Baker McKenzie

Firm overview:

Legal giant Baker McKenzie acts on trade secrets matters for multinationals across industries including fintech, healthcare, consumer, energy and manufacturing. The firm handles all stages of litigation and alternative dispute resolution involving trade secrets and related actions such as inevitable disclosure, breach of confidence and unfair competition.

On the advisory side, Baker McKenzie provides assessments and develops trade secret protection, monitoring and enforcement programmes for clients. The firm’s multi-disciplinary North America Trade Secrets Practice comprises IP, employment, tech transaction, litigation and trial attorneys, who assist clients with identifying, protecting, prosecuting and defending their trade secrets throughout the US and beyond. A dedicated Focus on Trade Secrets video series from the team provides insights into trends and legal developments in the field.

Team overview:

With its global footprint and reputation as an elite firm, Baker McKenzie attracts “some of the greatest and more experienced attorneys available”, a peer concedes. The firm has an international team of advisers working on trade secrets matters across four regions.

A significant departure in 2025 was that of Bradford Newman, former chair of the North America Trade Secret practice, who joined Eversheds Sutherland in July.

In the US, key contacts include Christine Streatfeild in Washington, DC. Streatfeild, who serves as co-chair of the firm’s Global Trade Remedies Practices and Americas chair of the Consumer Goods & Retail Sector, represents clients in Section 337 disputes involving IP and trade secrets. Her wider practice involves advising on matters such as import remedy and unfair competition.

Chicago partner Shima Roy also has a significant trade secrets practice; a client says that they have “not had a single trade secret matter go against us since Shima became our lawyer—she always achieves the desired outcome”. Roy represents clients in commercial and IP disputes in federal courts, arbitration, the International Trade Commission and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Recent additions to the team with trade secrets expertise include trial lawyer Christa Anderson, who joined from Cooley and has a significant presence in the US tech industry. In 2024, Baker McKenzie boosted its team with the arrival of trade secrets litigator Justin Becker, formerly at Sidley Austin.