Davis Polk today announced that leading intellectual property litigator Ashok Ramani will join the firm as a partner in its Litigation Department in Northern California.

Mr. Ramani has tried more than 15 jury and bench trials. He focuses on patent and trade secret litigation, and also has substantial experience handling complex commercial disputes. He comes to Davis Polk from Keker, Van Nest & Peters, where he was a partner in the Intellectual Property and Contract & Commercial practices.

Mr. Ramani has represented leading technology companies such as Comcast, Netflix, Hulu, HTC, Square and Broadcom. On behalf of defendant clients, in addition to pretrial victories, he has achieved complete victory after trial on multiple patents and mid-trial voluntary dismissal by the plaintiff. For his plaintiff clients, he has secured multiple nine-figure settlements and preliminary injunctions against former employees on trade secret misappropriation claims.

“Ashok is a highly skilled and respected litigator with impressive first-chair trial credentials who will complement our terrific IP litigation team,” said Thomas J. Reid, Davis Polk’s Managing Partner. “We are delighted to welcome him to the firm.”

Davis Polk’s intellectual property litigators are trial lawyers who have extensive experience handling patent infringement cases in courtrooms throughout the country. The firm also represents clients in disputes regarding trade secret misappropriation, trademark and copyright infringement, and false advertising. Clients turn to Davis Polk for counsel on preparing for potential IP litigation, IP enforcement and litigation avoidance, and benefit from the firm’s significant courtroom experience.

Ashok Ramani said, “Keker, Van Nest & Peters is a terrific firm and I am grateful for the 15 years I spent there learning how to try cases. But I have long been impressed by Davis Polk’s formidable litigators, and I am thrilled to join the team in Northern California and help to grow the IP litigation practice.”

“Ashok is a tremendous addition to the firm,” said James P. Rouhandeh, head of Davis Polk’s Litigation Department. “He has an outstanding track record representing major technology companies in high-stakes IP disputes and will expand the resources available to our clients seeking premier IP litigation advice.”

Mr. Ramani received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. After receiving his J.D. from Harvard Law School, he clerked for the Honorable Henry H. Kennedy Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.