Alyssa M. Caridis

LOS ANGELES - Even before becoming an intellectual property attorney with Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Alyssa M. Caridis was, in her own words, "a giant nerd."

"I love learning about new fields of endeavor and just digging into nerding out about new technology," the Los Angeles attorney said in an interview.

Throughout her time at Orrick, Caridis has helped litigate several cases involving high-profile clients in the tech and communications sectors.

In the matter of Personalized Communications v. Net ix, Caridis and her team helped the streaming giant obtain a favorable claim construction ruling, moving the trial from Texas to New York and securing dropped charges for some of the plaintiff's patent claims in 2020.

"So we not only were able to get out of a venue that we didn't feel was appropriate for the case, but were also able to significantly narrow the case," she said.

Caridis stepped into the role of lead counsel for a case involving Donghee America, a manufacturer of plastic fuel tanks used in automobiles, and plaintiff Plastic Omnium, who accused the defendants of patent infringement in 2016.

"Plastic Omnium was basically threatening to shutter Donghee's ability to fulfill its customer's contracts to make these fuel tanks for their U.S. automobiles," Caridis said.

"We had that case in Delaware and took it all the way to the eve of trial," she continued. "We were able to whittle the case down throughout the pendency of the case. The big turning point was maybe six weeks before trial. We got a summary judgment order of no infringement of all but one of the patents. As a result, the parties basically decided to not go forward with the trial and instead just see how the appeals played out on that summary judgment motion."

In the end, Caridis' team won the appeal on the motion. "From a competitor case that was a very hotly litigated dispute, we had a complete victory at the end of the day," she said.

A lifelong enthusiasm for technology, along with substantial legal experience, have made Caridis an ideal fit for her role as deputy business unit leader of Orrick's global IP group.

Caridis has spent the bulk of her legal career working with the Los Angeles firm, which she joined shortly after completing law school. "I have been here for the last 14 years almost just because of the people here, the quality of work and how I am treated and valued as a member of this team," she said.

While the opportunity to nerd out over innovative technologies is one of the reasons Caridis enjoys her work, she said the other main factor is the team at Orrick.

"The colleagues that I have, the partners that I have, the team--from secretaries to paralegals to associates--they are just phenomenal here," she said. "We respect each other, we treat each other well, we prop each other up, and that's what keeps me going every day."