Commercial & IP Trial Lawyers Leading businesses trust Ness with their most significant legal matters.

Ness PLLC litigates, tries and arbitrates high-stakes commercial and intellectual property disputes for companies, founders and investors in state and federal courts nationwide.

Main Areas of Practice

Two businesspeople pulling opposite ends of a rope

Commercial Disputes

At Ness PLLC, we litigate, try, and arbitrate complex commercial disputes across industries and jurisdictions. Our experience includes disputes arising from services and supply agreements, mergers and acquisitions, failed business relationships, sale-of-goods transactions, and complex commercial real estate and construction matters.

We bring a deep command of contract law and extensive trial experience in cases involving sophisticated technologies and complex financial arrangements. Clients rely on us to handle their most consequential business disputes with precision, strategic judgment, and an unwavering focus on results.

Illustration of an inventor locking a light bulb, representing protected ideas

IP and Technology

We protect and enforce intellectual property for companies that have developed some of the world’s most valuable and innovative technologies. Our practice is built on the ability to distill complex technical concepts and present them clearly and persuasively to judges, juries, and arbitrators.

We have litigated cutting-edge issues involving patents, trade secrets, copyright, and privacy, including disputes relating to data collection and database architecture, machine learning and neural networks, AI-generated outputs, and digital and blockchain-based assets. Most recently, we won a federal jury verdict of willful and malicious trade secret misappropriation for an energy company. We help companies and inventors safeguard their innovations and unlock the full value of their intellectual property.

Silhouetted executives in a tense boardroom discussion

Fiduciary & Internal Business Disputes

We regularly represent clients in high-stakes disputes involving the internal governance and control of businesses. Our experience includes conflicts among co-founders and former partners, disputes between shareholders and directors or officers, and claims arising from breaches of fiduciary duty by directors, controlling owners, managing members, or general partners.

We pursue both direct and derivative claims on behalf of companies and their stakeholders, and defend fiduciaries where appropriate. Our focus is on resolving these disputes efficiently while protecting enterprise value and our clients’ long-term interests.

Jigsaw puzzle with a missing piece revealing money underneath

Judgment Enforcement

Winning a judgment is often only the beginning. Many judgment debtors resist payment by concealing assets, using shell entities, or engaging in insider or fraudulent transfers designed to frustrate collection efforts.

We pursue judgment enforcement aggressively and strategically. Our work includes identifying and levying assets, piercing alter-ego structures, and unwinding fraudulent transfers to ensure judgments are satisfied. We move quickly to secure assets before they disappear or are claimed by other creditors.

Eli Ness is relentless in pursuit of his clients’ interests.

Eli’s clients consistently regard him as their most trusted advocate and regularly entrust him with their most complex and high-stakes legal matters. Over the course of his career, Eli has successfully prosecuted and defended claims involving billions of dollars across a wide range of industries and legal contexts. He leads a team of experienced trial lawyers who handle matters of any size and complexity, from the first filing through trial.

Beyond technical ability, Eli leads the firm with an unwavering commitment to integrity and sound judgment. These values guide both the firm’s representation of clients and the selection of attorneys permitted to practice under the Ness name. Only lawyers who share the firm’s commitment to excellence, diligence, and honesty are entrusted to represent Ness clients.

Representative Matters

See each matter with its court and case number

Obtained jury verdict and final judgment of willful and malicious misappropriation of trade secrets on behalf of renewable energy developer against its former vice president — GHA Capstone, LLC, et al. v. Mingyu Tang, No. 4:23-cv-03402 (S.D. Tex.).
Enforced a judgment of approximately $10.8 million for a judgment creditor, defeating repeated motions to vacate it and pursuing voidable-transfer and alter-ego claims through settlement — D&O TradeCo Inc. v. Gredale LLC, No. 23STCV01749 (L.A. Super. Ct.); D&O TradeCo Inc. v. Generations Irrevocable Trust, No. 2:24-cv-07961 (C.D. Cal.).
Obtained dismissal with prejudice and Rule 11 sanctions for business brokers sued for $1 million in federal court — Avellaneda Alvarado v. Liang, No. 2:25-cv-04119 (C.D. Cal.).
Defended manufactured-housing community owners against a public lender’s claims of more than $37 million in federal cases in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, asserting counterclaims and affirmative suits that led to a favorable settlement — Legacy Housing Corp. v. Rodwell, No. 4:24-cv-00096 (N.D. Tex.), and related actions.
Defended an Israeli technology founder sued by a Silicon Valley venture fund, asserting contract and fiduciary-duty counterclaims; resolved within five months — U.S. Venture Partners XII, L.P. v. Runway, Ltd., No. 3:25-cv-00639 (N.D. Cal.).
Represented renewable energy developer in bet-the-company litigation against former majority shareholder for breach of fiduciary duty and fraud.
Represented creators of 3D video technology against the largest developer of virtual reality headsets in the world in a case involving trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract.
Represented AI innovator against former executive who misappropriated client’s core technology and started a competing business.
Defended pharmaceutical company against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world in fraud case related to a merger and acquisition.
Represented major real estate developer in dispute with major metropolitan area regarding breach of a multi-billion-dollar development agreement.

Prior Associations

Quinn, Emanuel, Urquhart & Sullivan LLP
Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann LLP
Perkins Coie LLP
Diamonds International, Head of Litigation
Chambers of Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Education

JD, University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law
- First-in-class awards for Civil Procedure, Civil Trial Practice, and Copyright, Competition and Technology
- Law & Technology Certificate, Berkeley Center for Law and Technology
- Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Article Submissions
- Co-President, Boalt Hall Jewish Students Association
BA, University of California, Berkeley

Eli Ness, Managing Partner of Ness PLLC — Admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Florida, California and Texas, and appearing pro hac vice across the U.S. Full biography and bar admissions.

Combining the best of human and artificial intelligence.

Ness PLLC builds and uses litigation tools and processes that make our lawyers more effective and more efficient at every step. We believe combining human judgment with artificial intelligence delivers the most value to our clients. From case initiation through trial, we practice at the cutting edge of law and technology.

Learn about Ness LegalTech

Illustrated robot holding the scales of justice overhead

Tell us about your matter.

Email Call

intake@nesslegal.com · (213) 294-4322