Keker, Van Nest & Peters

Keker, Van Nest & Peters
Sandy1451on behalf of Keker & Van Nest · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Keker, Van Nest & Peters
Founded	1979
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Practice areas	Litigation, Trial Advocacy, Antitrust, Intellectual Property, White Collar Defense
Key people	Albert H. Keker; Michael D. Keker; Noah H. Peters
Num attorneys	~50

Keker, Van Nest & Peters is a boutique litigation firm based in San Francisco known for high-stakes trial work in federal and state courts and frequent appearances before appellate tribunals. The firm has litigated matters involving major corporations, governmental entities, and high-profile individuals, and it is regularly engaged in complex civil, criminal, and regulatory disputes. It has been involved with matters touching on technology, pharmaceuticals, energy, finance, and media sectors.

History

Founded in 1979 by practitioners from diverse backgrounds, the firm grew amid the rise of Silicon Valley litigation and the expansion of federal appellate practice. Its development paralleled key institutions and events in California legal history, interacting with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and state courts in San Francisco. Over decades the firm has handled litigation connected to entities like Oracle Corporation, Chevron Corporation, Bank of America, Walmart, and regulatory episodes involving the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice (United States), and state attorneys general. Its expansion of trial capacity and appellate expertise reflects broader trends exemplified by firms that rose during the technology and financial litigation booms interlinked with cases involving Apple Inc., Google LLC, Intel Corporation, and other Silicon Valley actors.

Practice Areas and Notable Matters

The firm concentrates on high-stakes trial litigation including breach of contract, antitrust, intellectual property, complex commercial disputes, and white-collar defense. It has handled matters involving patent disputes similar to those seen in cases with Qualcomm Incorporated, Broadcom Inc., and TSMC-adjacent litigation, as well as antitrust issues paralleling actions involving Federal Trade Commission and major platforms such as Facebook (now Meta Platforms). In securities and corporate governance arenas the firm’s work resembles litigation involving Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and shareholder suits akin to those against Tesla, Inc. and Berkshire Hathaway. On criminal and regulatory defense it has represented clients in matters connected to investigations by the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California and has litigated issues touching on standards enforced by the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. The firm also manages intellectual property disputes with modalities comparable to litigation involving Microsoft Corporation, Cisco Systems, and Samsung Electronics.

Key People and Attorneys

Prominent attorneys associated with the firm include founding and senior trial lawyers who have argued in the United States Supreme Court and multiple federal courts of appeal. Partners and trial counsel have backgrounds tied to clerkships for judges on the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and some alumni have joined or come from institutions such as Covington & Burling, Latham & Watkins, and Gibson Dunn. The firm’s bench of litigators has included former federal prosecutors from offices like the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and defense lawyers experienced with the Department of Justice (United States) investigations. Their professional activities intersect with bar organizations such as the California State Bar and trial groups including the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Federal Bar Association.

Notable Cases and Impact

The firm has led trials and appeals in matters that received national attention and influenced litigation strategies across industries; such cases have been reported alongside disputes involving Oracle v. Google-style intellectual property themes and high-stakes antitrust fights resembling United States v. Microsoft Corp.. Its trial victories and appellate work have shaped law on evidentiary standards, attorney-client privilege, and the scope of corporate liability, echoing precedents from decisions of the United States Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. It has represented clients in bellwether suits and multi-district litigation contexts like class actions and mass-tort coordination familiar from MDLs involving pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. The firm’s litigation outcomes have been cited in briefs filed before regulators including the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and have been influential in strategy discussions at corporations such as Facebook/Meta Platforms and Twitter, Inc. (now X Corp.).

Recognition and Rankings

The firm is routinely recognized in legal rankings and directories such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and peer-reviewed lists compiled by Benchmark Litigation and Best Lawyers. Individual partners have received honors from organizations including the American Bar Association and selection to lists such as Super Lawyers and inclusion in the National Trial Lawyers lists. Its trial and appellate performance has been profiled in legal journalism outlets and analyses published by trade outlets that cover litigation involving firms like Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.

Category:Law firms based in California Category:Law firms established in 1979