Lori Lesser is a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she co-heads the Firm's East Coast IP transactional practice. Ms. Lesser advises on all aspects of intellectual property and technology law, including complex corporate transactions, licensing, counseling and litigation, in fields including media and entertainment, computer software and technology, financial information, consumer products, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, Internet and e-commerce services, fashion design and non-profits.
Ms. Lesser has represented companies including Accenture, AIG, Airvana, AOL, Datatel, Deutsche Bank, Google, ITT, JPMorgan Chase, Mars, Microsoft, Owens-Illinois, Reuters, Sesame Workshop, Sirius XM, TD Bank, Travelers, Tyco, Universal Studios, Viacom, Virgin Mobile, Warner Music and private equity firms including Apax, Blackstone, Centerbridge, Hellman & Friedman, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Silver Lake and Vestar in private and public transactions. Her IP transactional expertise includes mergers and acquisitions, securities and corporate finance, joint ventures and credit transactions, licensing and counseling, while her IP litigation practice comprises trial and appellate work and WIPO arbitrations.
Ms. Lesser is ranked in The Legal 500 and The Best Lawyers in America, for which she was named the "Information Technology Lawyer of the Year" for New York City; Chambers USA - Guide to America's Leading Business Lawyers and Chambers USA 2012 where she was recognized "as a thought leader in the transactional space." She is listed in the "Top 50 Under 45" U.S. IP Lawyers (IP Law & Business magazine) and the "Top 45 Under 45" U.S. women lawyers (American Lawyer). She was ranked in New York City's top 100 lawyers and top 50 women lawyers by Super Lawyers. She has received the Burton Award for legal writing and the Award of Excellence from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Her IP work in private equity deals was featured on the cover of IP Law & Business.
Ms. Lesser was a David Rockefeller Fellow in 2009-10 and serves on the board of the New York City Investment Fund. She is Vice President of the Harvard Law School Association of NYC, and serves on the Executive Committee of the global Harvard Law School Association, the steering committee of the Kate Stoneman Project, the Business Advisory Council of ProPublica, the Leadership Council of Barnard's Athena Center for Leadership Studies, and the Hunter College Pre-Law Advisory Board. Ms. Lesser lectures and publishes frequently on IP topics and co-chairs PLI conferences on technology and software issues.
Ms. Lesser graduated from Harvard University (A.B., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, 1988) and Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1993).