Dianne L. Sweeney
Counsel

Ms. Sweeney is a commercial trial attorney and focuses her practice on complex business transactions, antitrust litigation, trade secret litigation as well as white-collar crime prosecution support in high-technology markets. Ms. Sweeney also provides risk management assessments and litigation counseling to Silicon Valley start-up entities.

• Obtained broad injunctive relief and civil contempt orders in Santa Clara Superior Court for client who invested over $18 million in a number of real estate based entities, including exclusion of co-member from all business operations.
• Successfully defended major franchise entity in injunctive relief claim in Santa Clara Superior Court.
• Tried to jury verdict a complex Antitrust, Lanham Act, and False Advertising case for a start-up email encryption company in the Northern District of California. Jury rejected defendant's $73+ million damages claim and awarded requested relief to client (verdict affirmed by the Federal Circuit).
• Reversed multi-million dollar attachment obtained by major cruise ship line against bio-diesel reseller in the Northern District of California and successfully negotiated multi-district settlement of commercial and maritime claims.
• Obtained unprecedented restitution award for a Fortune 100 technology corporation in its effort to seek criminal and civil restitution from a former executive for wire fraud and related embezzlement, including prosecution support.
• Negotiated beneficial resolution for a Fortune 100 client in a complex joint venture undertaking involving the development and production of electronic paper. Litigation filed in the District of Massachusetts.

President-Elect, 2013; Secretary, 2012; Executive Committee Member and Trustee, 2009 – 2011, Santa Clara County Bar Association.

Co-chair of the SCCBA's Federal Courts Committee (with the Honorable Jeremy Fogel), 2007-2009

Board member of the High Technology Advisory Committee for Santa Clara University, School of Law, 2003-2006

Leader of Pillsbury Summer Program, 2004-2006 (a nationally recognized program in 2005 and 2006)

American Bar Association, Litigation and Antitrust Sections

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Northern, Central and Eastern Districts of California

Assistant District Attorney, District Attorney's Office for the County of Santa Cruz (secondment). Lead trial and investigative duties. Tried to verdict court and jury trials and handled various evidentiary motions. Assignments included diverse types of crimes from misdemeanors to general felonies. Selected to second chair two serious felony cases.