Last month, Partner Evangeline Burbidge attended the Sedona Conference on Trade Secrets in Atlanta, presenting a draft paper on minimizing trade secret risk during employee transitions. She received feedback from judges, practitioners, and in-house counsel, marking a strong debut at the conference.
Author: Caroline Recupero
Lewis & Llewellyn LLP was recently profiled by Peter Stris, founding partner of Stris & Maher LLP, in his 2025 Hiring Guide for Litigation Boutiques. The guide highlights leading litigation boutiques known for their skill, integrity, and impact.
The profile traces the firm’s origins through the story of Paul Llewellyn and Marc Lewis—from Paul’s childhood inspiration watching L.A. Law in England to the founding of a boutique that balances principled advocacy with high-stakes litigation.
Lewis & Llewellyn has grown to 21 lawyers across the United States, handling both complex commercial litigation and high-impact cases for survivors of sexual abuse.
You can read the full profile by Peter Stris here.
Lewis & Llewellyn is also proud to be recognized in the Benchmark Litigation 2026 guide as a recommended firm for dispute resolution. In addition to the firm’s recognition, several of our attorneys were honored for their exceptional work.
Marc Lewis was named a Litigation Star in the United States and California for his work in labor and employment and commercial litigation. Paul Llewellyn was also recognized as a Litigation Star in the United States and California for his achievements in commercial litigation. And Partners Evangeline Burbidge and Ryan Erickson were each named as Future Stars.
These rankings are based on extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists, and clients as well as analysis of the market’s most important cases and firm developments. As the definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers, Benchmark recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated the ability to reliably handle complex, high-stakes cases in multiple jurisdictions.
Congratulations to the Lewis & Llewellyn attorneys selected!
Lewis & Llewellyn is excited to announce its recognition in the 16th edition of Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms 2026 list.
The Best Law Firms rankings honor firms that consistently showcase exceptional legal expertise and industry insight. Each recognized firm has undergone a thorough evaluation, incorporating client feedback, peer recommendations, leadership interviews, and the depth of their practice areas. We are honored to be selected among other top-tier law firms in the United States.
Lewis & Llewellyn is thrilled to welcome our newest attorney, Saad Rizwan, to the firm!
Before joining Lewis & Llewellyn LLP, Saad practiced in the litigation departments at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati P.C. in Palo Alto and at Covington & Burling LLP in New York, where he represented companies and individuals in securities actions, trade secrets matters, founder disputes, and other complex commercial cases. Saad also clerked for the Honorable Theresa L. Springmann of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
We are excited to have Saad join our firm’s bench of elite litigators.
Lewis & Llewellyn LLP is proud to announce a significant appellate victory on behalf of its client, EchoSpan. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently ordered a reinstatement of EchoSpan’s $25.7 million jury verdict, which was awarded after the jury found in favor of our client, concluding that Medallia willfully and maliciously misappropriated EchoSpan’s trade secrets.
After trial, the district court vacated the jury’s damages award for an alleged failure to apportion the award between the trade secrets. On October 31, 2025, the Ninth Circuit reversed that ruling, holding that the jury had a sufficient basis to award damages to EchoSpan and ordering reinstatement of the full verdict. Congratulations to EchoSpan and our team.
The Lewis & Llewellyn team and our families gathered in the East Bay last month to celebrate the final weeks of summer. We always enjoy the opportunity to get together outside of the office, and it’s made even better when we are joined by our children, partners, and parents.
A hurdle for plaintiffs in trade secrets cases can be describing the trade secrets in sufficient detail to survive dismissal. In Quintara Biosciences, Inc. v. Ruifeng Biztech, Inc., the Ninth Circuit clarified that plaintiffs suing under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) in California federal courts are not bound by California’s strict “reasonable particularity” disclosure requirement (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2019.210). The court held that DTSA claims should be evaluated under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, not California’s heightened pleading standard.
Plaintiffs may find it easier to advance DTSA claims in California federal courts, and pursue discovery, without early dismissal for lack of specificity. Defendants, meanwhile, should be prepared to challenge trade secret identifications through summary judgment or at trial, rather than at the pleading stage.
Earlier this month, a group of Lewis & Llewellyn team members, clients, and friends of the firm celebrated the last Golden State Valkyries regular season home game. It was a great opportunity to connect outside the office and cheer on the Bay Area’s newest team. We’re proud to support the growth of professional women’s sports, grateful to our clients for joining us, and look forward to more moments like these.
The San Francisco Chronicle recently featured Lewis & Llewellyn’s lawsuit against Pacific Boychoir Academy and its longtime artistic director, Kevin Fox. The article details allegations from our clients, former students, who allege that Fox engaged in years of sexual harassment and abuse while administrators repeatedly ignored or dismissed complaints.
The full article can be read here.
