Andrea Weiss Jeffries

What do a giant technology company, the maker of the iconic "Chuck Taylor" brand of tennis shoes and a Native American tribe have in common? They all call on Andrea W. Jeffries for help during legal disputes.

Jeffries led a legal team defending Cisco Systems Inc. in a patent infringement suit in the Northern District of California against Straight Path IP Group Inc., who asserted infringement on four patents related to its point-to-point network communications. Jeffries pursed a risky strategy, attempting to get the case dismissed in its early stages. Straight Path IP Group v, Cisco Systems Inc. 3:14-cv-04312 (N.D. Cal., filed Sept. 25, 2014)

"There was already one ongoing administrative proceeding and it seemed beneficial to allow the administrative proceedings to play out before the district court proceeding because that could have an effect on what happened in the district court," Jeffries said.

Her strategy worked and Straight Path IP Group voluntarily dismissed the case three months after filing it. In the time since then, Cisco retained Jeffries to represent it in related matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Though Jeffries often advises technology companies, her practice isn't limited to them. She advised Converse Inc. in a trademark dispute over its Chuck Taylor brand trademarks in the District of Massachusetts. Jeffries and her team successfully obtained a stay of the matter in favor of a pending US International Trade Commission action involving the same trademarks.

The Chumash Tribe also came to Jeffries when a lawsuit tried to stop it from expanding its casino resort in Santa Barbara. Save the Valley LLC, an initiative developed by a group of residents of the Santa Ynez Valley, filed the suit and cited a decision that was more than 100 years old, claiming that the tribe's use of the land was restricted to domestic purposes only, according to court documents. Save the Valley LLC v. the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, et al 2:15-cv-02463 (C.D. Cal., filed April 3, 2015)

"We brought a motion to dismiss based on lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to join the United States as a necessary and indispensable party, and the court granted our motion," Jeffries said. "It really came down to the law of tribal sovereign immunity and their rights as an Indian tribe."

Jeffries said she enjoys advising a wide range of clients and her varied practice enhances her legal skills.

"My practice is increasingly becoming focused on the internet and issues of connectivity and communication," Jeffries said. "Having this broad background allows me to approach the area of my specialty from different angles."

- Melanie Brisbon