Amelia L. B. Sargent
Partner
Biography
- Bio
- Honors
- Winning Matters
- Cases
- Speaking Engagements
- Professional Affiliations
- Community Involvement
- News
A deep thinker and intuitive strategist, Amelia Sargent brings the best of academia’s rigor and curiosity to her litigation practice, applying a bold but meticulous approach to her clients’ toughest problems. Amelia handles complex commercial disputes for both individual and corporate clients in a wide range of industries—from electric car start-ups, to established biopharmaceutical companies, to museums and cultural institutions. Clients turn to Amelia for her ability to weave the law and facts together into a compelling—and ultimately winning—narrative.
Winning narratives combine with tech-savvy methods in Amelia’s trade secrets practice, where she most recently served as lead counsel for nine executives and employees accused of misappropriation by their former employer. By staying two steps ahead of opposing counsel’s scorched-earth tactics, Amelia and her team ultimately achieved a successful resolution for her clients. Amelia has litigated both plaintiff- and defense-side trade secret cases, and also frequently speaks on trade secret issues and trends in CLE presentations for organizations such as the Association of Corporate Counsel and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
With experience ranging from the newest industries to some of the oldest, Amelia was the driving force in forming Willenken’s art, cultural, and educational institutions practice. She currently represents the Kingdom of Spain as amicus counsel in the widely watched cultural property case David Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation, and she teaches “Art and the Law” at the University of California, Hastings College of Law. Through regular contributions to the American Bar Association Section of International Law: Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee’s quarterly newsletter, publications in academic journals, and presentations at industry conferences such as ALI-CLE’s Legal Issues in Museum Administration, Amelia also shares her specialized knowledge of this area with the wider legal community.
The rest of Amelia’s practice is assuredly generalist. Contract dispute with $16 million in cross-claims between a Korean-based LED manufacturer and its U.S.-distributor? Amelia briefed simultaneous motions for summary judgment and argued the motions at two hearings, resulting in a total victory on all contested issues. This victory was then affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upon appeal, for which Amelia successfully presented oral argument. Putative class action against an online retailer? Amelia successfully compelled arbitration, decreasing the value of the case to the single claim. She confronts all types of disputes with trial-ready preparation to obtain the best results for her clients.
Prior to joining Willenken, Amelia practiced at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. She has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Comparative Literature, and enjoys reading cookbooks and traveling.
Higher education honors include:
- John Hart Ely Book Prize for Outstanding Performance in Legal History (Stanford, 2010)
- Gerald Gunther Book Prize for Outstanding Performance in Civil Procedure (Stanford, 2008)
- Phi Beta Kappa
Willenken Vigorously Defends Electric Vehicle Start-Up Team Against Aggressive Opponent
Willenken Obtains Total Victory for Major LED Manufacturer In Eight-Figure Cross-Border Dispute
The following is a representative sample of Amelia’s casework:
- Nascent Electric Vehicle Company v. Former Employees. As lead counsel for nine executives and employees, successfully resolved allegations of trade secret misappropriation, violation of non-solicitation obligations, and breach of fiduciary duties relating to the formation of a new electric vehicle start-up after they resigned from a competitor company.
- Global Biopharmaceutical Company v. Large Health Benefit Manager. After extensive research, drafted the case strategy that guided the firm’s representation of and ultimately secured a favorable settlement for one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies in a complex breach of contract action involving some of the largest sponsored health plans in the country.
- Leading Manufacturer of Insulated Water Bottles v. Product Distributor. Crafted the driving strategy and narrative for a case—set to go to trial in 2020—in which the client, a leading manufacturer of insulated water bottles, alleged breach of fiduciary duties, misappropriation of trade secrets, and violation of confidentiality obligations against its former employees.
- David Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation. In the highly-watched Holocaust art case, submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the Solicitor General of the Kingdom of Spain regarding the application of Spanish principles of adverse possession.
- Lumens Co., Ltd. v. GoEco LED LLC et al. Argued and won summary judgment on behalf of Lumens Co. Ltd., a Korean LED manufacturer, against $16 million in cross-claims brought by a reseller, and then successfully presented oral argument to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upon the defendant and counterclaimant’s appeal, which affirmed the victory.
- Monster Energy Company v. The Nature’s Bounty Co. et al. Represented The Nature’s Bounty Co. and its sports nutrition subsidiary, MET-RX, in a trademark dispute with Monster Energy Company with respect to a marketing campaign encouraging athletes to embrace their inner “monster,” which was resolved on favorable terms prior to summary judgment.
