Bijal Vakil is a highly accomplished first-chair trial attorney who advises on contentious patent matters, copyright and trademark litigation, trade secrets disputes, complex technology transactions and cross-border deals.
Mr. Vakil represents both publicly traded and venture-backed companies, bringing extensive expertise in high stakes intellectual property and technology litigation. He is an invaluable partner to leading Silicon Valley and international technology companies, tirelessly safeguarding intellectual property and driving success for innovators at the cutting edge of technology. Mr. Vakil has worked on matters across a broad spectrum of sectors, including computer software, AI, fintech, blockchain, semiconductors, drones, e-commerce, social media, payments, autonomous vehicles, consumer electronics, telecommunications, video games, medical devices and cryptocurrency.
Mr. Vakil has received numerous accolades for his work, being consistently recognized by Managing IP as a Patent Star and by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) in their Strategy 300, Global Leaders, and Patent 1000 lists. He has been listed among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America and was featured as “Highly Regarded” in World Intellectual Property Review’s 2025 USA Trade Secrets guide. Additionally, he was previously featured in Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list. According to Chambers and IAM, clients have noted that Mr. Vakil “has his finger on the pulse of so many technology trends and his client service makes five-star hotels look slow” and that he “builds cases brilliantly and is able to spot and exploit the weaknesses in opponents’ positions.”
Mr. Vakil has co-chaired the Lawyer Representative Committee, chaired two magistrate judge selection committees for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and served as a mediator in the court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. He has also held leadership roles within numerous national and local bar associations and professional organizations.
- Bijal led representation of Palantir Technologies Inc.
(“Palantir”) in successfully suing two ex-employees and their
new company for breach of contract and theft of trade secrets
in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Palantir alleged that the defendants, while still employed at
Palantir, stole the company's trade secrets related to Palantir’s
proprietary AI technology — an asset crucial to the company’s
competitive edge — to found Guardian AI and compete in the
health care AI space, all in violation of their employment
agreements and noncompete obligations. The case ended with
a total victory for Palantir, where the competitor company will
be dissolved and its IP destroyed, which protected Palantir’s
core assets and avoided costly litigation. The individual
defendants also agreed to toll their restrictive covenants. - Bijal represented global provider of vehicle tracking and fleet
management solutions Radius Telematics LLC (Radius) as
plaintiffs in connection with a trade secrets misappropriation
suit against certain individuals who, while working as
executives at Radius, stole Radius’ assets and proprietary
information to form a secret competitive venture. Radius
alleges, among other things, trade secret misappropriation,
breach of contract and fiduciary duties, tortious interference
with business relations, fraud and civil conspiracy and seeks
various forms of relief including injunctions and monetary
damages. - Bijal is co-lead counsel in representing Doximity, the leading
digital network for medical professionals, in high-profile trade
secret litigation brought by OpenEvidence. The case involves
allegations that Doximity misused OpenEvidence's AI model,
including alleged prompt injection attacks to steal confidential
information and includes counterclaims that OpenEvidence
misleadingly advertises its AI model as HIPAA compliant.
Skadden also filed two arbitrations on behalf of Doximity with
JAMS, a private alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services
provider. This is one of the first major litigations involving
alleged AI model prompt injection attacks, placing Skadden
and Bijal’s practice at the forefront of legal developments in AI
and digital health and the case’s outcome could set important
standards for AI model security and advertising in the
healthcare sector. - Bijal is lead counsel to Tidal Music, a music streaming service
owned by Block, Inc., in a significant and multifaceted patent
litigation brought by VCA in the Southern District of New York.
The dispute centered on allegations of infringement involving
two patents related to advanced electronic multimedia
exchange database technologies. VCA pursued both pre
judgment and post-judgment interest on substantial claimed
damages, implicating a wide spectrum of Tidal’s products and
services. In this high-stakes environment, Bijal led a Skadden
team of IP attorneys in the legal and technical intricacies
underlying the case, particularly in settlement negotiations for
Tidal and applying rigorous analytical skills to conduct a
comprehensive evaluation of the alleged patent claims and
damages. This data-driven analysis successfully negotiated a
highly favorable resolution in July 2025 on behalf of Tidal—
remarkably before an answer was even required in court. - Bijal is representing human resources software company Deel,
Inc. in bet-the-company trade secret litigation, brought by
Rippling against Deel, in state court litigation in Delaware.
Rippling’s action against Deel claims that Deel stole Rippling’s
confidential information and trade secrets through the alleged
use of a “spy” who worked for Rippling’s Irish subsidiary in
Dublin. Deel’s action claims that Rippling gained unauthorized
access to Deel’s platform by directing a “Competitive
Intelligence” agent to fraudulently pose as a Deel customer to
analyze, record and copy Deel’s global products and the way
Deel does business for Rippling’s own benefit and use and
engaged in a broader pattern of unlawful and unethical
business practices. Deel has filed various contentious motions
to dismiss Rippling’s claims in California federal court, one
which resulted in forcing Rippling to amend its complaint and
others which are set for hearing.
- J.D., University of California, Davis School of Law
- B.A., University of California, Los Angeles
- Sedona Conference Intellectual Property Working Group
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Law Foundation
- California
- U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California
- U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas
