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, artificial intelligence (AI), technology, privacy and cybersecurity law, including corporate transactions, litigation, licensing, outsourcing, strategic agreements and counseling in fields including media and entertainment, software and technology, financial information, apparel, retail and consumer products, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, internet, mobile and social media services and nonprofits.
- Lori has represented companies including Acoustic Software, Adidas, AIG, Alibaba, Airbnb, Ancestry.com, Ascend Learning, Best Buy, Blue Buffalo, Boeing, Borden, BorgWarner, Bumble, Cast & Crew, CBRE, CSL Behring, Defy Media, Dell, Digital Diagnostics, Electronic Arts, Ellucian, Equinox, Estee Lauder, Evercore, Fast Retailing, G-III Apparel, Google, Hershey, Hilton, Ingersoll Rand, Intel, Interactive Data Corp., Internet Brands, Johnson Controls, JPMorgan Chase, K2M, L3 Technologies, Laureate Education, London Stock Exchange Group, Mars, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, McKinsey, Microsoft, New York Public Library, Novartis, Owens & Minor, Palantir, Pfizer, Precisely, PTC, Refinitiv, SiriusXM, Spotify, Take-Two Interactive, TD Bank, TransUnion, Travelers, Viacom, Virgin Mobile, Vivint, Warner Music, Weight Watchers and XPeng. She has represented private equity firms including Apax, Blackstone, Centerbridge, First Reserve, Hellman & Friedman, J.C. Flowers, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Lion Capital, New Mountain Capital, Primavera, Silver Lake, Sixth Street Partners, Stonepeak and Stone Point.
- 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. Her IP litigation practice comprises trial and appellate work and WIPO arbitrations.
Lori is recognized in Technology (Nationwide) and in Band 1 for Technology (New York) by Chambers USA, which describes Lori as “highly responsive, detailed in her analysis and provides practical guidance based on sound judgment.” Sources have noted that “she has incredible depth of experience, she’s incredibly practical as well, and she’s incredibly effective at providing very commercially focused, actionable advice”; she “is a very sophisticated and client-focused lawyer”; and that “her knowledge of IP runs very deep, she is a great listener, she is very pragmatic and she knows how to resolve complex issues.” Clients have cited her as “a thought leader in the transactional space” who provides “excellent service” with “second-to-none knowledge” in the sector; “an exceptionally smart and knowledgeable lawyer”; and 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.” Sources cite that “she has been involved in some of the most complex technology transactions, investments and acquisitions in the US. She is trusted by some of the world’s largest investment banks.”
Lori was recently named “Privacy & Data Protection Lawyer of the Year” at Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Americas Awards for 2022 and was recognized by The Legal 500 2023 as an advisor “to watch” for Cyber Law. She is 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 2019, she was recognized by Crain’s New York as one of the “Notable Women in Law.” She has been listed in the “Top 50 Under 45” U.S. IP Lawyers (IP Law & Business), “Top 45 Under 45” U.S. women lawyers (The American Lawyer), “Top 250 Women in Litigation” (Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation) and “20 Most Influential Women in IP Law” (Law360). In 2021, MergerLinks named Lori first among the “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers in North America” and in 2020, she was named among the top 10 “Female M&A Lawyers in North America.” The American Lawyer cited her as being among the most active women lawyers advising on deals in 2020. She has been ranked in New York City’s top 100 lawyers and top 50 women lawyers by Super Lawyers. She has received the 2023 Harvard Law School Association Award, the association’s highest alumni award, for her service to the legal profession, society and Harvard Law School, the Burton Award for legal writing and the Award of Excellence from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Her IP work in private equity deals has been featured on the cover of IP Law & Business.
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. She is a member of the Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s Dean’s Advisory Council, a former director of the Harvard Alumni Association and past president of the Harvard Law School Association of NYC. She serves on advisory boards for ChIPs (chief IP counsel) and Hunter College’s pre-law advisory program.
Lori lectures frequently on IP and AI topics and co-chairs a PLI conference on technology and software issues.
Lori graduated from Harvard University (A.B., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, 1988) and Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1993).