Knobbe Martens is pleased to announce that partners Christy Lea and Joseph Re have been named to the Daily Journal’s list of “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers” for 2022. Lea and Re, both of whom have been recognized as IP leaders numerous times in recent years, are recognized among top intellectual property attorneys statewide for their legal prowess and contributions to the IP sector.
Christy Lea resolves high-stakes patent and trade secret disputes at both the trial and appellate levels. She has represented clients in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries for nearly two decades. Lea is also an accomplished Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) litigator, having served as lead counsel in numerous IPRs. Notably, Lea co-led the firm’s trial team that won a $70 million jury verdict with $21 million in enhanced damages for CardiAQ in a trade secrets misappropriation case against its former vendor, Neovasc Inc. The National Law Journal ranked this verdict as #6 for IP in 2016 and, in 2021, recognized the win in the publication’s prestigious Verdicts Hall of Fame. In addition to her work with the firm, Lea currently serves as 2022 president of Orange County’s Public Law Center Board of Directors.
Joseph Re is a nationally recognized trial and appellate attorney, having handled high-stakes technology cases before federal court juries throughout the country for over 30 years. Re has achieved numerous successful jury verdicts, including two totaling more than $600 million for longstanding firm client Masimo Corp. In 2014, Re was part of a team that proved patient-monitoring giant Philips had infringed on two Masimo Corp. patents, earning the top IP spot and a #5 ranking among all verdicts on The National Law Journal’s “Top Verdicts” list for that year. He is also an experienced appellate advocate, having argued dozens of appeals primarily before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Outside of the firm, Re previously served as the president of the Federal Circuit Bar Association and 2020-21 president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).
The Daily Journal’s annual list is based on a number of criteria, including hundreds of nominations and editorial staff recommendations, along with consideration of each nominee’s major intellectual property successes over the last year, to determine whose intellectual property work was most influential on inventorship, IP practice and businesses that rely on strong protections for creative ideas.
