Ms. Minor is a Partner in the Firm’s litigation department. She advises clients in business disputes, and  when a  favorable resolution cannot be achieved, litigates in state and federal courts and in private arbitration in both JAMS and the AAA.  She has handled business divorces, including breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract claims, as well as intellectual property disputes, including disputes over trade secrets and patent litigation.  She has represented departments of the State of California, large public companies, small business owners, start-ups, and individuals.

Ms. Minor is also the Firm’s Hiring Partner and serves on the Firm’s Management Committee.

Ms. Minor earned a B.A. in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.  While in law school, she served as an extern to the Honorable Martin Jenkins in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and as a teacher’s assistant for the legal writing and research class.

Sample cases:

Negotiated a favorable resolution with insurer on behalf of a winery that suffered several million dollars in property damages from the Tubbs fire.

Represented employer asserting claims against departed employee for  misappropriation of trade secrets; settled dispute prior to initiating action.

Represented the Special Litigation Committee of the Apple Board of Directors (the “SLC”) performing an internal investigation relating to the eBooks antitrust litigation. Principal author of two SLC Reports.  In Re Apple Inc. E-Book Derivative litigation.

Represented one of the largest credit card payment processors in the U.S. asserting claims against one of its competitors for false advertising and unfair competition in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.  Successfully opposed motions to dismiss and transfer, and successfully moved to dismiss counterclaims, after which the case settled.  Heartland Payment Systems. v. Mercury Payment Systems, LLC, No. C14-0437.

Successfully defended patent claims in a jury trial before Chief Judge Leonard P. Stark in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.  Obtained full defense verdict on behalf of software developer client.  Helios Software, LLC and Pearl Software, Inc., v. SpectorSoft Corp., C.A. No. 1:12-cv-0081-LPS.

Represented plaintiffs asserting multi-million dollar claims for breach of promissory notes and fraud in Los Angeles Superior Court. Ranked in The Recorder’s Top California Settlements of 2014.  Stuart v. Rotary Technologies Corp., Case No. GC 049943.

Represented the California Department of Insurance asserting fraud claims in federal jury trial. Steven Poizner, as Insurance Commissioner of the State of California, etc. v. ALTUS Finance S.A., et al., C.A. No. CV99-2829 RGK.

Represented broker-dealer and underwriter defending securities law claims in United States District Court for the Northern District of California.  In re Nuveen Funds/City of Alameda Securities Litigation, C.A. No. 08-04575 SI.

 

Ms. Minor serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Food & Housing Project, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency food, shelter and support services to homeless individuals and families in the East Bay.

Ms. Minor is a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and the National Association of Women Lawyers.