Leslie A. Demers

Leslie Demers is a partner in Skadden’s Intellectual Property Litigation group, where she concentrates on 
complex litigation and arbitration involving patents, trade secrets, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property litigation, as well as counseling on IP diligence, licensing, freedom to operate and protecting intellectual property rights. She regularly counsels and defends technology companies across varied industries, including software, pharmaceutical, medical device, renewable energy, industrial machinery, semiconductors and information technology.

Leslie has been a thought leader since she first published medicinal chemistry articles in peer-reviewed journals as a University of Michigan biochemistry student/researcher and subsequently as a contributor to the Columbia Law Review during law school. She also regularly addresses IP litigation developments and trends and appears in Skadden’s This Quarter in Intellectual Property webinar. She is also an active participant in the Sedona Conference for trade secrets, is a member of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association, and co-chairs a twice annual PLI Patent Law Institute.

Leslie also devotes considerable time to pro bono, regularly collaborating with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, which provides legal assistance to New York artists and inventors. For example, she assisted Rook Productions in successfully resolving its lawsuit against Connect With Kids (CWK) that alleged CWK failed to pay for Rook’s independent film and production work.

In recognition of her work, Leslie has been named one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global IP Lawyers and a Rising Star by New York Law Journal, in addition to being repeatedly selected to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under list and honored as one of Best Lawyers’ Ones To Watch in America.

• Leslie scored multiple victories on behalf of cybersecurity
  company Fortinet Inc. (“Fortinet”) as co-lead in its patent
  infringement lawsuit against competitor Forescout
  Technologies Inc. (“Forescout”) in the U.S. District Court for the
  Northern District of California. Over the course of four years,
  Leslie lead the IP team in beating multiple rounds of patent
  eligibility challenges on the pleadings, including leading the
  case through fact and expert discovery as well as taking and
  defending the bulk of fact and expert depositions. Following
  discovery, Forescout moved for summary judgment on eight
  grounds, seeking complete dismissal of the case. At the same
  time, Fortinet filed motions challenging Forescout’s
  counterclaims, including a tortious interference counterclaim
  and briefings on both motions were argued in front of Judge
  Edward M. Chen in October 2024. The Court dismissed
  Forescout’s tortious interference counterclaim and allowed
  Fortinet to present the vast majority of its damages claims to
  the jury. The case settled favorably for Fortinet before trial in
  February 2025.
• Leslie helped lead Skadden’s successful defense of Universal
  Alloy Corporation (“UAC”) in a jury trial in Arconic Inc. et al. v.
  Universal Alloy Corporation in Atlanta federal court. The lawsuit
  alleges that UAC misappropriated trade secrets in the process
  it uses to manufacture airplane parts for The Boeing Company,
  allegedly to siphon a $200 million contract from plaintiff
  Arconic. The case was pending for over eight years before trial
  and was in front of multiple judges in multiple jurisdictions.
  Skadden appeared in the case after the record was developed
  and summary judgment motions were filed, and took the case
  through trial victory. Leslie was integral in developing a
  strategy to prepare for trial, including developing themes for
  trial based on the fact record as it existed prior to Skadden's
  engagement. She also examined witnesses and argued key
  motions during trial, present at counsel’s table every day until
  the verdict came down in her client’s favor. Ultimately, the jury
  agreed that Arconic did not meet its burden in proving that it
  owned any trade secrets. This trial involved distilling complex
  legal theories and highly technical facts into clear, compelling
  narratives and witness examinations for juries.
• Leslie represented Palantir Technologies Inc. (“Palantir”) in
  successfully suing two ex-employees and their new company
  for breach of contract and theft of trade secrets in the U.S.
  District Court for the Southern District of New York. Palantir
  alleged that the defendants, while still employed at Palantir,
  stole the company's trade secrets related to Palantir’s
  proprietary AI technology — an asset crucial to the company’s
  competitive edge — to found Guardian AI and compete in the
  health care AI space, all in violation of their employment
  agreements and noncompete obligations. The case ended with
  a total victory for Palantir.
• Leslie was integral as trial counsel for an early-stage
  automotive company in a dispute over alleged trade secret
  theft in federal court. Skadden was hired after an original
  injunction was entered that effectively shut down the client’s
  ability to operate. In less than 30 days, the Skadden team
  secured modifications to the injunction that allowed for free
  competition and the company to keep operating. This case
  also involved significant forensic work to support the client’s
  defense
• Leslie Demers has a multifaceted practice encompassing hot
  button issues in the areas of patent, copyright, trademark, and
  trade secrets enforcement and litigation. Her busy trade
  secrets practice includes her representing Molina Healthcare,
  Inc. (“Molina”) in multiple matters pertaining to the
  enforcement of non-competes and post-employment
  obligations. Tapped for her prowess in employee mobility
  issues and trade secrets enforcement, Leslie plays a leading
  role on these matters, which include a series of pre-suit
  disputes that are mission-critical to ensure Molina’s market
  position and highly sensitive information is protected.

• J.D. (Columbia Law Review), Columbia Law School
• B.S., Biochemistry, University of Michigan

• New York Intellectual Property Law Association
• Sedona Conference Intellectual Property Working Group
• PLI Patent Institute

• New York