Commercial Litigation

From fast-moving injunction proceedings and complex financial disputes to class actions, mass tort and multi-district product liability litigation, clients bring their high-risk business disputes to Orrick.

We represent clients before the United States Supreme Court, U.S. courts of appeal, more than 30 U.S. district courts, and most U.S. state courts, as well as in litigation in Asia and Europe and in international arbitration.

Our lawyers are regarded for trying and winning cases. In significant, complex business disputes, we are trusted advisors to our clients in matters ranging from pre-litigation strategies to the decision of when and how to try cases.

We have more than 340 litigators worldwide, including lawyers who bring experience from the United States Department of Justice, government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, district attorneys’ offices and judicial clerkships. We offer the combination of legal insight, courtroom experience, industry knowledge, and practical business sense needed to help our clients prevail in the cases that are most critical to their businesses.

Orrick’s litigators write, lecture, and teach trial practice skills, both on law school campuses and through bar organizations. Our trial and appellate lawyers have received recognition by prestigious publications, including The American Lawyer, California Lawyer, The Daily Journal, The National Law Journal, and The New York Law Journal.

Trial Experience

What sets Orrick apart from other firms that handle large, complex litigation is our trial track record. We take complicated, high-stakes cases. We try and win them. Where appropriate, we resolve them promptly and successfully for our clients through creative use of alternative dispute resolution procedures. Clients count on Orrick to take these cases to trial because of our ability to understand the issues thoroughly, position cases for maximum trial advantage, clearly communicate complex concepts to the judges and juries, and persuasively present the facts and argue the law. We leave nothing to chance at trial. Our litigation teams conduct detailed research and analysis and employ focus groups and mock juries where appropriate. Most important, we involve the client in every stage of the process. Our lawyers use the latest technologies in all litigation phases, from research to courtroom graphics. Moreover, we bring together winning teams of lawyers with the right mix of technical and industry-specific skills for each case.

Focus

Some cases demand special skills and subject matter knowledge. Orrick’s litigation experience is both deep and wide. In addition to litigators focused on complex commercial disputes, we have lawyers who concentrate their practices in substantive areas, including securities litigation and regulatory enforcement; mass torts and product liability; antitrust and unfair competition; international litigation; patent, trademark, copyright and trade secrets disputes; employment disputes; and litigation against and on behalf of agencies, municipalities, and other governmental units. Our clients come from a range of industries including securities, accounting, banking, and other financial services; pharmaceuticals; energy; hardware and software technology; Internet-based and new media businesses; and wireless communications.