Eugene M. Gelernter, Pro Bono Counsel

As a partner in the Firm’s litigation department for three decades, Mr. Gelernter represented Fortune 100 corporations in patent infringement cases and other complex commercial disputes. He served as the Firm’s General Counsel and as co-Chair of its Pro Bono practice. He also taught professional ethics at Columbia Law School. 

Since retiring from the partnership, his practice has focused on pro bono matters.

Representative Matters

Patent Infringement Cases
Mr. Gelernter has litigated high-stakes patent infringement cases involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, recombinant DNA, electrical engineering, computer software and other technologies. These include a series of cases involving coronary stents that resulted in a recovery of $3.7 billion for the Firm’s client.

In addition to his work in trial courts in patent infringement cases, Mr. Gelernter has briefed and/or argued numerous appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

He has been recognized in Super Lawyers in the area of Intellectual Property Litigation

Other Commercial Cases
Mr. Gelernter has successfully represented clients in license disputes concerning medical devices and biotechnology products, including cases where his client won awards of $164 million and $152 million.

He successfully represented a well-known entertainer in a series of lawsuits, including cases involving misappropriation of funds by the client’s business manager.

He represented plaintiffs and defendants in false advertising cases, including a case where his client won a judgment that enjoined the adverse party from promoting its products as effective for their intended purpose.

Pro Bono Matters
Mr. Gelernter has filed amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeal and state supreme courts in major cases involving reproductive rights (e.g., Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Heath; June Medical Services v. Russo; Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstadt); the rights of persons seeking asylum (Jennings v. Rodriguez; Albence v. Guzman Chavez); hearings for detainees at Guantanamo (Hamdan v. Rumsfeld); the Prison Litigation Reform Act; criminal procedure; the use of DNA evidence; and First Amendment issues.

In one recent civil rights case, he represented the family of an African-American inmate who died in a New York State prison. Prison officials initially attributed the death to a heart attack, but evidence showed that the prisoner had been choked to death by prison guards. The case ultimately settled with the State paying three times more than it had paid in any similar case and agreeing to install cameras throughout the prison.

In conjunction with the Legal Aid Society of the City of New York, he represented immigrants who were being detained by immigration authorities without constitutionally-mandated hearings.

After Hurricane Katrina, he represented children in New Orleans with learning disabilities who were being denied educational opportunities.

He represented an inmate on death row in Alabama in proceedings challenging the imposition of the death penalty.