The National Law Journal (NLJ) held its 2021 Professional Excellence Awards, which honors leaders in the Washington, D.C. legal community, and at the awards Latham was named D.C. Intellectual Property Litigation Department of the Year. This is the fifth time the firm has won in the past six times the award has been given. In the NLJ’s profile, partner Bert Reiser described the practice’s two most notable victories, saying: “We secured a US$1.8 billion settlement for LG Energy Solution, the largest public trade secrets settlement ever, in a headline-making dispute over electric vehicle batteries before the ITC. The resolution was praised by the White House as “a win for American workers and the American auto industry.” We also won an important bench trial victory for Astellas Pharmaceuticals in the first civil IP trial in the District of Massachusetts to be held entirely by Zoom, in a battle over who invented human mesenchymal stem cell technology for treating diseases like multiple sclerosis and lupus.” Further, Global Vice Chair of the Litigation & Trial Department and Global Co-Chair of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Group, Mike Morin explained the practice’s litigation approach, noting: “We have a constellation of star trial lawyers who draw on vast technical knowledge, industry insight, and experience litigating across venues, to protect our clients’ intellectual property, preserve value, and win precedent-setting victories in every type of dispute.” Latham also had two lawyers recognized as D.C. Rising Stars, partner Victoria VanStekelenburg and associate Jennifer Kent, and was named a finalist in the D.C. White Collar Litigation Department of the Year category.~~