Reichman and Lehman Named 2024 Law360 Intellectual Property MVPs
Partners Courtland Reichman and Christine Lehman have been recognized as Law360 Intellectual Property MVPs nationwide for 2024, a distinction awarded to only seven IP litigators. The Law360 MVP Awards celebrate attorneys who have achieved significant victories and made impactful contributions to their practice areas over the past 12 months.
Landmark Victory Against Amazon
Reichman and Lehman have been applauded for their landmark victory in securing a $673 million award for Kove IO, Inc. against Amazon Web Services, which includes a $525 million patent infringement verdict plus $148 million in interest. Reflecting on this success, both partners cited the victory over Amazon as their biggest accomplishment to date. "To have somebody take your technology and make billions of dollars off of it and then act like it's nothing — to somebody whose whole orientation to the world is about inventing and getting recognition for their invention, that's hard to take," said Reichman. Lehman added, "That case had been going on for a long time. Amazon challenged us repeatedly in the patent office. You can imagine they fought pretty hard over that $700 million."
Challenges of Firm Growth
Reichman and Lehman founded their firm with the vision of aligning it with their ideals, a stark contrast to their previous experiences at large law firms. Central to their approach was the elimination of billable hours, which they believed contributed to negative behaviors within traditional law firm environments. "We both saw how it was central to large law firm management," Lehman noted. "Everything is keyed off billable hours in large law firms and terrible things are also keyed off it, like most of the bad behavior that you get in large law firms is all rooted in these billable hours."
Proudest Moments and Future Visions
Lehman cited the resolution of the case against VMware for Cirba Inc. as another proud achievement. The successful representation resulted in an $84 million award after a five-day jury trial in Delaware. "It was also really gratifying to be able to finally bring that to a close," Lehman remarked.
Reichman emphasized the importance of developing young attorneys within the firm, a key vision when they started the firm. "Watching them transform into trial lawyers validates our approach to practicing law," he noted.
Advice to Aspiring Attorneys
Both partners encourage young lawyers to seek courtroom experience early in their careers. Lehman advises, "Get on their feet," underscoring the importance of in-court experience. Reichman echoed this sentiment, highlighting the challenges and growth that come with mastering one's craft.
Read the full interview here or click the image to the right.
