Arturo J. González

Arturo J. González is a partner and chair of the commercial litigation and trial practice group at Morrison Foerster. He has achieved an impressive record of legal victories, including defense wins in multiple billion-dollar cases and securing four verdicts exceeding $10 million. His client list includes Uber, Apple, VMware, Bank of America and Kaiser Permanente.

González represented VMware in a complex patent dispute against Cirba Inc. involving virtual system optimization software. His adept handling of the case led to a significant reduction in damages awarded and successful challenges to Cirba’s patents.

“In 2020, we tried a case for VMware as defendant, and the jury awarded $235 million. We moved for a new trial and that motion was granted,” González said. “Last year, we tried the case again. This time, plaintiff requested more than $400 million (due to three years of additional damages), but the jury awarded only $78 million — a fraction of the original award. In parallel proceedings before the USPTO, we successfully obtained final written decisions invalidating two of plaintiffs’ patents, and await a final written decision on a remaining patent. This case illustrates the benefits of defending a matter aggressively, and attacking patents on two different fronts.”

In another high-profile matter, González represents UCare in a dispute with the University of Minnesota regarding board appointments and breach of fiduciary duties.

“Timed trials are here to stay, and juries often do not understand the technology. This combination is dangerous,” González said. “It will become increasingly important for lawyers (and their witnesses) to simplify their presentations. You simply don’t have time to get into the weeds of the technology. More defendants will choose to fight in multiple forums, raising technical invalidity issues in front of the USPTO and limiting the number of complex issues that the jury will have to absorb in a five or ten-day trial.”

As a leader in the legal community, González is committed to diversity and mentorship. He is among the firm’s first Latino partners and consistently promotes diversity in his trial teams. His establishment of the González Pre-Law Academy at UC Davis reflects his dedication to mentoring and supporting underrepresented students aspiring to legal careers.