- Frey v. Southern California Gas Company and Sempra Energy. Enabled favorable resolution of case on behalf of the major California utility after filing the opening summary judgment motion on subject matter jurisdiction and pre-emption.
- Eric Fuller v. Ticketmaster LLC. Wrote and filed a motion to compel arbitration on behalf of Ticketmaster, successfully decreasing the value of the case to the single claim, in a putative nationwide class action suit.
- Co-Presenter, “Trends in Trade Secrets,” NAPABA Webinar (September 17, 2019)
- Presenter, “To Send or Not To Send: Email, Privilege, and Competence,” ALI CLE Webcast Seminar (June 4, 2019)
- Presenter, “Think Before You Send: Maintaining Privilege in Email Communications with Boards,” ALI CLE Legal Issues in Museum Administration 2019 (March 21, 2019)
- Panelist, “‘Keep Sign-Stealing Out of Your Game!’: Protecting Trade Secrets and The New Defend Trade Secret Act,” ACC South Florida Eighth Annual CLE Conference “Play Ball!” (October 6, 2017)
- Panelist, “Strategies for Better Contract Drafting: Mitigating Risks in Contracts with U.S. Parties,” ACC Ontario Chapter CLE Presentation (September 14, 2017)
- Presenter, “Trade Secret and Employee Mobility: An Overview,” In-House CLE for Forbes “Top 100 Brands” Company (June 22, 2017)
- Presenter, “Think Before You Send: Maintaining Privilege in Email Communications With Boards,” MTO Symposium for Private Charitable Institutions in Arts, Culture, and Education (November 2, 2016)
- Moderator, “When the Wall Street Journal Calls: Guiding Your Organization Through a Crisis,” MTO Symposium for Private Charitable Institutions in Arts, Culture, and Education (November 2, 2016)
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellow (2020)
- American Bar Association Section of International Law: Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee, Member
- American Bar Association Section of Science & Technology Law: Museums and the Arts Law Committee, Member
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers — Los Angeles, Member
- California Lawyers for the Arts, Assistant Treasurer and Member of Executive Committee
Biography
A deep thinker and intuitive strategist, Amelia Sargent brings the best of academia’s rigor and curiosity to her litigation practice, applying a bold but meticulous approach to her clients’ toughest problems. Amelia handles complex commercial disputes for both individual and corporate clients in a wide range of industries—from electric car start-ups, to established biopharmaceutical companies, to museums and cultural institutions. Clients turn to Amelia for her ability to weave the law and facts together into a compelling—and ultimately winning—narrative.
Winning narratives combine with tech-savvy methods in Amelia’s trade secrets practice, where she most recently served as lead counsel for nine executives and employees accused of misappropriation by their former employer. By staying two steps ahead of opposing counsel’s scorched-earth tactics, Amelia and her team ultimately achieved a successful resolution for her clients. Amelia has litigated both plaintiff- and defense-side trade secret cases, and also frequently speaks on trade secret issues and trends in CLE presentations for organizations such as the Association of Corporate Counsel and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
With experience ranging from the newest industries to some of the oldest, Amelia was the driving force in forming Willenken’s art, cultural, and educational institutions practice. She currently represents the Kingdom of Spain as amicus counsel in the widely watched cultural property case David Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation, and she teaches “Art and the Law” at the University of California, Hastings College of Law. Through regular contributions to the American Bar Association Section of International Law: Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee’s quarterly newsletter, publications in academic journals, and presentations at industry conferences such as ALI-CLE’s Legal Issues in Museum Administration, Amelia also shares her specialized knowledge of this area with the wider legal community.
The rest of Amelia’s practice is assuredly generalist. Contract dispute with $16 million in cross-claims between a Korean-based LED manufacturer and its U.S.-distributor? Amelia briefed simultaneous motions for summary judgment and argued the motions at two hearings, resulting in a total victory on all contested issues. This victory was then affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upon appeal, for which Amelia successfully presented oral argument. Putative class action against an online retailer? Amelia successfully compelled arbitration, decreasing the value of the case to the single claim. She confronts all types of disputes with trial-ready preparation to obtain the best results for her clients.
Prior to joining Willenken, Amelia practiced at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. She has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Comparative Literature, and enjoys reading cookbooks and traveling.
