Bijal V. Vakil serves as the Executive Partner in charge of the Firm's Silicon Valley office. He is an intellectual property partner whose practice focuses on intellectual property litigation, strategic counseling, and technology licensing. He has represented clients in intellectual property cases in numerous district courts, the International Trade Commission and before the Federal Circuit. Mr. Vakil has litigated patent cases involving a wide spectrum of technologies, including plasma television, digital and analog integrated circuits, semiconductor manufacturing, software, computer systems, consumer electronics and telecommunications. Mr. Vakil handles significant matters for entities of all sizes ranging from Fortune 500 companies to Silicon Valley start-ups. He also represents clients in patent negotiations and licensing. Companies around the world frequently call upon Mr. Vakil to assist with overall intellectual property strategy and litigation.
Mr. Vakil has held leadership positions in several bar associations and non-profit organizations. He serves as a Mediator in the United States District Court, Northern District of California's Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. He also serves as a Lawyer's Representative for the Northern District of California.
Mr. Vakil has been recognized by the legal and business communities. He is the recipient of the 2010 "Best Lawyers Under 40" award from the National Asian Pacific Bar Association. He has also been named among the "40 Under 40 People to Watch in 2008" by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. He also served on the State Bar Committee on Federal Courts (2005-2008). He frequently speaks on legal topics of interest to the community. Mr. Vakil has been recently quoted in various business and technology publications including:
Forbes, The Wall Street Journal/WSJ.com, Los Angeles Times, CNN Money, San Jose/Silicon Valley Business Journal (various articles),
CIO Magazine, The Recorder (various articles),
InfoWorld, Corporate Counsel Magazine, Los Angeles Daily Journal (various articles),
Fast Company, India Business Journal, PC Magazine,
E-Commerce Times, All Things Digital, Low-Power Engineering, San Jose Mercury News,
Law360 and
Handelsblatt. He was also recently featured on the BBC and Craig Peterson's Tech Talk Radio Show. He also devotes his time to pro bono matters, and serves on the Firm's Diversity Committee.
Mr. Vakil served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Alex Kozinski of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and to the Honorable James N. Barr of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. Mr. Vakil is a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of the State of California, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Eastern District of Texas and all of the US district courts in California. He previously served as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Mr. Vakil also serves as the Chair of the Firm's Taiwan Country Practice Group.
Bars and Courts
- California State Bar
- US Supreme Court
- US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- Registered Foreign Lawyer, England & Wales
Education
- JD, University of California, Davis School of Law, Phi Delta Phi
- BA, University of California, Los Angeles, Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society