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Susman Godfrey L.L.P.
Kalpana Srinivasan
Partner
Los Angeles Office Phone: (310) 789-3106 Email Download vCard Print Bio to PDF
Education
  • Yale University, B.A. (cum laude), Comparative Literature/Ethics, Politics & Economics
  • Stanford University, J.D. (with distinction)
    • Winner Marion Rice Kirkwood Moot Court Competition
    • Editor, Stanford Law Review
Judicial Clerkship

Judge Raymond C. Fisher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Ms. Srinivasan tries high-stakes cases for plaintiffs and defendants in courtrooms across the country.  A partner in the Los Angeles office and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, she has secured significant victories for her clients in antitrust, patent, trade secret, copyright, class action, and other disputes. 

Ms. Srinivasan won a $706.2 million jury verdict for client HouseCanary in a misappropriation of trade secret, fraud and breach of contract case. As co-lead counsel, Ms. Srinivasan played a crucial role in this landmark win. Read more on the win here or see the case featured on Law360’s “How They Won It” series.

Ms. Srinivasan recently obtained court approval for a class action settlement valued at over $100 million with music streaming service, Spotify. The deal resolved claims of copyright infringement. She currently serves as Court-appointed co-lead counsel for a certified class of hundreds of millions of consumers impacted by Qualcomm’s anticompetitive conduct in the sale of chipsets used in mobile devices and its patent licensing practices.

Ms. Srinivasan has been named one of the “Top 100 Lawyers” in California by the Daily Journal along with one of the state’s “Top IP Lawyers.” The National Law Journal named Srinivasan an Elite Woman of the Plaintiff’s Bar in 2018 (ALM). Also in 2018, Law360 called Srinivasan an Intellectual Property MVP.  She was recently awarded the Cornerstone Award by the South Asian Bar Association of North America for her dedication to furthering the professional development of the South Asian legal community.  In 2018, she was named an Intellectual Property Trailblazer by the National Law Journal (ALM). In 2017, she and her co-counsel received the “California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year” (CLAY)  award for their work in Flo & Eddie Inc. v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., a copyright class action involving pre-1972 sound recordings. Ms. Srinivasan was named a “2017 Power Lawyer” by The Hollywood Reporter.  She also has been recognized as a “Trailblazer” by The South Asian Bar Association of Southern California. The Recorder has included her on their Leaders in tech Law list for three straight years – in 2016, 2017 and 2018 (ALM). She was also named one of the Daily Journal’s “Top Women Lawyers” for three consecutive years – in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The National Law Journal called Ms. Srinivasan one of the nation’s 75 Outstanding Women Lawyers. Additionally, Srinivasan’s many significant class action and intellectual property achievements helped secure Susman Godfrey’s recognition as a Law360 “Class Action Group of the Year” in 2018 and an “Intellectual Property Group of the Year” in 2019.

Ms. Srinivasan previously served as a commissioner on the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission of the California State Bar, which vets the governor’s potential judicial candidates. She has taught a course on Class Actions at UCLA Law School.  Ms. Srinivasan sits on the Board of the Western Justice Center and has previously served on the executive committee of the South Asian Bar Association of North America.  She is a member of the California Bar Foundation.   Before becoming a lawyer, Ms. Srinivasan reported for The Associated Press in Washington D.C., covering national media and telecommunications policy.  Read all about her prior career here. “From AP to IP” (Super Lawyers, 2017, Thomson Reuters). 