Honors
Higher education honors include:
- John Hart Ely Book Prize for Outstanding Performance in Legal History (Stanford, 2010)
- Gerald Gunther Book Prize for Outstanding Performance in Civil Procedure (Stanford, 2008)
- Phi Beta Kappa
Winning Matters
The Ninth Circuit Affirms Willenken’s Victory of Summary Judgment on Behalf of Major LED Manufacturer
Willenken Vigorously Defends Electric Vehicle Start-Up Team Against Aggressive Opponent
Willenken Obtains Total Victory for Major LED Manufacturer In Eight-Figure Cross-Border Dispute
Cases
The following is a representative sample of Amelia’s casework:
- Nascent Electric Vehicle Company v. Former Employees. As lead counsel for nine executives and employees, successfully resolved allegations of trade secret misappropriation, violation of non-solicitation obligations, and breach of fiduciary duties relating to the formation of a new electric vehicle start-up after they resigned from a competitor company.
- Global Biopharmaceutical Company v. Large Health Benefit Manager. After extensive research, drafted the case strategy that guided the firm’s representation of and ultimately secured a favorable settlement for one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies in a complex breach of contract action involving some of the largest sponsored health plans in the country.
- Leading Manufacturer of Insulated Water Bottles v. Product Distributor. Crafted the driving strategy and narrative for a case—set to go to trial in 2020—in which the client, a leading manufacturer of insulated water bottles, alleged breach of fiduciary duties, misappropriation of trade secrets, and violation of confidentiality obligations against its former employees.
- David Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation. In the highly-watched Holocaust art case, submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the Solicitor General of the Kingdom of Spain regarding the application of Spanish principles of adverse possession.
- Lumens Co., Ltd. v. GoEco LED LLC et al. Argued and won summary judgment on behalf of Lumens Co. Ltd., a Korean LED manufacturer, against $16 million in cross-claims brought by a reseller, and then successfully presented oral argument to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upon the defendant and counterclaimant’s appeal, which affirmed the victory.
- Monster Energy Company v. The Nature’s Bounty Co. et al. Represented The Nature’s Bounty Co. and its sports nutrition subsidiary, MET-RX, in a trademark dispute with Monster Energy Company with respect to a marketing campaign encouraging athletes to embrace their inner “monster,” which was resolved on favorable terms prior to summary judgment.
- Frey v. Southern California Gas Company and Sempra Energy. Enabled favorable resolution of case on behalf of the major California utility after filing the opening summary judgment motion on subject matter jurisdiction and pre-emption.
- Eric Fuller v. Ticketmaster LLC. Wrote and filed a motion to compel arbitration on behalf of Ticketmaster, successfully decreasing the value of the case to the single claim, in a putative nationwide class action suit.
Speaking Engagements
- Co-Presenter, “Trends in Trade Secrets,” NAPABA Webinar (September 17, 2019)
- Presenter, “To Send or Not To Send: Email, Privilege, and Competence,” ALI CLE Webcast Seminar (June 4, 2019)
- Presenter, “Think Before You Send: Maintaining Privilege in Email Communications with Boards,” ALI CLE Legal Issues in Museum Administration 2019 (March 21, 2019)
- Panelist, “‘Keep Sign-Stealing Out of Your Game!’: Protecting Trade Secrets and The New Defend Trade Secret Act,” ACC South Florida Eighth Annual CLE Conference “Play Ball!” (October 6, 2017)
- Panelist, “Strategies for Better Contract Drafting: Mitigating Risks in Contracts with U.S. Parties,” ACC Ontario Chapter CLE Presentation (September 14, 2017)
- Presenter, “Trade Secret and Employee Mobility: An Overview,” In-House CLE for Forbes “Top 100 Brands” Company (June 22, 2017)
- Presenter, “Think Before You Send: Maintaining Privilege in Email Communications With Boards,” MTO Symposium for Private Charitable Institutions in Arts, Culture, and Education (November 2, 2016)
- Moderator, “When the Wall Street Journal Calls: Guiding Your Organization Through a Crisis,” MTO Symposium for Private Charitable Institutions in Arts, Culture, and Education (November 2, 2016)
Professional Affiliations
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellow (2020)
- American Bar Association Section of International Law: Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee, Member
- American Bar Association Section of Science & Technology Law: Museums and the Arts Law Committee, Member
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers — Los Angeles, Member
Community Involvement
- California Lawyers for the Arts, Assistant Treasurer and Member of Executive Committee
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