Sarah E. Piepmeier
- Member, Firmwide Executive Committee
Sarah leads and tries high-profile IP cases in federal district courts across the United States and before the International Trade Commission.
Sarah Piepmeier has devoted more than 20 years to guiding technology companies through their most significant intellectual property (IP) disputes and has earned a reputation as an accomplished and agile first-chair trial lawyer. Her practice concerns all aspects of IP and technology-related commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on patent litigation. She regularly advises Fortune 500 clients on technology issues related to semiconductors, networking, wireless standards, relational databases, social networking, and encryption software.
Sarah is ranked as a leading patent litigator in California by Chambers USA, which noted client feedback that "Sarah is the whole package: she is excellent in court, a great oral advocate, and is very strategic in her approach." Sarah was also honored with a 2019 California Lawyer of the Year for Intellectual Property Award, and she was previously named one of the Top Women Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal, a Woman Leader in Tech Law by The Recorder, and one of the Top 40 LGBT Lawyers Under 40 in 2011.
Sarah is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, which helps guide strategic, policymaking, and oversight functions. A former co-chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, Sarah also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on civil rights litigation. She was a core member of the team that obtained a decision invalidating California’s Proposition 8, an amendment to the California Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, on the grounds that it violates the U.S. Constitution. Sarah’s work was profiled in a movie and books describing that landmark case.
Prior to law school, Sarah worked as a complex database designer.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- New York University School of Law, J.D., Articles Editor, Annual Survey of American Law, 2003
- Wellesley College, B.A., cum laude, 1996
Bar and Court Admissions
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California
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- U.S. International Trade Commission
Related Employment
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Partner, 2011-2019
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Associate, 2006-2011
- Perkins Coie LLP, Associate, Summer Associate, 2002-2006
Professional Recognition
Named a "2023 BTI Client Service All-Star" by BTI Consulting Group
Ranked by Chambers USA as "America's Leading Lawyer" for Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation, 2022-2024
Named one of the “Top Women Lawyers in California” by the Daily Journal, 2018, 2021, 2023
Listed in Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000, 2020-2024; "Litigation Bronze Band," 2020-2022
Received 2019 Clay Award, Intellectual Property, Daily Journal
Named “Woman Leader in Tech Law,” The Recorder, 2018
Listed in Northern California Super Lawyers, 2013-2015
Listed in Northern California Rising Stars, 2010-2013
Named a “Best LGBT Attorney Under 40,” National LGBT Bar Association, 2011
Insights
News
Professional Experience
District Court Litigation
- Lead counsel for a Fortune 100 networking company in multiple patent matters relating to wireless technology, voice conferencing, and networking technologies in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.
- Lead counsel for a Fortune 50 technology company in a multi-patent matter relating to encryption technologies in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
- Lead counsel for major streaming company in a multi-patent matter transferred from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
- Lead counsel for two major technology companies in multi-patent matters related to wireless technology in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
- Lead counsel in a multi-patent matter for a major networking company that was successfully resolved on the eve of trial after invalidating one asserted patent via an inter partes review (IPR) and then winning a Daubert motion striking all damages expert theories.
- As lead counsel in a multi-patent action against a major semiconductor company, won a motion to dismiss on Section 101 grounds in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
- Lead counsel for a technology healthcare company targeted by a competitor in a multi-patent action in Delaware that was successfully resolved after filing IPRs.
- As lead counsel, won dismissal with prejudice of a patent litigation matter pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas for a major social networking company.
- As lead counsel, won dismissal of a multi-patent matter after a resounding claim construction victory that also invalidated multiple patent claims.*
- Won dismissal of patent litigation matter for an entire joint defense group of social networking companies after transferring the case from U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and filing an invalidity summary judgment motion.*
*Prior Experience
International Trade Commission
- Currently representing multiple respondents in a Section 337 action related to image encoding.
- Recently won a finding of no violation in a Section 337 action for a major semiconductor company after a full evidentiary hearing.
- Successfully represented a major networking company in long-running intellectual property/patent litigation against competitor through multiple evidentiary hearings that received significant press.*
*Prior Experience
Pro Bono Matters
- Won dismissal of various actions brought against a nonprofit organization that provides anti-discrimination and inclusion training aimed at reducing the academic-achievement gap between diverse and nondiverse students in litigation in Santa Barbara, including defeating preliminary injunction motion.
- Won recognition of 2006 Canadian marriage by a lesbian couple in Illinois prior to enactment of Illinois’ law recognizing marriages by same-sex couples.*
- Member of core team that obtained a landmark decision invalidating California’s Proposition 8, an amendment to the California Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. Sarah’s work was featured in the HBO documentary The Case Against 8 and multiple books concerning the case.*
- Filed multiple amicus briefs in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples.*
*Prior Experience