Alternatives in the Valley 2026

Trial-ready counsel for high-stakes disputes

When high-stakes disputes arise, clients turn to DLA Piper’s trial lawyers. Leveraging our cutting-edge court trial capabilities and deep trial practice experience, we handle business-defining cases where exposure is significant, issues are complex, and there is no margin for error. Our reputation is built on trying cases and winning them, backed by courtroom credibility, strategic judgment, and proven performance when it matters most.

Related capabilities

Business and Commercial LitigationLitigation, Arbitration and InvestigationsProduct LiabilityPatent LitigationInternational Arbitration

Legal services: Court Trial Capabilities

We prepare every matter with trial in mind, developing strategy, shaping the narrative, and building the evidentiary record to strengthen your position and pursue the best outcome – whether through a favorable verdict, pre-trial dismissal, or advantageous resolution.

Our courtroom trial capabilities and well-versed trial teams help you protect your interests through a proven record of success, securing defense verdicts, significant damages awards, dispositive rulings, bellwether trial victories, and appellate decisions that preserve victories or eliminate exposure.

A deep bench with a trial-first approach
With more than 100 litigation partners and a recognized team of national trial lawyers, we bring together first-chair courtroom experience, industry knowledge, and technical fluency.

“They have excellent strategic judgment, keep the big picture in mind, and are always a few steps ahead.”

Product Liability & Mass Torts: The Elite USA

Legal and technical insight
We handle complex, high-exposure disputes, turning highly technical subject matter into clear, persuasive arguments that resonate with judges and juries.

Leadership in large-scale litigation
Shaping litigation strategy at a national level, we lead large-scale proceedings, including multidistrict litigations and coordinated actions involving thousands of claims.

Strategic advocacy at every stage
By focusing on early case positioning, strategic motion practice, and effective witness advocacy, we ensure that cases are presented with clarity, credibility, and impact at trial.

Continuity through appeal
We integrate appellate strategy from the earliest stages of a case, preserving issues and helping you defend wins or challenge adverse decisions from trial through appeal.

Experience

  • Won an eight-figure monetary award for WorldCom and successfully defended claims seeking termination of a multi-year, multibillion-USD contract after a two-week arbitration in New York
  • Defended the founder of an IT services company against fraud and contractual misrepresentation claims brought by a private equity firm following recapitalization of the company. After one week trial, arbitrator rejected fraud claim outright and awarded less than three percent of the contractual damages claim
  • Defense of non-profit relief organization with global operations against allegations it was bound by a letter of intent to purchase the plaintiff’s commercial building, despite certain environmental hazards found on the property. After a two-week trial, the jury returned a verdict for the defendant on all claims
  • Secured a trial victory in the New York County Supreme Court for a US subsidiary of a Spanish conglomerate concerning a procurement contract dispute. The contract is the largest commercial contract that a Spanish company has ever been awarded outside of Spain.
  • Affirmed summary judgment, effectively ending the litigations, on behalf of Novo Nordisk in a federal MDL and state court coordinated litigation involving allegations that Victoza, as well as other incretin-based therapies approved for treatment of Type 2 diabetes, caused plaintiffs to develop pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis. DLA Piper served as national coordinating counsel and trial counsel.
  • Serve as national trial and global coordinating counsel for Novo Nordisk regarding litigation and regulatory issues related to its diabetes and obesity medications: Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus.
  • Serve as global coordinating counsel for Bayer involving the Essure permanent birth control device. This device was the subject of a mass tort litigation involving 33,000 plaintiffs in the US, which DLA Piper successfully resolved. Since that time, DLA Piper’s role has expanded into global coordinating counsel across twelve countries, resulting in a 100% success rate with more than 150 favorable outcomes from trial and appellate courts in Australia, France, Brazil, Spain, and Canada. In December 2024, the team won a victory in Australia by defeating a class action lawsuit following a 3-month trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria, the highest court in Melbourne, with the judge rejecting the 1,400 plaintiff claims that the female contraceptive device caused major health problems.
  • A data protection software client in a patent trial in the US District of Delaware; we won a full defense jury verdict. Our client’s rival asserted that our client and the other defendants infringed two patents relating to fundamental technology for anti-virus software. At trial, our client demonstrated that it invented the same technology years before its rival filed for its patents, and following a three-week trial before Chief Judge Gregory Sleet, the jury unanimously agreed, finding both asserted patents invalid and not infringed. The lawsuit involved global discovery efforts (across the US, the UK, Israel, Czech Republic and France) and several interrelated lawsuits spanning multiple years.

Contact

Global leaders

Erin P. Gibson

Erin Gibson

Partner
Brett Ingerman

Brett Ingerman

Partner

Featured insights

DLA Piper expands market-leading patent litigation and ITC practices with addition of Partners Robert Shaffer and Sean Trainor

DLA Piper today announced that Robert Shaffer and Sean Trainor have joined the firm as Partners in its Intellectual Property and Technology (IPT) practice in Washington, DC.
8 October 2026

Five Tips for Preparing an Organized Trial Cross-Examination Outline

The key to an effective cross-examination is preparation. The evidence of good preparation is an organized trial cross-examination outline. By the time the trial lawyer gets on their feet to cross-examine the witness, the outline should be finely honed. Though an experienced trial lawyer will not use the outline as a script, it will be the tool they use to advance the client’s narrative and impeach the witness’s credibility. A well organized outline is even more important when the witness is a seasoned expert. The following tips are focused on preparing an organized trial cross-examination outline for experts, but these tips can be applied to any outline. Before following these tips, be sure to communicate with the trial lawyer on any personal preferences.
11 December 2024

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