Consistently recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in America,” Alison Plessman delivers successful outcomes for her clients in a wide variety of high-stakes litigation, intellectual property matters, and complex commercial disputes. Ms. Plessman has developed creative and practical strategies for clients across a diverse set of industries, from asset management to technology to entertainment. She has served as lead counsel in multibillion-dollar wildland fire litigation, secured victories on behalf of clients seeking to enforce their contractual and intellectual property rights, and obtained dismissals on behalf of clients wrongfully accused of misconduct. Her practice includes class and derivative actions, mass tort and securities litigation, and other civil litigation arising from intellectual property, contract, fiduciary duty, employment, defamation, and professional negligence disputes.
Ms. Plessman has also successfully defended companies, boards of directors, and individuals facing regulatory investigations and criminal enforcement actions, securing pre- and post-indictment dismissals. She also regularly advises clients on their most sensitive and confidential internal matters, including on matters relating to corporate governance, regulatory compliance, whistleblowing, discrimination, breaches of fiduciary duty, trade secrets misappropriation, termination, and unfair competition.
Ms. Plessman began her legal career as a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City before joining Irell & Manella, where she was elected partner.
During law school, Ms. Plessman was named a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and won the Frederick H. Weisberg Award in Constitutional Law. As an undergraduate, she graduated summa cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
Updated Oct 2025
