Lori Lesser is a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she practices in the Litigation Department and is Head of the Intellectual Property Practice and Co-Chair of the Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice. Lori advises on all aspects of intellectual property, technology, AI, privacy and cybersecurity law, including litigation, transactions, licensing and counseling.
Her IP litigation practice comprises trial and appellate work and WIPO arbitrations.
Her IP transactional experience includes mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and secured financings, bankruptcy and restructurings, joint ventures, licensing, outsourcing, counseling and other strategic agreements.
Lori has also been listed as one of the “Notable Women in Law” (Crain’s New York), “Top 50 Under 45” U.S. IP Lawyers (IP Law & Business), “Top 45 Under 45” U.S. women lawyers (The American Lawyer), and “20 Most Influential Women in IP Law” (Law360). She is also recognized in Technology (Nationwide) and in Band 1 for Technology (NY) by Chambers USA, which describes her as “highly responsive, detailed in her analysis and provides practical guidance based on sound judgment.” Clients have cited her as “a thought leader in the transactional space”; “a tireless and meticulous lawyer” who provides “excellent service” with “second-to-none knowledge” in the sector; “an exceptionally smart and knowledgeable lawyer”; and as a “master of the subject matter.” The Legal 500 recognizes Lori as a “Leading Lawyer,” where she is described as “one of the outstanding lawyers practicing in this field”; “a true difference maker, who provides clients with a competitive advantage in any negotiation”; “pragmatic, technically brilliant and a pleasure to deal with”; “highly regarded and versatile”; and “not only a top-notch technology lawyer but also a superb transactional one.”
Lori is also consistently recognized by Best Lawyers in America, for which she has twice been named the “Information Technology Lawyer of the Year” for New York City. In 2022, Lori was named “Privacy & Data Protection Lawyer of the Year” by Euromoney Legal Media Group. She has been ranked in New York City’s top 100 lawyers and top 50 women lawyers by Super Lawyers. She has received the Burton Award for legal writing and the Award of Excellence from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
Lori has served as a David Rockefeller Fellow for New York City and serves on the boards of the Partnership Fund for New York City and Greater NY and the advisory board of ChIPs (chief IP counsel). She is a member of the Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s Dean’s Advisory Council, a former director of the Harvard Alumni Association and the past president of the Harvard Law School Association of NYC. Lori received the 2023 Harvard Law School Association Award.
Lori graduated from Harvard University (A.B., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, 1988) and Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1993).
Updated July 2023
