Knobbe Martens’ partner Christy Lea, a litigator with two decades of experience focusing on high-stakes patent and trade secret matters in the medical device and pharmaceutical spaces, has been selected as the Orange County Women Lawyers Association’s (OCWLA) 2021 “Attorney of the Year.”
The OCWLA is dedicated to advancing women in the legal profession by providing a professional network, raising awareness of discrimination and bias, and supporting charitable organizations. For more than 25 years, its prestigious annual award has recognized a single outstanding female attorney who advances the position of women in the legal profession and women’s issues in the community at large.
Christy’s many professional accomplishments include co-leading the Knobbe trial team that secured a $70 million verdict with $21 million in enhanced damages for client Edwards CardiAQ against former vendor Neovasc, Inc. She also successfully represented Smith & Nephew over the past decade in numerous litigations and PTAB trials.
In addition to her formidable advocacy work in and out of the courtroom, Christy is a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment and serving society’s most vulnerable. As a founding member of the firm’s Diversity Committee, she has been instrumental in improving maternity and other benefits for Knobbe Martens’ lawyers, and she is a founding member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. Her board positions include serving on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Public Law Center as well as the Advisory Board for the Ole Miss School of Engineering, where she earned a degree in chemical engineering.
The OCWLA award is the latest of many Christy has received. She was named a “Top IP Lawyer” by the Daily Journal in 2020 and 2019, and was honored for her exceptional litigation skills as one of The PTAB Bar Association’s “Top 50 Women in PTAB Trials” in 2019. She has also been named a “Life Science Star” by Legal Media Group (LMG) Life Sciences, a “Woman to Watch” by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), a “Top 10 Life Sciences Litigator” by Managing IP magazine; and a “Future Star” in the Benchmark Litigation 2020 Guide.