Articles and Speeches

Prior Speaking Engagements

  • ABA Professional Success Summit – Networking and Advancement for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Litigators – Working With Witnesses, November 2018, Houston, TX.
  • ABA Section Annual Conference, Cross Examination Showdown, May 2, 2018. See a picture from the event here.
  • Top Trial Attorneys’ Tips & Techniques,  Arab American Lawyers Association & South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, November 29, 2017, Los Angeles, CA.
  • Mediation in Class Actions.  CLE International: Class Actions Law Conference, November 8, 2017, Los Angeles, CA
  • Advanced Mediation Advocacy for IP Cases. ABA Section of IP Law IP West. October 11, 2017, Long Beach, CA. 
  • Managing the Need for Expedited Relief in Motion. Association of Business Trial Lawyers,  44th Annual Seminar, October 7, 2017, Carlsbad, CA.
  • Gender Issues in the Courtroom – Bridgeport Continuing Education. August 18th, Los Angeles, CA. Click here for more.
  • Fundamentals of Trade Secret Litigation: The DTSA, Section 337 at the ITC, and More. July 18th, 2017. Webinar on Behalf of The American Bar Association. Click here for more. 
  • 14th Annual South Asian Bar Association Convention – Washington D.C., “Wrangling Witnesses – Real World Advice on Successful Depositions” Click here for photo from the event. 
  • 2017 Class Action Litigation Conference – Los Angeles; April 7,2017. Click here for more information.
  • South Asian Bar Association – “Women in Tech” Panel; Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 6:00pm 8:00pm. Click here for more information.
  • Bid-Rigging without Borders: What’s Next in International Cartel Investigations?, ABA International Law Meeting, Tokyo, Japan, October 19, 2016.
  • Argument in Support of Certification on Behalf a Direct Purchaser Class Before the Hon. Judge Susan Illston, 11th ABA/IBA International Cartel Workshop, Tokyo, Japan, February 4, 2016. Click here for agenda and photo.
  • How to Climb into Any Jury Box, State Bar of California, Annual Meeting, Monterrey, California, October 2012.
  • Stop the Presses! Litigating Cases Tried in the Courtroom and the Court of Public Opinion, National South Asian Bar Association annual meeting, Philadelphia, June 30, 2012.
  • How Much is This Going to Cost Me? Best Practices in Alternative Fee Arrangements, International Bar Association, May 10, 2012, New York.
  • Managing Wage & Hour Risks 2012, Trial of Collective and Class Actions, Practising Law Institute, New York, February 13, 2012.
  • How to Prepare for The Big Event: Trial (The Last 90 Days), Women Antitrust Plaintiffs’ Attorneys, Minneapolis, October 2010.
  • Moot Court Argument: United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, North American South Asian Bar Association, Boston, June 2010.
Professional Associations and Memberships
  • Ms. Srinivasan served as a commissioner on the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission of the California State Bar, which vets the governor’s potential judicial candidates.
  • Ms. Srinivasan sits on the board of California Change Lawyers, which aims to promote access to justice for underrepresented communities in California. 
  • Ms. Srinivasan sits on the board of the Western Justice Center, an organization of judges, lawyers and civic leaders that promote research and legal education on alternative forms of dispute resolution and justice reform. 
  • Ms. Srinivasan is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
  • Ms. Srinivasan previously served on the executive boards of the South Asian Bar Association of North America and of Southern California.
Notable Representations

Intellectual Property

  • Title Source Inc v. HouseCanary: Serving as co-lead counsel, Srinivasan secured a landmark jury verdict of $706.2 million for real estate analytics company HouseCanary in a misappropriation of trade secret, fraud and breach of contract case against Title Source Inc.  At the conclusion of the seven-week trial, a 12-person jury found unanimously in favor of HouseCanary. This case was covered by Law360, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Texas Lawyer. Read more about it here.
  • Melissa Ferrick et al v. Spotify USA Inc. et al: Ms. Srinivasan, along with co-lead counsel from Gradstein & Marzano, secured a deal worth over $100 million to settle a class-action lawsuit with music streaming service, Spotify, brought on behalf of music copyright owners. The suit alleged that Spotify made music available online without securing mechanical rights from the tracks’ composers. Click here for more. The court granted final approval in early 2018. 
  • Flo & Eddie v. Sirius XM:  Ms. Srinivasan serves as co-lead counsel with the Gradstein & Marzano firm representing Flo & Eddie (the founding members of 70’s music group, The Turtles) along with a class of owners of pre-1972 sound recordings for copyright violations by music provider Sirius XM.   Flo & Eddie settled with Sirius XM on behalf of the class in a deal worth up to $73 million and approved by the Court in May 2017, Srinivasan and her co-leads were recently named “California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year” by The Daily Journal for their legal work on this case.
  • Trianni, Inc. v. Former Employees:  Ms.  Srinivasan served as lead counsel in this trade secret misappropriation case brought by biotechnology company Trianni related to its transgenic mouse platforms.
  • Jawbone v. Fitbit:  Ms. Srinivasan served as co-lead counsel for Jawbone in various patent infringement and trade secret cases involving wearable devices against competitor Fitbit in the International Trade Commission and the Northern District of California.  
  • ZiiLabs v. Samsung: Ms. Srinivasan represented ZiiLabs, a subsidiary of the Singapore-based media company Creative Technologies Ltd.  Ziilabs brought claims for patent infringement of its patents related to graphics processing technology developed originally by 3DLabs.  The case settled on the eve of trial after Apple had taken a license.
  • GPNE v. Apple: Ms. Srinivasan represented telecommunications company GPNE in its patent infringement case against Apple’s iPhones and iPads.  A jury found GPNE’s patents valid but not infringed.  Ms. Srinivasan delivered opening arguments as described here.
  • MicroUnity v. Apple:  Ms. Srinivasan represented MicroUnity Systems Engineering, Inc., one of the leading innovators in the microprocessor industry, in its patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, Samsung and major players in the smartphone and tablet industry.  The claims arose from infringement of patents covering “mediaprocessor” technology.  The case settled with the last of the defendants taking licenses just shortly before trial.
  • PalTalk v. Sony and Activision:  Ms. Srinivasan represented PalTalk Holdings, Inc., the nation’s premiere Internet video chat community, in its patent infringement lawsuit against Sony’s World of Warcraft, Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty and other video game offerings.  The case settled before trial after PalTalk received a favorable Markman ruling.  
  • PalTalk v. Microsoft:  Ms. Srinivasan prosecuted PalTalk’s patent claims against Microsoft Corporation for its Xbox video game offerings, culminating in a March 2009 jury trial in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The parties settled on the fourth day of trial – following Ms. Srinivasan’s cross-examination of Microsoft’s first witness – with Microsoft agreeing to take a license to the two PalTalk patents for a confidential sum of money. For more about the case, click here.

