Practice Overview

Stephanie O. Sparks is a shareholder in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and serves as chair of the Intellectual Property Group. She counsels her clients in, and litigates complex business disputes concerning trade secrets, trademarks, copyright, and other intellectual property issues. She leads the firm’s Electronic Discovery Team, given her specialized knowledge in computer forensics and electronic discovery. She counsels businesses on data security and privacy issues. When the inevitable data breach occurs, she coordinates the response team and handles the aftermath of such data breach crises on behalf of firm clients.

Ms. Sparks was named a 2009 and 2010 “Northern California Super Lawyer,” as chosen by her peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics and San Francisco Magazine.

Recent Matters

• Guided four client companies through the aftermath of data breach crises due to theft of a laptop, website hackers, etc., including investigation and computer forensics, individual and state agency notification process, public relations, internal employee relations, insurance coverage, and dispute resolution.

• Secured a jury verdict for $6 million in liability and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs in favor of San Jose-based skincare manufacturing company after a five-month jury trial in Oakland involving claims for misappropriation of trade secrets, antitrust violations, breach of contract, statutory unfair competition, and interference with prospective economic advantage. Was responsible for key electronic evidence against the defendants through computer forensics. Also was responsible for the display of evidence in the courtroom using state-of-the-art technology, and successfully recovered those costs at the end of the trial.

• Negotiated a favorable settlement shortly after a lawsuit was filed against her client, an electronic component manufacturing company, for misappropriation of trade secrets.

• Prosecuted copyright infringement lawsuit to a favorable settlement for a commercial real estate mapping company.

• Negotiated a favorable settlement in a finder’s fee dispute that arose from the sale of her client’s large machine manufacturing company in the South Bay.

• Prosecuted domain name disputes through the Uniform Domain Name Resolution Process (UDRP) on behalf of large, international private school and international skincare company.

Professional Activities

Ms. Sparks is a Trustee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and an active member of its Civil Practice Committee and Conference of Delegates. She is a member of the International Trademark Association and facilitates monthly INTA Roundtables in San Jose. She is also a member in the Association of Business Trial Lawyers of Northern California, William A. Ingram Inn of the American Inns of Court; Santa Clara Trial Lawyers Association; and Vistage, the world’s largest CEO membership organization.