Plessman, a litigator whose broad practice includes securities litigation, trade secrets, health care fraud, and white collar defense, was recently co-lead counsel for T-Mobile in a high-stakes trade secrets case. Her client accused Huawei Device USA of conspiring with its Chinese corporate affiliates to steal T-Mobile's smartphone testing robot, Tappy.
Heading into trial, Plessman scored major victories for her client, getting the court to grant a summary judgment finding that Huawei had breached nondisclosure agreements with T-Mobile and barring two of Huawei's witness from testifying. T-Mobile USA Inc. v. Huawei Device USA Inc. et al., CV14-1351 (W.D. Wash., filed Sept. 2, 2014).
Plessman also fought off Huawei's motion for summary judgment for failure to state a claim, arguing Huawei should be held liable for all damages caused by its alleged misappropriation, including the benefits of its parent company in China.
"It was a significant victory for the victims of trade secret misappropriation, particularly where trade secrets are stolen and sent to overseas affiliates, which are harder to track down," she said.
Plessman has also spent time this year defending Willis Towers Watson, a global professional services company, against the city of Houston in a $200 million actuarial malpractice lawsuit.
The highlight of Plessman's career has been the founding of Hueston Hennigan. In 2015, she and six other former partners from Irell & Manella LLP made waves in the legal community when they started the litigation boutique.
"In two years we've assembled a fantastic group of lawyers with a true passion for the practice of the law," she said of the firm. "We all love what we do and have a great time together. I feel like that's so rare in big law these days."
Plessman notes that being a founding partner at Hueston has given her an ability to be the role model she didn't have.
"For much of my career I never had the opportunity to work for female partners," she said. "Now that I'm in the position of being a founding partner, one of the things that is most important to me is giving that opportunity to our female associates."
— Nicolas Sonnenburg
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