In addition to his substantial jury trial experience, Bill has argued before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He further provides risk management guidance on freedom to operate issues.

Before entering the private sector, Bill served as the temporary deputy district attorney for the City and County of San Francisco.

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• Defeated Myriad’s 15-year patent-protected monopoly on BRCA gene testing, a process that assesses a woman’s risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer, after successfully defending Ambry Genetics against a 16-patent suit and a preliminary injunction on six of those patents to stop Ambry; resulted in Federal Circuit opinion in In Re Brca1- and Brca2-Based Hereditary Cancer Test Patent Litigation(University of Utah Research Foundation, Myriad Genetics v. Ambry Genetics Corporation)
• Enforced Tercica’s licensed patents against Insmed, relating to new IGF-1 products; after a three-week jury trial, secured a verdict in favor of Tercica on all asserted patents (Tercica, Inc. and Genentech, Inc. v. Insmed)
• Enforced Amgen, Inc.’s patents against F. Hoffman-La Roche, arising out of a pegylated erythropoietin product; after a six-week jury trial, secured a verdict in favor of Amgen on all asserted patents (Amgen v. F. Hoffman-La Roche et al.)

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• Super Lawyers, Northern California, 2021
• Daily Journal, including 2015 Top 75 Intellectual Property Litigators, 2011 Top 25 Biotech Lawyers in California, and 2009 Top 50 Intellectual Property Litigators
• Chambers USA, 2015
• Who’s Who Legal: Life Sciences, 2021
• Who’s Who Legal Global Leader, Life Sciences – Patent Litigation and Patents, 2019
• Law360 2014, MVP of the Year in Intellectual Property Law for representation of Ambry Genetics, which significantly expanded the market for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer testing
• LMG Life Sciences, Life Science Star, 2012-present
• Managing Intellectual Property, IP Stars, Patent Star, 2013-2026
• The Am Law Litigation Daily, Litigators of the Week, 2017

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Chris also provides strategic counsel on a wide range of labor and employment issues in transactions and investments, as well as in workforce restructuring and management projects.

Chris represents leading companies and family offices in employment litigation and arbitration proceedings involving contract disputes, terminations, and state and federal wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination claims.

Chris serves as an editor for Developing Labor Law, the preeminent legal treatise on US labor laws. He is an avid triathlete and open water swimmer.

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• Successfully represented a media and technology company in an election matter where the employees decided to reject union representation
• Secured dismissal and withdrawal of multiple unfair labor practice charges, including novel challenges to operational decisions, for a technology and media company
• Represented a major national symphony in collective bargaining agreement negotiations
• Represented a chemical company in collective bargaining agreement negotiations securing subcontracting rights
• Secured a complete victory in arbitration for a major paper product manufacturer in a labor arbitration where the union alleged failure to pay premium hours for almost a decade
• Negotiated and secured a collective bargaining agreement with strong management rights terms for a national food distributor
• Successfully resolved unfair labor practice charges against a national food distributor
• Obtained the dismissal of NLRB unfair labor practice charges challenging return to office plans for media company
• Served as lead counsel for a leading energy and utility company on labor matters
• Lead counsel in three-day trial where an NLRB administrative law judge rejected a union’s objections and unfair labor practice charges challenging its loss in a decertification election
• Drafted a briefing to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit which affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of overtime class action claims against oil platform operator, based on federal labor law preemption
• Lead counsel for underground construction company contesting California Labor Commissioner civil wage and penalty assessment for alleged apprenticeship and prevailing wage violations
• Advised and represented a client during a union decertification process; on the eve of trial, the union disclaimed all interest in continuing to represent the employees

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Pankit provides advice and counseling to employers of all sizes, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups, on a full-spectrum of labor and employment issues, among them structuring of restrictive covenants, advising on employment compliance strategies, evaluating independent contractor and exempt status relationships, preparing executive employment agreements and protecting intellectual property. He has also assisted companies with nationwide wage and hour and misclassification audits, as well as highly sensitive workplace harassment investigations.

Pankit is experienced in handling employment matters across numerous industries, including automotive, construction, consulting, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, security, technology, telecommunications and transportation.

Pankit represents employers at trial, administrative hearings and during investigations by various state and federal agencies, including the US Department of Labor, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the California Department of Industrial Relations – Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

Pankit frequently lectures at annual meetings on employment law issues around the country.

