Leslie Demers is a partner in Skadden’s Intellectual Property Litigation group, where she concentrates on
complex litigation and arbitration involving patents, trade secrets, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property litigation, as well as counseling on IP diligence, licensing, freedom to operate and protecting intellectual property rights. She regularly counsels and defends technology companies across varied industries, including software, pharmaceutical, medical device, renewable energy, industrial machinery, semiconductors and information technology.
Leslie has been a thought leader since she first published medicinal chemistry articles in peer-reviewed journals as a University of Michigan biochemistry student/researcher and subsequently as a contributor to the Columbia Law Review during law school. She also regularly addresses IP litigation developments and trends and appears in Skadden’s This Quarter in Intellectual Property webinar. She is also an active participant in the Sedona Conference for trade secrets, is a member of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association, and co-chairs a twice annual PLI Patent Law Institute.
Leslie also devotes considerable time to pro bono, regularly collaborating with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, which provides legal assistance to New York artists and inventors. For example, she assisted Rook Productions in successfully resolving its lawsuit against Connect With Kids (CWK) that alleged CWK failed to pay for Rook’s independent film and production work.
In recognition of her work, Leslie has been named one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global IP Lawyers and a Rising Star by New York Law Journal, in addition to being repeatedly selected to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under list and honored as one of Best Lawyers’ Ones To Watch in America.
- Leslie scored multiple victories on behalf of cybersecurity
company Fortinet Inc. (“Fortinet”) as co-lead in its patent
infringement lawsuit against competitor Forescout
Technologies Inc. (“Forescout”) in the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California. Over the course of four years,
Leslie lead the IP team in beating multiple rounds of patent
eligibility challenges on the pleadings, including leading the
case through fact and expert discovery as well as taking and
defending the bulk of fact and expert depositions. Following
discovery, Forescout moved for summary judgment on eight
grounds, seeking complete dismissal of the case. At the same
time, Fortinet filed motions challenging Forescout’s
counterclaims, including a tortious interference counterclaim
and briefings on both motions were argued in front of Judge
Edward M. Chen in October 2024. The Court dismissed
Forescout’s tortious interference counterclaim and allowed
Fortinet to present the vast majority of its damages claims to
the jury. The case settled favorably for Fortinet before trial in
February 2025. - Leslie helped lead Skadden’s successful defense of Universal
Alloy Corporation (“UAC”) in a jury trial in Arconic Inc. et al. v.
Universal Alloy Corporation in Atlanta federal court. The lawsuit
alleges that UAC misappropriated trade secrets in the process
it uses to manufacture airplane parts for The Boeing Company,
allegedly to siphon a $200 million contract from plaintiff
Arconic. The case was pending for over eight years before trial
and was in front of multiple judges in multiple jurisdictions.
Skadden appeared in the case after the record was developed
and summary judgment motions were filed, and took the case
through trial victory. Leslie was integral in developing a
strategy to prepare for trial, including developing themes for
trial based on the fact record as it existed prior to Skadden's
engagement. She also examined witnesses and argued key
motions during trial, present at counsel’s table every day until
the verdict came down in her client’s favor. Ultimately, the jury
agreed that Arconic did not meet its burden in proving that it
owned any trade secrets. This trial involved distilling complex
legal theories and highly technical facts into clear, compelling
narratives and witness examinations for juries. - Leslie represented 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. - Leslie was integral as trial counsel for an early-stage
automotive company in a dispute over alleged trade secret
theft in federal court. Skadden was hired after an original
injunction was entered that effectively shut down the client’s
ability to operate. In less than 30 days, the Skadden team
secured modifications to the injunction that allowed for free
competition and the company to keep operating. This case
also involved significant forensic work to support the client’s
defense - Leslie Demers has a multifaceted practice encompassing hot
button issues in the areas of patent, copyright, trademark, and
trade secrets enforcement and litigation. Her busy trade
secrets practice includes her representing Molina Healthcare,
Inc. (“Molina”) in multiple matters pertaining to the
enforcement of non-competes and post-employment
obligations. Tapped for her prowess in employee mobility
issues and trade secrets enforcement, Leslie plays a leading
role on these matters, which include a series of pre-suit
disputes that are mission-critical to ensure Molina’s market
position and highly sensitive information is protected.
- J.D. (Columbia Law Review), Columbia Law School
- B.S., Biochemistry, University of Michigan
- New York Intellectual Property Law Association
- Sedona Conference Intellectual Property Working Group
- PLI Patent Institute
- New York
