Weil, Gotshal and Manges

Firm overview:

Weil, Gotshal & Manges is widely regarded as a leading force in the resolution of complex, high-exposure trade secrets disputes. The firm advises global businesses at every stage of the trade secrets lifecycle, pairing sophisticated technical knowledge with seasoned trial advocacy. Clients rely on Weil not only to develop preventative frameworks, such as trade secret identification, protection protocols, and internal investigations, but also to prosecute and defend matters that carry existential risk, including multi-jurisdictional misappropriation claims and cross-border enforcement actions.

A defining feature of Weil’s trade secrets practice is its integration with the firm’s broader litigation and transactional capabilities. Matters are handled by multidisciplinary teams that draw on expertise in employment, antitrust, commercial contracts, and corporate transactions, allowing the firm to address overlapping legal and strategic issues in a coordinated manner. This collaborative model enables Weil to manage disputes arising from employee mobility, technology transfers, joint ventures, and M&A activity with precision and efficiency.

Team overview:

With broad geographic coverage, Weil offers a presence in the traditional ‘hotbeds’ where trade secrets and related IP and employment issues are frequently litigated, including California, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas.

In August 2025, Weil significantly strengthened its IP and trade secrets bench with the arrival of a high-profile group of litigators from Latham & Watkins, marking a notable expansion of its technology and life sciences capabilities. Douglas (Doug) Lumish and Jeff Homrig rejoined Weil as co-heads of the IP, Technology & Science Litigation practice, returning after more than a decade at the firm earlier in their careers. Both bring extensive experience leading complex trade secrets and technology disputes for major global companies.

Based in Silicon Valley, Lumish is known for handling marquee trade secrets matters for leading technology and life sciences clients, including serving as lead trial counsel in cases for companies such as Amazon and Meta. Peers frequently highlight his ability to distil technical issues into clear, persuasive courtroom narratives.

Homrig, a veteran trial lawyer with more than 25 years’ experience, has led critical patent, trade secrets, and commercial disputes across the US. His work spans sectors including cybersecurity, renewable energy, and emerging technologies, and he previously served as global vice chair of Latham’s IP litigation practice.

Joining them from Latham, Gabe Gross focuses on complex IP disputes for technology and life sciences companies, with a practice encompassing trade secrets, patents, licensing, and contract claims. He has achieved successful outcomes at trial, on appeal, and in arbitration for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage innovators.

Shortly thereafter, IP litigators Chris Henry and Gaby LaHatte also joined Weil, further enhancing the firm’s trade secrets depth, particularly in life sciences and advanced technology matters.

Within Weil’s established team, trade secrets expertise is reinforced by John Barry, who leads the firm’s Employment Practice Group, and Bambo Obaro, co-managing partner of the Silicon Valley office, both of whom regularly advise on employee mobility and trade secrets disputes.

Key matters:

• Proofpoint and Cloudmark v Vade

Jeff Homrig served as lead trial and appellate counsel for Vade in Proofpoint and Cloudmark v Vade, a trade secret action in the Northern District of California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The team also included Doug Lumish.

Homrig argued and won a Ninth Circuit appeal defending Vade’s verdict and post-trial victories on novel questions of law, including whether exemplary damages claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act require trial by jury under the Seventh Amendment and the DTSA, and whether unjust enrichment requires a jury trial on constitutional or statutory grounds.

This significant and impactful win ended the years-long battle between the companies and preserved Vade’s trial-court judgment defeating the plaintiff’s demand for $165 million in damages, a permanent injunction, and attorneys’ fees.

• OpenEvidence v Veracity-Health

Gabe Gross and Weil are representing Veracity-Health (Vera Health), a generative AI-based startup health tech company, and its co-founder, in connection with a federal action brought by competitor OpenEvidence, an AI company that develops a medical search engine.

The lawsuit claims breach of contract, false advertising, and unfair competition and alleges the access and “extraction” of allegedly proprietary information from OpenEvidence’s AI platform. This is a significant action among the first of its kind in the field of medical and healthcare applications of generative AI-based technologies.

• Alexandria Real Estate v DePippo

Adam Gershenson is leading a case in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts against a former executive for alleged theft of confidential information from Weil’s client Alexandria Real Estate, a life science real estate company.

In this case, while planning to leave Alexandria and start his own competing business, a top executive is alleged to have downloaded hundreds of company documents detailing the blueprints for how to build, manage, and monetise life-science campuses and large-scale, high-tech facilities. Weil has secured a preliminary injunction thwarting the misuse of the information as the case proceeds.

Clients:

Alexandria Real Estate, Creative Artists Agency, Ceridian HCM Holding (n/k/a Dayforce), Heritage Construction Company Austin, Foundation Building Materials, JobProgress, Nexa Equity, Leap, Lunan Pharmaceutical Group, Vade Secure, VantageScore Solutions, Veracity-Health and its co-founder