Morgan Chu

Chu is known for besting his own precedents.

This past April, he and his Irell colleagues convinced U.S. District Judge S. James Otero to enhance a jury's damages based on a patent law provision that allows a court to punish infringers for "egregious conduct."

Chu represented Juno Therapeutics Inc. and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center against Kite Pharma. The jury found that Kite Pharma willfully infringed on a patent for cancer immunotherapy known as CAR T-cell therapy. Juno Therapeutics Inc. v. Kite Pharma Inc., 17-CV07639 (C.D. Cal., filed Oct. 18, 2017).

The jury had initially reached a $752 million verdict in December 2019 - already the largest patent jury award in the U.S. last year - but the post-trial enhancement boosted the award to $1.2 billion.

"We had to show willful infringement. Did they have knowledge of the patent? Once that predicate is determined by the jury, then the court can enhance the verdict," said Chu, explaining that the award sum was already significant. "We're not talking about a $1 verdict."

Chu has been lead counsel in IP cases across industries, from mobile technology to wind turbines. For instance, in October 2019 he achieved a series of trademark wins for Skechers, persuading an International Trade Commission judge that Skechers wasn't infringing the trade dress of Converse's Chuck Taylor shoes.

Morgan joined Irell & Manella LLP as an associate in 1977 and became a partner in 1982, one of the first Asian Americans to lead a major law firm. He chairs Irell's litigation group.

Chu is also the longest-serving board member of Public Counsel, one of the nation's largest pro bono public interest law firms. He chairs the boards of the City of Hope National Medical Center and its foundation. He served a six-year term on Harvard University's Board of Overseers.

Though Chu dropped out of high school, he went on to earn five university degrees from Harvard, Yale, and UCLA.

It was in his transition from college to career that Chu adopted his trademark bowtie style. While helping him stand out from other attorneys in the courtroom, Chu said the bowtie is a practical alternative to unwieldy neckties.

"Bow ties don't flop around, don't catch the wind," he said. "And if I'm to bend down and smell the flowers, it doesn't get in the way."

-- Jennifer McEntee