Neal focuses his practice on intellectual property, complex commercial and corporate litigation. During his more than 30 years of practice, he has served as lead trial or appellate counsel in matters before all of Delaware’s courts. Neal also often serves as Delaware counsel to the nation’s leading law firms in Delaware matters.
For more than 25 years, Neal has spent a significant part of his practice working as Delaware counsel in matters involving intellectual property rights, including patents and trademarks. He has successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in patent, trademark and trade secret cases in a broad range of subject matters, including pharmaceuticals (including ANDA matters), computer hardware and software technology, telecommunications technology and telephone technology.
In his role as Delaware counsel to the nation’s preeminent IP litigation firms, Neal joins his substantial experience trying cases, with his intimate knowledge of the District of Delaware, to provide expert advice, support and guidance to trial teams.
Neal has successfully represented clients as both plaintiffs and defendants in matters involving corporate governance, officer and director fiduciary obligations, officer and director compensation awards and alternative Delaware business entities. He also has significant experience in litigation matters involving real estate, construction and development, insurance coverage, contracts and business torts.
After practicing for nearly 20 years, Neal served for several years as managing director of a private equity investment fund and in this capacity served as general counsel to portfolio investment entities. This experience gives Neal the unique perspective of having been both litigation counsel and “the client” in significant litigation matters and drives his efficient and effective litigation approach.
Neal was selected by the Court to serve on the Local Rules Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware and as a member of that committee was significantly involved in drafting the Court’s Local Rules. Neal has been appointed as Special Discovery Master in matters in the Delaware Superior Court and Court of Chancery in various matters, including a large docket of products liability cases, matters involving insurance coverage and corporate valuation. Neal is also certified by the Delaware Superior Court as a mediator. He is a former Chairman of the Litigation Section of the Delaware Bar Association, a former president of the Delaware Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and the Vice President of the Federal Bar Association representing the Third Circuit. Neal is a recipient of the Delaware Bar Association Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award.
Neal holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America , Delaware Super Lawyers , Chambers USA , and as a Top Lawyer in Intellectual Property Law by Delaware Today Top Lawyers Edition 2017.
Neal's Publications
•Delaware counsel in $40 million jury verdict awarding ongoing royalty for new users of infringing products.
•Delaware Counsel in multiple patent litigation matters, representing, among others, Dr. Reddy’s, Sandoz, Amneal, Hetero, Accord, Roxane, Prinston, Synthon, McKesson Automation, Inc., Motorola, Inc., Corvis Corporation, Mylan, West-Ward Pharmaceuticals and Infineon Technologies
•Successfully defended at trial a Fortune 100 consumer products company in an action in which the plaintiffs alleged a $500 million fraudulent conveyance as part of a spin-off
•Obtained a multi-million dollar judgment on behalf of a minority shareholder in a privately held company, in which the Court of Chancery also ordered a forensic accounting of the subject company, repayment by the company’s management and majority shareholders of their improper compensation, dissolution of the company and distribution of its assets to its shareholders
•Obtained a favorable declaratory judgment regarding board control issue for national restaurant franchisee group against parent company, after trial in Delaware Court of Chancery
•Obtained a $20 million judgment on behalf of a small company against a major telecommunications provider on a contract claim, after trial in federal court in Kansas
•Obtained a settlement resolution on the first day of trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery, in a matter involving control of a Delaware LLC acting as the parent entity for operating companies throughout South America
•Obtained an $11 million jury verdict and a $1.4 million jury verdict in successive patent trials in federal court in Delaware
News
•Honor/Award
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