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• Lead counsel in a non-compete and non-solicit action for a technology company; prevailed after preliminary injunction was successfully granted
• Provide advice and counsel to major multinational companies for implementation of policies for companywide trade secrets and restrictive covenant compliance; file temporary restraining orders and motions for preliminary injunction to protect and/or enforce trade secrets
• Represented nationwide transportation company in a wage and hour class action; achieved successful dismissal of meal and rest break claims after motion for judgment on the pleadings granted based on preemption pursuant to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration guidance
• Represented large nationwide transportation company and subsidiaries in multiple wage and hour class action cases in California, Washington and Oregon
• Represented major construction company in a nationwide FLSA collective action in Tennessee; resulted in a favorable settlement of all claims
• Represented major airline company in a high profile whistleblower and breach of contract case brought by a former captain
• Represented nationwide retail company in federal court against claims for retaliation, harassment, discrimination, failure to accommodate and wrongful termination; case successfully settled on eve of trial
• Represented staffing and recruiting firm associated with federal contracts in two U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour audits
• Represented trucking company in single plaintiff disability discrimination case; case dismissed after court granted motion to compel arbitration
• Represented Oklahoma-based oil drilling company in complex wage and hour class action; case successfully settled
• Provided labor and employment advice to companies operating in the gig economy on a variety of issues, including independent contractor arrangements, temporary employees and compliance

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• Legal 500 US, 2021
• NAPABA, Best Lawyers Under 40 Award, 2020
• Super Lawyers, Northern and Southern California, Rising Star, 2008-2010, 2013-2020
• South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, Inaugural “Young Luminary” Award Rising Star, 2011

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• ABA TIPS Employment Law and Litigation General Committee, vice chair, 2013-2016
• ABA TIPS Trial Techniques General Committee, vice chair, 2013-2016
• ABA TIPS Business Litigation General Committee, vice chair, 2013-2016
• ABA TIPS TortSource Editorial Board, editor, 2013-2014
• ABA TIPS Leadership Academy, 2012-2013
• New Leaders Council, Fellow, 2011
• State Bar of California, appointed, Council on Access and Fairness, 2011-2014
• Bar Association of San Francisco, member
• State Bar of California – Labor & Employment Law Section, member

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Since 2013, Joe has been representing companies and individuals in all aspects of crypto and blockchain-related legal matters, including defending government investigations, pursuing cutting-edge crypto litigation, obtaining money transmitter and other state licenses, and advising on initial coin offerings. With a focus on crypto regulatory matters, Joe advises the industry’s biggest players on their most important regulatory and licensing matters. His work includes issuing stablecoins, obtaining money transmitter licenses nationwide, obtaining trust charters, and launching new cryptocurrencies and products.

Pioneering first-of-its-kind crypto litigation, Joe has successfully handled matters involving crypto tracing, decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) litigation, and actions against fictitious entities and anonymous founders. His in-court successes include a series of wins in connection with the crypto industry’s largest bankruptcy cases in the United States and defending some of the industry’s largest participants. Joe has qualified crypto tracing experts in federal court and obtained immediate recovery of stolen crypto.

Joe has led the most impactful litigation and investigations for crypto creditor committees and post-bankruptcy confirmation entities in the industry. These representations include Cred, Inc., Voyager Digital, Prime Trust, Genesis Global Capital LLC, Terraform Labs, and Rhodium. Joe defends and brings affirmative litigation in connection with crypto bankruptcy cases, including regularly filing and defending cases worth hundreds of millions of dollars of fiat and crypto.

Additionally, Joe has defended crypto exchanges and other market participants in federal and state investigations. He regularly and successfully defends against these crypto regulatory investigations without penalties, fines, enforcement actions, or media attention of any kind.

Joe has also worked with state and federal regulatory bodies across the United States to advise and provide input on crypto regulation. In 2024, the Wyoming Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology, and Digital Innovation Technology tapped Joe and his team to draft new legislation to protect crypto customers in the event of a bankruptcy filing.  The legislation crafted by Joe and his team specifically protects crypto customers in bankruptcy, even those whose assets are staked, held in stablecoin, or with sub-custodians.

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• Represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Cred Inc., a global crypto financial services platform, and the first bankruptcy case of its kind. Subsequently represented the Cred Inc. Liquidation Trust and prosecuted all related litigation
• Recovered nearly $6 million in stolen bitcoin and other crypto for an Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors representing customers of Cred, a crypto trading platform, following its chapter 11 bankruptcy and thefts made by one of its executives. In a first-of-its-kind ruling, the court issued an order requiring the defendant to get on Zoom and return the stolen crypto “within the next 30 minutes”
• Represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd., the first bankruptcy case concerning a notoriously depegged stablecoin, Terra (UST), and its related cryptocurrency, LUNA
• Representing the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 cases of Rhodium Encore, an industrial bitcoin mining company with more than 53,000 deployed miners
• Lead counsel to Genesis Block, defending fraudulent transfer and other causes of action brought by the FTX estate
• Lead counsel to a defendant in a case brought by the FTX estate, the first fraudulent transfer and turnover case concerning a decentralized liquidity pool
• Lead counsel to an NFT fund in a case filed by Celsius for the return of CryptoPunk NFTs
• Lead litigation counsel for the ad hoc group of crypto creditors in the Genesis Global Capital LLC chapter 11 cases
• Defending a prominent auction house in a class action concerning the bored ape yacht club (BAYC) NFTs
• Serving as lead counsel in federal and state case against the OlympusDAO, in which the founders were personally found and served in the United States
• Defeated a case brought against a crypto over-the-counter (OTC) desk, alleging that it facilitated crypto trades in connection with a pig butchering scheme. The court held “the documents support the position that [the crypto OTC desk] operate[s] a legitimate business and had implemented anti-money laundering policies and practices during all relevant times.”
• Trained federal law enforcement in crypto tracing

