Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Firm overview:
Gibson Dunn is considered by industry counterparts to be among the top firms for complex, critical trade secrets matters. A peer who often sees the firm on the opposing side of trade secrets litigation says “they make all the right moves” and are “tough opponents”. Gibson Dunn’s IP practice, along with its labour and employment groups, feed into its trade secrets practice, which in turn overlaps with its criminal/white collar investigations. These form the foundation for a robust, well-rounded trade secrets service.
The team has litigated a broad range of trade secrets disputes, and won major victories for clients in the US federal and state courts and in arbitration.
Team overview:
An industry counterpart concedes that Gibson Dunn has “a very deep bench”.
Co-chair of the firm’s Media, Entertainment and Technology Practice Group Ilissa Samplin (Los Angeles) focuses on complex commercial litigation and trials. Samplin’s capabilities extend to breach of contract, unfair competition, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and antitrust matters.
Dallas-based partner Russ Falconer is singled out by a peer as being “very good” on trade secrets matters. Falconer handles a wide range of commercial disputes involving issues including theft of trade secrets, breach of contract, restrictive covenants and more.
Eric Vandevelde, based in LA, co-chairs the firm’s Artificial Intelligence practice group and is highlighted by a peer as being involved in a significant trade secrets matter. Vandevelde has a deep technical background and extensive first-chair trial experience, which he brings to his broad litigation practice.
Other notable members of the team include first-chair trial litigator Kieran Kieckhefer (San Francisco), who has an impressive docket of technical trade secrets work; highly experienced trade secrets lawyer Angelique Kaounis (Century City); and former federal prosecutor Orin Snyder (New York), acclaimed by clients as “a maestro in the courtroom”.
Key matters:
- Palantir Technologies trade secrets dispute
Gibson Dunn represents Palantir Technologies, which developed a platform that enables organisations to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their workflows, in a lawsuit against two former employees.
The complaint, filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in October 2025, alleges that the individuals used Palantir’s trade secrets and confidential information to found an AI startup, Percepta AI.
- Samsara v Motive Technologies
Gibson Dunn represents Samsara in its lawsuit against Motive Technologies alleging theft of trade secrets. In the complaint, filed in November 2024, Samsara accused Motive of a “massive, years-long scheme of trade secret theft”.
The suit is part of a wider dispute between the parties in which Samsara accused Motive of patent infringement and Motive countered with its own lawsuit claiming Samsara had copied its technology. In September 2025, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) determined that Motive had not infringed any valid Samara patent claims.
- HSBC v First Citizens Bank
The team secured an order that significantly narrowed a $1 billion lawsuit against client HSBC, which had been accused of poaching more than 40 employees of Silicon Valley Bank after its collapse.
The case is First Citizens Bank & Trust Company v HSBC Holdings, US District Court for the Northern District of California, 23-cv-02483.
Clients:
DraftKings, HSBC
