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Joseph A. Meckes
Partner
Joe Meckes helps his clients resolve the most complex business and technology disputes both in and out of court. Joe has particular expertise in intellectual property (IP) litigation, antitrust, international commercial dispute resolution and class action defense. Joe has been lead counsel in numerous state and federal courts and administrative bodies throughout the US in all aspects of civil litigation as well as in international and US-based arbitrations. Joe is the exclusive recipient of the 2015 Client Choice Award from the International Law Office (ILO) for the “Arbitration” category in California. Benchmark: Litigation has repeatedly listed Joe among its ranks of rising California trial lawyers.
Joe’s experience spans a wide variety of industries including pharmaceuticals, semiconductor packaging and fabrication, automotive, fiber optics, software, heavy industries, mining and agriculture. Joe is a member of our technology steering committees and has chaired the firm’s Knowledge Management core group. He frequently speaks and writes about civil procedure, knowledge management, electronic discovery and emerging intellectual property issues.
Joe has successfully prosecuted and defended numerous commercial disputes, patent, copyright and trademark cases, allegations of trade secret theft and high technology disputes from inception through trial in state and federal courts, in arbitral tribunals and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Joe routinely advises clients on dispute avoidance in the context of sales, licensing, confidentiality and other commercial transactions.
In the late 1980s, Joe served as a US Army scout in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda, Germany and the Second Infantry Division in Camp Casey, Korea.
- Representing a Japanese pharmaceutical company in antitrust class actions alleging illegal reverse payments in generic drug litigation settlement.
- Representing a kitchen appliance manufacturer in prosecuting patent infringement claims in federal district court.
- Representing a branded drug manufacturer as plaintiff in several cases brought under the Hatch-Waxman Act against a proposed generic manufacturer.
- Defending an international auto parts manufacturer based primarily in China against class action claims that it violated securities laws.
- Acting as lead counsel on behalf of an industrial equipment manufacturer against multimillion dollar claims that motor components were defectively designed and constructed.
- Obtaining a multimillion dollar award in an ICC arbitration on behalf of a Japan-based telecommunications company against a joint venturer in Europe.
- Obtaining a multimillion dollar award in an ICC arbitration on behalf of a Japan-based semiconductor company against a Taiwan-based semiconductor design service provider.
- Representing numerous clients in all facets of proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in the US Patent and Trademark Office.
- Obtaining a defense verdict in favor of a famous author and producer in a case brought by a collaborator to establish co-ownership of a highly successful book and motion picture series.
- Obtaining summary judgment in federal court including attorneys’ fees against an indemnitor’s claim that the indemnitee failed and refused to cooperate in the defense of a patent infringement action.
- Obtaining summary judgment in California state court on behalf of a hydraulic pump supplier against claims that the supplier’s equipment was defective and damaged the plaintiff’s project.
- Successfully defending a Japan-based electronics manufacturer in patent litigation in the US District Court, Eastern District of Texas and in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
- Successfully defending a China-based technology company against claims that it misappropriated source code and trade secrets from a competitor.
- Successfully defending Japan-based industrial companies against claims they used Allied POWs as slave laborers during World War II.
- Successfully defending a US-based industrial services company in a nationwide class action brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Successfully representing a Japan-based game publisher in numerous technology disputes in courts throughout California.
- Prevailing on behalf of numerous clients in motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction in the United States and for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.
- Advising clients on all aspects of IP law and dispute resolution.
- Negotiating settlements of multiple disputes through informal discussions, private mediation and alternative dispute resolution procedures.
- Managing numerous electronic discovery and electronic evidence projects including a 12-engineer team in extracting hundreds of millions of lines of transactional data from outdated optical media and moving the data to a SQL database for use as evidence to defend a client in a multijurisdictional class action case.
Education
- Golden Gate University, J.D., valedictorian, with highest honors, associate editor, Golden Gate University Law Review, 1997
- California State University, Fullerton, B.A., with high honors, 1994
Admissions
- California, 1997
Courts
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Ct. of App., Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Ct. of App., Federal Circuit
- U.S. Dist. Ct., C. Dist. of California
- U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of California
- U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of California
- U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of California
- U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Illinois
- U.S. Dist. Ct., W. Dist. of Wisconsin
- U.S. Dist. Ct., Dist. of Nebraska
- Listed by Benchmark: Litigation as a rising California trial lawyer
- Exclusive recipient of the 2015 Client Choice Award from the International Law Office (ILO) for the “Arbitration” category in California