Crypto Regulatory and Licensing Advice

• Obtained money transmitter licenses, “no action” determinations, and trust charters for crypto and blockchain companies across the United States
• Special crypto regulatory counsel on Ripple’s acquisition of Standard Custody & Trust, which was the first time a crypto company acquired a New York Department of Financial Services-regulated limited purpose trust company authorized to conduct “virtual currency business activity” in New York. Obtained approval of the acquisition from the New York Department of Financial Services. Providing ongoing legal advice concerning the issuance of the stablecoin Ripple USD (RLUSD)
• Served as lead regulatory counsel to Anzens, Inc. on the issuance of the Cardano stablecoin USDA
• Served as lead regulatory counsel to Zeebu on its launch of ZBU, the first cryptocurrency designed to facilitate international telecom credit payments. ZBU amassed a $1.6 billion market cap in its first 12 months
• Regulatory counsel to BitcoinIRA, the world’s first provider of cryptocurrency investment retirement accounts
• Providing ongoing regulatory advice and legal support to one of the world’s largest centralized crypto exchanges
• Providing ongoing regulatory advice and legal support to a US and global cryptocurrency exchange with a related blockchain analytics platform, which is one of the most prominent in the world
• Engaged by the Wyoming Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Tech and Digital Innovation Technology to draft legislation focused on protecting crypto customers in bankruptcy, including stablecoin reserves, staked crypto, assets with sub-custodians, and crypto traded on third-party exchanges. The legislation passed on March 15, 2024
• Obtained landmark “no-action” relief from the Wyoming Division of Banking concerning digital asset custody; also obtained a first-ever ruling from Wyoming that a crypto trust company is a “Qualified Custodian” under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940
• Representing several prominent cryptocurrency exchanges and other companies in rolling out NFT marketplaces
• Representing major cryptocurrency exchanges in connection with federal regulatory and criminal investigations initiated by the US Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, and state banking and securities regulators

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Many of Elias’s representations have spanned the asset life cycle, from initial acquisition, joint venture, and financing, to development, repositioning, refinancing, and ultimate disposition. His clients include office building and hotel investors, developers and operators, investment banks, and other US and non-US investors.

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• Represented SL Green Realty Corp. in its $430 million refinancing of the office building at 100 Park Avenue in New York
• Represented RFR Holding in the $560 million sale of 980 Madison Avenue, a landmarked mixed-use office and retail building in New York, to a company affiliated with Michael Bloomberg
• Represented an international investment bank in its build-to-suit lease of a new 800,000-square-foot office building in Dallas
• Represented ZAIS Group in its sale of student housing projects in Arkansas, Texas, and Alabama
• Represented a joint venture between RFR Holding and SIGNA Holding GmbH regarding their acquisition and related financing of the landmark Chrysler Building in New York
• Represented a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the sale of an office building in Stamford, Connecticut
• Represented an international investment bank in its leasing of office space in the United States and South America, including Boston, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and São Paulo
• Represented a foreign residential property owner and manager in the acquisition of various multifamily buildings in New York City
• Represented hotel owners in various restaurant, bar, and other retail leasing and management agreements in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami Beach

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David’s experience includes managing the complexities of information technology (IT) and telecommunication outsourcing agreements, business process outsourcing arrangements (with an emphasis on HR and finance and accounting (F&A) outsourcing), distribution relationships, licensing arrangements, and joint ventures, strategic alliances and teaming relationship. He also assists clients in turning unprofitable, troubled relationships into profitable, referable accounts by guiding the client through the process of identifying, developing and successfully implementing turnaround solutions.

Although David’s primary emphasis is on working with technology businesses, clients in a wide range of other sectors look to him for guidance. He has handled billions of dollars of outsourcing and other arrangements for leading providers. He represents large multinational retailers, manufacturers, airlines and other service companies in their contractual relationships with technology and business process services providers. David similarly advised a Big Four accounting firm in the structuring of a global delivery model for a new outsourcing services offering.

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• Represented Xerox Corporation when it sold its IT outsourcing business to Atos SE; the work for Xerox required the development of multiple master services agreements and transition services agreements to cover a complex set of services that Xerox and Atos would provider to each other over a multi-year period
• Represented Dean Goods Company in working with its third-party technology advisor, ISG, in developing and conducting its competitive procurement process for IT and related services; our representation continued through successful negotiations with the successful provider
• Represented a multi-state utility company located in the northeastern United States in a competitive procurement process for IT and ADM outsourced services; the process resulted in a multi-vendor award, which required the development and successful negotiation of full-scale ITO agreements with multiple vendors in a very short time frame

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