Cleary Gottlieb Expands Bicoastal Litigation Capabilities with Arrival of Trial Lawyers Anna Naydonov and Alex Talarides

Cleary Gottlieb is expanding its nationally recognized Litigation practice with the addition of powerhouse litigators Anna Naydonov in Washington, D.C., and Alex Talarides in California.

Anna will focus on IP litigation and Alex will focus on securities litigation, jointly reinforcing Cleary’s exceptional civil litigation capabilities on the East and West Coasts.

“Expanding our civil litigation practice is a strategic priority for Cleary, and we are thrilled to strengthen our bicoastal bench with these two seasoned litigators,” said Managing Partner Jeff Karpf. “Anna and Alex bring complementary strengths that fortify our litigation offerings for clients facing their most complex and high-stakes disputes.”

Anna represents some of the world’s largest technology companies and household name brands on intellectual property and advertising disputes involving AI, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets. As a first-chair litigator, Anna has been at the forefront of some of the most consequential AI copyright disputes, representing leading AI developers. She has unique experience trying cases to successful outcomes before judges and juries, and regularly litigates IP, advertising, privacy, and consumer protection cases. In addition to representing clients in high-stakes consumer class actions, Anna advises clients on AI, Web3 and blockchain, the Communications Decency Act, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act issues.

“IP litigation is an integral component of our litigation platform, especially as the fast-evolving field of AI presents unique copyright, trademark, and trade secrets challenges for companies worldwide,” said Victor Hou, partner and co-leader of Cleary’s Americas Litigation practice. “Anna’s cutting-edge experience in this area, coupled with her litigation acumen, enhances our ability to deliver exceptional service in this transformational space.”

An emerging leader in the Northern California securities litigation bar, Alex represents companies, underwriters, boards, and senior executives in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, M&A litigation, and other shareholder-related disputes. Alex also regularly advises public companies and their boards on corporate governance issues, including those related to fiduciary duties and disclosure risks. Alex’s clients have included some of the world’s largest technology companies.

“Alex is a phenomenal addition to our securities and shareholder litigation group and deepens our litigation bench in California, one of the most active jurisdictions for securities class actions,” said Roger Cooper, partner and co-leader of Cleary’s Americas Litigation practice who also leads the firm’s securities and shareholder litigation practice. “Alex’s presence on the ground expands access to the full breadth of Cleary’s litigation capabilities when the stakes are highest, especially for our roster of leading technology clients.”

Anna and Alex are the latest of several significant hires in Cleary’s Litigation practice to reinforce its core pillar of civil litigation offerings. Anna’s arrival follows a five-partner IP litigation team that joined Cleary in 2025 and has led some of the most high-profile and complex patent and trade secrets cases of the last decade. She also joins partner Angela Dunning, a Chambers Band 1 litigator focusing on generative AI, copyright, trademark, and technology who joined Cleary in 2023. Alex’s arrival follows that of former Assistant United States Attorney and Co-Chief of the General Crimes Unit for the Southern District of New York Liz Hanft, who rejoined the firm as a partner in its top-tier securities and shareholder litigation practice in 2026. He also joins former Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California Matt Yelovich, who joined the firm’s California team in 2024.

Anna and Alex mark the firm’s 14th and 15th partner arrivals in 2026, illustrating the firm’s investment in talent across key growth areas. They are joined today in the Litigation practice by counsel Kyle Smith, who focuses on IP litigation and is based in Washington, D.C.