Eric Bakewell

Eric J. Bakewell is an experienced litigator who represents clients in entertainment, trusts and estates, intellectual property, and other complex commercial litigation. Eric’s clients include entertainment companies, financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, insurers, and technology companies.

He also represents high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, and holders of intellectual property rights. Eric has a winning track record in disputes involving partnership agreements, copyright and patent rights, trust administration, and real estate transactions.

His clients view him as a trusted advisor, and rely on his sophisticated knowledge of pre-litigation solutions and dispute avoidance strategies. When litigation is inevitable, clients value his significant courtroom experience.

Experience :

• Prevailed at trial on antitrust claims seeking damages in excess of $12 billion against a computer memory manufacturer
• Achieved a favorable settlement of professional malpractice claims on behalf of a small business owner against an accountant
• Counseled clients about trade secret misappropriation and obtained a frivolous litigation sanctions award against plaintiff pursuing misappropriation claims
• Negotiated favorable agreements for commercial real estate companies and litigated disputes related to land use and property acquisitions
• Prosecuted and defended multiple actions involving denial of benefits under commercial and professional insurance policies and related bad faith claims
• Represented computer memory, wireless communications, and technology companies in high-stakes antitrust litigation
• Prevailed in a published appellate decision against harassment, discrimination, and right of publicity claims asserted against a high-profile actor, comedian, and producer
• Briefed multiple California anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) motions arising out of entertainment and film financing litigation
• Represented an international music professional and his affiliated companies in a dispute related to allocation of profits and revenue, contract damages, and other associated harm
• Advised clients on licensing and marketing issues related to the exploitation, maintenance, and use of patents, trademarks, and copyrights
• First-chaired a claim construction hearing and developed an infringement theory in patent infringement litigation involving mechanical patent
• Won a motion to dismiss and subsequent appeal in federal court related to claims that a national nonprofit association violated plaintiff’s civil rights and committed state law torts
• Advised trustees in civil and probate court proceedings related to distribution of assets, wrongdoing by beneficiaries, and reclaiming trust property
• Represented high-net-worth individuals in partnership disputes related to profit sharing, corporate governance, and dissolution
• Represented partners in cases involving accusations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and theft by other partners.

Education :

• J.D. magna cum laude Georgetown University Law Center 2002
• B.A. cum laude Vanderbilt University 1998

Bar Admissions : California, District of Columbia.

Court Admissions :

• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Clerk Experience : Honorable Mary A. McLaughlin U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.