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Theresa (Reese) Nguyen

Profile photo for Theresa H. Nguyen
Profile photo for Theresa H. Nguyen
Counsel

Theresa (Reese) Nguyen

Reese is an experienced litigator who focuses on high-stakes commercial disputes and patent litigation and appeals.

Reese Nguyen has successfully defended leading technology companies in disputes involving telecommunications networks and devices, location tracking and mapping software, graphical user interfaces, VR/AR technology, data compression, video encryption, semiconductors, and consumer products and services.

Reese leverages her background in policy and public relations to transform complex concepts into compelling narratives to persuade judges and juries to rule for her clients. She has secured significant victories for her clients through motion practice—authoring briefs that have defeated claims on summary judgment and through motions to dismiss, secured preliminary injunctions and defeated them, transferred cases to more favorable fora, and excluded expert testimony critical to an opponent's case. She has also briefed, argued, and won appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, taken and defended fact and expert depositions, shepherded large-scale discovery projects, advocated for clients in mediations, and prepared witnesses and evidence for trial.

Reese has an active pro bono practice. In partnership with the ACLU and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, she represented a California-wide class of detained immigrants, winning an injunction in district court to prevent the government from enforcing its policy of denying bond hearings to the class, and successfully arguing to uphold the injunction on appeal to the Ninth Circuit. She has also represented a victim of police use of excessive force, secured a significant settlement for an inmate denied necessary medical care, recouped assets for victims of financial fraud and elder abuse, and won asylum for refugees fleeing persecution.

Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Reese practiced at litigation boutique Keker Van Nest & Peters in San Francisco, and at Latham & Watkins in San Diego. In addition to intellectual property disputes for high-tech clients, she has litigated shareholder and securities class actions, real estate and contract disputes, and bankruptcy matters in state and federal court. She also prosecuted criminal cases as a volunteer deputy district attorney at the Orange County District Attorney's Office, handling misdemeanor trials and felony preliminary hearings.

Reese is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley School of Law and Yale University. She served as articles editor on the California Law Review. Before attending law school, Reese worked in public policy, including as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer.

Education & Credentials

Education

  • UC Berkeley School of Law, J.D., Order of the Coif, Articles Editor, California Law Review, 2012
  • Yale University, B.A., Political Science, 2005

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Washington
  • California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Related Employment

  • Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Deputy District Attorney, Summer 2017
  • Latham & Watkins LLP, San Diego, CA, Associate, 2015-2017
  • Keker & Van Nest LLP, San Francisco, CA, Summer Associate, 2011; Associate, 2012-2015
  • Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Summer Associate, 2011
  • Judicial Extern for The Hon. Consuelo B. Marshall, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Los Angeles, CA, 2010

Professional Recognition

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Commercial Litigation Law, 2023-2024

Impact

Community Involvement

  • National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys, Co-Chair, 2023
  • Syrian Community Network / Heart4Refugees, Volunteer and Family Sponsor, 2016-2018
  • La Raza Centro Legal, Volunteer, 2014-2015
  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Volunteer, 2013-2015

Professional Experience

Post Consumer Brands, LLC v. General Mills, Inc.

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Successfully defeated motion for preliminary injunction in design patent infringement action, as lead defense counsel on behalf of defendant General Mills. After transfer of the action from the Eastern District of Missouri to the District of Minnesota, conducted two months of expedited discovery relating to plaintiff’s design patent infringement claim. The District of Minnesota denied the motion for preliminary injunction, holding that General Mills had raised a substantial question concerning the validity of plaintiff’s design patent.

In re Koninklijke Philips Patent Litigation

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Representing Microsoft as intervenor in patent litigations relating to tablet and smartphone technology.

High Point SARL v. T-Mobile USA

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
Federal Circuit Court of Appeals
Represented T-Mobile in a case relating to cellular radio and core network components for UMTS voice calls. Secured summary judgment of patent exhaustion and stipulated judgment of noninfringement. Judgment affirmed on appeal.

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