lawyers in the business as we help our clients solve their most pressing IP challenges.”