November.02.2020
The National Law Journal has named Orrick to its Appellate Hot List for the ninth time, highlighting the firm for another year of major wins in appellate courts around the country, including representing Gilead in overturning the largest patent judgment in history.
In this Q&A, partner Eric Shumsky discussed the win for Gilead in the Federal Circuit earlier this year, as well as the culture in the firm’s fast-growing appellate practice. Asked the key to the firm’s appellate success, Eric replied: “A culture where people rejoice in each other’s successes. Building a brilliant, diverse team is essential. But a team like that, where people also will do anything to help a colleague succeed—whether by sharing an opportunity, chewing over a strategy, or just rooting them on relentlessly—is incomparable.”
Eric also shared what is most satisfying about appellate law. “Winning unwinnable cases. There’s nothing like the feeling of telling a client that the strategy you crafted together paid off, even against the odds,” he said.
Over the past year, our appellate practice has won important cases for clients such as Twitter, the University of California and Donghee America. Last month, three different partners argued three cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, including on behalf of Oracle in its multi-billion-dollar copyright infringement battle with Google.