Keker & Van Nest LLP

633 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: 415-391-5400

Website: http://www.kvn.com

  • Partners: 29
  • Of Counsel: 1
  • Associates: 32

Firm Profile

Keker & Van Nest is a sixty-five lawyer litigation firm located in San Francisco. For thirty years, we have devoted our practice exclusively to complex civil and criminal litigation. We take pride in our record of success at trial, motions practice, appeals and in arbitrations, mediations, and other ADR procedures. Our practice is national in scope. We litigate and try cases in state and federal courts throughout California and throughout the nation. We typically are retained for complex, high-stakes civil or criminal litigation.

In its January 2005 edition, The American Lawyer named Keker & Van Nest as the "Litigation Boutique of the Year," singling out the firm for litigation success in high stakes matters. "Keker & Van Nest lawyers handle cases of national importance… Not only do they win consistently, they do so while working in an environment that is a model for the legal industry in the areas of diversity and pro bono."

Our attorneys’ expertise encompasses a wide range of substantive areas, including intellectual property (representing plaintiffs and defendants in patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets matters), professional liability (representing major law firms and accounting firms), class actions (including RICO, antitrust, consumer, false advertising, unfair business practices and securities cases), general contract and commercial litigation, employment and white collar crime. Click on the Practice Areas button to read descriptions of some recent examples of significant representations we have undertaken.

We believe that we regularly out-perform larger groups of adverse attorneys because we carefully manage pre-trial activity, in close consultation with our clients, and because our litigation strategy is always driven by the ultimate goal: to win through strategic motions or at trial, or to maximize the opportunities for a favorable settlement.

We set high standards in hiring lawyers. Our associates are graduates of the top law schools in the country. Most come to the firm after clerking for prominent federal district or circuit court judges. A number of our lawyers have worked as public prosecutors or public defenders. We hire lawyers who have demonstrated the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, intellectually challenging environment, who can assume responsibility quickly and perform on their feet.

Top-Listed Collapse

  • Top-Listed in California in Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants with 4 lawyers.
  • Top-Listed in California in Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants with 1 lawyer. *
  • Top-Listed in San Francisco, California in Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants with 4 lawyers.
  • Top-Listed in San Francisco, California in Litigation - Intellectual Property with 7 lawyers.
  • Top-Listed in San Francisco, California in Criminal Defense: White-Collar with 5 lawyers.
  • Top-Listed in San Francisco, California in Litigation - Real Estate with 1 lawyer. *
  • Top-Listed in San Francisco, California in Litigation - Patent with 8 lawyers.
  • Top-Listed in San Francisco, California in Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) with 1 lawyer. *
  • Top-Listed in San Francisco, California in Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants with 1 lawyer. *

 

* One or more other firms have tied for this top listing.

Clients

American Honda Finance Company; Broadcom Corp.; Comcast Cable Communications, LLC; eBay Inc.; Electronic Arts Inc.; Flagstar Bank; Genentech, Inc.; HTC; Impax Laboratories, Inc.; Intel Corp.; Major League Baseball Players Association; McKesson Corporation; Medtronic, Inc.; Palantir Technologies; Qwest Corporation; Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company; Univision Communications; Visa USA, Inc.; Xilinx, Inc.

Lawyer Comments Collapse

Elliot R. Peters

Elliot is a highly skilled trial lawyer, extremely good at direct examination, and a tough cross examiner. He will be -- if he is not already -- one of the finest trial lawyers in the United States.

Douglas Kranwinkle
Univision Communications Inc.

Mr. Elliot Peters is an extremely effective trial lawyer who brings with him a firm of uniformly excellent professionals. Mr. Peters and his colleagues should be high on anyone's list of lawyers to call upon for bet-the-company litigation.

Douglas Kranwinkle
Univision Communications Inc.

John W. Keker

John has the reputation of being among the handful of best trial lawyers in the country. It is well earned. He is a quick study and a master of cross examination. His demeanor is such that he readily establishes a rapport with judge and jury, and they believe what he says.

Douglas Kranwinkle
Univision Communications Inc.

John Keker is clearly one of the finest trial lawyers in the United States and brings with him an experienced and cost effective team.

Douglas Kranwinkle
Univision Communications Inc.

R. James Slaughter

Jamie Slaughter is a young, very skilled Keker partner who works effectively with a team. He will also do well as a first-chair trial lawyer.

Douglas Kranwinkle
Univision Communications Inc.

Mr. Slaughter is a smart, articulate, and effective trial lawyer. He practices with an outstanding firm, which means he brings an excellent team with him.

Douglas Kranwinkle
Univision Communications Inc.

Robert A. Van Nest

Bob is the attorney you want representing your client in the Bet-the-Company cases. He is the finest attorney I have ever worked with. His legal knowledge and skill are of the highest quality. His ethics are unquestioned. His honest and sincere demeanor is extremely effective, whether he is arguing to a court or a jury.

Anonymous

Susan J. Harriman

Susan is a skilled trial lawyer who is also a fine counselor. She is adept at direct and cross examination, makes her own witnesses comfortable, and quickly develops credibility with judges and jurors. She is an excellent writer and an extremely hard worker. A client is in good hands with Susan in first or any other chair in major litigation. Her client management skills are also first rate.

Douglas Kranwinkle
Univision Communications Inc.

Ms. Susan Harriman is wise and effective. She performs exceptionally well in the courtroom and the boardroom. We have call upon her services on a regular basis and she has achieved outstanding results for us in each instance. She brings with her a terrific team, but is also cost effective because she staffs each matter well but without overkill.

Anonymous

 

Listed Lawyers

United States
Appellate Practice
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
Litigation - Intellectual Property
Litigation - Patent
Litigation - Real Estate
Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
Litigation - Securities
Patent Law
Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

Offices

United States
  • San Francisco, CA
    633 Battery Street
    San Francisco, CA 94111
    Phone: 415-391-5400

Practice Areas

Intellectual Property
Patents
Copyright
Trademark
Trade Secret Matters
Professional Liability
Class Actions
Fraud
Antitrust
RICO Consumer
False Advertising
Unfair Business Practices Cases
General Contract
Commercial Litigation
Employment
Securities
Real Estate
White Collar Crime