Michael K. Ng

Partner

A partner in the firm, Mike has broad experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation. His practice focuses on intellectual property, class actions and high-stakes commercial disputes, often in cases involving a high degree of complexity arising from novel legal issues, cutting-edge constitutional questions or technical subject matter.

Career Highlights

Mike’s representative experience includes:

Ongoing representation of Commonwealth Scientific Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Australian government’s science agency and the inventor of the wireless LAN technology underlying the IEEE 802.11 a, g and n standards, commonly referred to as wi-fi, in patent infringement litigation against a wide variety of computer hardware manufacturers, chip makers and cellular telephone carriers.
Successful resolution of a trademark and trade dress dispute involving counterfeit products imported and distributed by a major consumer products corporation.
Defense of the City of San Rafael’s mobile home rent control ordinance against a large corporate landlord’s constitutional challenge, both in a federal district court trial and on appeal.
Representation of numerous groups of employees in class actions in state and federal courts resulting in multi-million dollar recoveries of unpaid wages and other damages, including Diapo v. Flight Centre USA, Inc. (travel agents), Venegas v. Apria Healthcare Inc. (delivery drivers), and Radford v. HFS America LLC (truck drivers).
Obtaining an outright dismissal of a federal constitutional challenge to the California State Bar’s admissions process.
Defense of a student photojournalist in a high-profile case involving novel issues of interpretation of California’s journalist shield law.
Representation of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in numerous litigation matters, and an NFL franchise in federal antitrust litigation under Section 2 of the Sherman Act.

Public Service and Awards

Mike has devoted much of his professional career to public service. Following law school, he was awarded the prestigious Skadden Fellowship to litigate voting and education-related civil rights cases in rural Mississippi. He also served two stints in the New York City government, including a year following the September 11 attacks as a legal advisor on terrorism preparedness issues. In 2008, Mike took leave from the firm to serve as the National Volunteer Coordinator for the voter protection efforts of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Currently, Mike serves on the executive board of the East Bay Community Law Center, a legal services clinic that provides free representation to low-income clients in affiliation with Boalt Hall School of Law.

Mike has been recognized as a “Rising Star for Northern California” by Super Lawyers in both 2009 and 2010.

Education

J.D. cum laude, Harvard Law School, 2001
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
Harvard Civil Rights Project
Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review
Skirnick Public Interest Fellowship
Kaufman Fellowship for leadership in public interest
A.B. magna cum laude, Harvard College, 1995

Professional Association Participation

American Bar Association
Bar Association of San Francisco
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
American Association for Justice
East Bay Democratic Lawyers’ Club

Admissions

Mike is admitted to the state bars of California, New York, and Mississippi. He is admitted to practice before all of the state and federal courts of California, the Federal Courts of Appeal for the Second, Fifth, Ninth, and Federal Circuits; the Eastern District of Texas, and various other federal district courts throughout the country.