Antitrust 

  • In re Qualcomm: Ms. Srinivasan was appointed by the Court as interim co-lead counsel in this multi-district litigation on behalf of a putative class of purchasers impacted by Qualcomm’s anti-competitive conduct
  • In re Lithium Batteries: Ms. Srinivasan and a team of Susman Godfrey lawyers serve on the executive committee representing a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of consumers/end purchasers of lithium ion batteries found in products such as laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and digital cameras.
  • Tessera Technologies, Inc. v. Hynix Semiconductor, Inc.:  Ms. Srinivasan represented Tessera in its antitrust claims against DRAM manufacturer Hynix involving Tessera’s patented semiconductor packaging technology. The parties entered into a confidential settlement in December 2012

Other Class Actions

  • Johnston v. Rawlings:  Ms. Srinivasan won a defense-side jury verdict on behalf of The Rawlings Company in a closely watched certified class action challenging the company’s classification of its employees.  During the three-week jury trial in Kentucky state court, Ms. Srinivasan conducted the examination of company executives and expert witnesses and cross-examined a class representative.  The jury verdict was featured in the American Lawyer. For more about the case, click here.
  • December 2007:  Ms. Srinivasan and a team of Susman Godfrey lawyers litigated to verdict a three-month class action representing the nation’s largest retailers in Minnesota state court.  At trial, Ms. Srinivasan conducted the direct and cross examinations of more than a dozen witnesses.
Honors and Distinctions

Named an Intellectual Property MVP by Law360 (2018)

Named one of the 2018 Women Leaders in Tech Law by The Recorder (ALM Media Properties, LLC). Click here for a picture of Srinivasan at the honoree event. 

Selected as an outside counsel nominee for Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2018 Leaders in Law Awards (Los Angeles Business Journal)

Named one of National Law Journal’s Elite Woman of the Plaintiff’s Bar (ALM, 2018)

Awarded the Cornerstone Award by the South Asian Bar Association of North America (2018)

Named a “Top Woman Lawyer in California” by the Daily Journal in 2018 (Daily Journal Corp.)

Named an Intellectual Property Trailblazer by the National Law Journal (ALM, 2018)

Profiled by Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters, 2018) in the article, “From AP to IP: The Skills Kalpana Srinivasan Learned as a Reporter Help with High Stakes Litigation“

Named one of the 2017 “Top 100 Lawyers” in California by the Daily Journal (Daily Journal Corp).

Named a 2017 “Top IP Lawyer” by the Daily Journal (Daily Journal Corp).

Named one of the 2017 Women Leaders in Tech Law by The Recorder (ALM Media Properties, LLC).

Named one of the Top Women Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal in 2017 (Daily Journal Corp).  Click here for a photo of Srinivasan and colleague at the awards ceremony. 

Named a 2017 Power Lawyer by The Hollywood Reporter.

Named a 2017 California Lawyer of the Year by the Daily Journal (Daily Journal Corp). Click here for a photo of Srinivasan, along with co-counsel, receiving the award.

Recipient of the 2017 Trailblazer Award by South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (March 2017). Click here for more on the event and here for a photo of Srinivasan accepting her award.

Named as one of the 2016 Women Leaders in Tech Law by The Recorder (ALM Media Properties, LLC). Click here for more.

Named on of the The National Law Journal’s Outstanding Women Lawyers (ALM Media Properties, LLC). Click here for NLJ’s profile.

Recognized as a “Powerbroker” by Law 360. Click here to view the article. 

Named by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal as one of California’s top 20 lawyers under the age of 40.  Click here to view the article.

Named by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) as one of the “Best Lawyers Under 40”.  Click here to view the article.

Featured in the Minority Corporate Counsel Association magazine.  Click here to view the article.

Recognized in Super Lawyer’s 2017 Special Issue “Southern California’s Women Super Lawyers”  by California Law & Politics magazine (Thomson Reuters)

Recognized as a Super Lawyer in 2016 – 2019 by California Law & Politics magazine (Thomson Reuters) – an honor awarded to the top 5% of lawyers in the Southern California area.

Recognized as a Rising Star in 2013, 2014 and 2015 by California Law & Politicsmagazine (Thomson Reuters) – an honor awarded to the top 2.5% of lawyers in the Southern California area.

Named to the inaugural Hot List Issue by Lawyers of Color.  See profile here.