Randolph Gaw is an experienced trial and appellate litigator. Prior to co-founding Gaw | Poe LLP, he was the founder of The Gaw Group, a successful solo law firm practice where he represented clients in commercial, financial services and intellectual property litigation. He started The Gaw Group after spending more than ten years of litigation practice at international law firms O’Melveny & Myers and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He has successfully represented clients in appellate litigation, commercial litigation, arbitration, trade secrets litigation, securities litigation and class actions. His clients have prevailed at trial or on appeal in matters collectively approaching $4 billion.
Mr. Gaw began his legal career after graduating from Stanford Law School. While at Stanford, he was a member of the winning team in the school-wide moot court competition and was honored as the most outstanding oral advocate for the entire tournament. Mr. Gaw also served as a senior editor of theStanford Journal of Law, Business and Finance and was a cast member of the annual law school musical.
Mr. Gaw received his undergraduate degree from U.C. Berkeley and graduated with high distinction (magna cum laude). He was also one of only twenty students for the entire school inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as an academic junior. Mr. Gaw was also active in student government and elected to one of the school’s five executive office positions, the Student Advocate, during his senior year. As Student Advocate, he participated in several events concerning the student judicial system that drew local or national news attention. His career was also highlighted by his successful representation of a student yell leader prosecuted by the university for allegedly inciting a riot at the annual Cal-Stanford football game that led to the assaulting of Stanford’s student mascot.
4 Embarcadero
Suite 1400
San Francisco, CA 94111
Telephone
+1-415-745-3308
Facsimile
+1-415-737-0642
E-mail
[email protected]
Representative engagements include:
- Trendsettah USA v. Swisher International (C.D. Cal.). Second-chair in Sherman Act Section 2 jury trial against world’s largest cigar manufacturer. Unanimous jury awarded our client $44.4 million in trebled antitrust damages.
- Lead trial counsel in personal injury lawsuit brought by student against school district for debilitating injuries suffered due to negligent supervision by teachers. Case settled for $10 million.
- Google AdSense cases. Lead trial counsel in lawsuits brought by AdSense publishers against Google for failure to engage in contractually-promised revenue sharing.
- Lead trial counsel in breach of contract lawsuit brought by television programmer against television station that ceased to broadcast the programmer’s television shows. Bench trial resulted in verdict in favor of client, awarding nearly $250,000 in lost profits.
- Innovation Ventures v. Pittsburg Wholesale, et al. (N.D. Cal.). Lead trial counsel for defendant accused of selling counterfeit products. After asserting a counterclaim against a co-defendant, the case settled with the client paying less to the plaintiff than what it received in settlement funds from the co-defendant.
- Defended Fortune 500 homebuilder in an 11-month bench trial in California state court over $200 million in claims of improper accounting and mismanagement regarding the development of one of the premier master-planned communities in San Diego County. The trial court issued judgment in favor of the client on all counts and ordered the plaintiff to pay tens of millions of dollars in attorney’s fees and counter-claims.
- Represented publicly traded conditional access software developer in a $1.6 billion trade secrets litigation concerning satellite television technology. Following a 5-week jury trial in federal court, the client prevailed on 25 of 29 claims and was ordered to pay only $1,500 on the remaining four claims. The client was also subsequently awarded attorney’s fees of nearly $18 million. The verdict was named one of the “Top Ten Defense Verdicts of 2008” by The Daily Journal.
- Won appeal on behalf of Big Three auto manufacturer vacating a $2 billion state court class action judgment and trial verdict in breach of contract lawsuit concerning its franchise agreements with heavy and medium truck dealers.
- Counsel for Fortune 500 homebuilder in employment discrimination case concerning allegations that the client marginalized employees attempting to whistleblow over client’s alleged attempts to cover up harmful environmental activities in low-income housing area. The case settled on favorable terms to the client.
- Defended investment bank and investment professional in $30 million claim concerning breach of fiduciary duties relating to private wealth management services. The clients prevailed on every claim in private arbitration.
- Represented former private equity managing director in arbitration against private equity firm concerning wrongfully withheld backend compensation. The case settled on favorable terms to the client.
- Counsel for investment bank in $100 million securities fraud action over limited offering of corporate debentures. The case settled on favorable terms to the client.
Stanford Law School, J.D., 2002
Best Individual Oral Argument & Best Team awards, Stanford Law School Moot Court Competition
Senior Editor, Stanford Journal of Law, Business, and Finance
University of California at Berkeley, B.A., Economics and Political Science
Graduated with high honors
Phi Beta Kappa
Student Advocate, Associated Students of the University of California
Professional Activities
Admitted, California; US District Court, Northern and Central Districts of California; US Courts of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Member, American Bar Association
Member, San Francisco Bar Association
Member, National Asian-Pacific American Bar Association