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Akhil Sheth

Uh-kEEL sh-EH-thAssociate
Los Angeles
About

Akhil helps clients with high-stakes legal disputes, focusing on antitrust, appellate, and technology-related matters. He has extensive experience in federal court, having completed several significant federal trials and two federal judicial clerkships.

Outside of his practice, Akhil is heavily involved in his community, particularly on issues relating to access to justice and diversity in the legal profession. He also regularly writes about antitrust, appellate, and legal writing developments.

Before law school, Akhil taught for and eventually co-ran the Southern California LSAT program for a national standardized test preparation company.

When he's not working, Akhil enjoys playing fetch with his deaf dog Otter. He is an avid basketball player and fan and aspires to attend a game in every NBA city.

Areas of FocusLitigation, Arbitration and InvestigationsAntitrust and CompetitionBusiness and Commercial LitigationAppellateClass ActionsTechnology
Bar admissionsCalifornia
CourtsUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Northern District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaAll California state courts

EXPERIENCE

  • Represented a major port and its chief executive in a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by a developer following failed negotiations to develop port property. Helped obtain early dismissal of the antitrust claims against both the port and port executive.
  • Represented a leading multinational telecommunications company in a four-week federal bench trial to determine fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms for the company's portfolio of standard-essential mobile-telecommunications patents. Helped win a verdict determining that the company did not breach its FRAND licensing obligations.
  • Represented a major university in a California state court lawsuit alleging that the university improperly allowed unauthorized access to the plaintiff's proprietary research. Helped the university resolve the matter favorably before trial.
  • Represented a Big Three auto manufacturer in follow-on litigation filed by a plaintiff seeking a new, friendlier forum. Helped the client resolve the matter favorably after successfully moving to transfer the matter back to the original forum.
  • Represented one of the nation's largest health insurers in two class actions alleging breach of fiduciary duty under ERISA. Helped successfully defeat the plaintiffs' nine-figure disgorgement claims at summary judgment. Following a three-week federal bench trial, helped win reversal on appeal of the trial judge's order awarding injunctive relief to the class.
  • Represented a regional health plan in binding arbitration filed by a health-care provider asserting contract-related claims. Helped settle the matter following a two-week arbitration hearing.
  • Represented a multinational oil company in a product liability case alleging oxygenate contamination of groundwater. Helped the client resolve the matter favorably following the first week of a scheduled ten-week federal jury trial.
Education
  • J.D., University of California at Irvine 2013

    UC Irvine Law Review: Research Editor & Lead Article Editor
    ABA First Amendment & Media Law Diversity Moot Court: Best Brief Winner and Oral Argument Runner-Up

  • B.S., Biochemistry, University of California at Riverside 2006

    Lower Division Honors

Awards

  • Elected Fellow, American Bar Foundation

Pro Bono

  • Regularly volunteers at the Orange County Federal Pro Se Clinic to help unrepresented litigants with civil procedure issues.
  • Represented an ill man in immigration proceedings seeking to reunite him with his undocumented husband, who served as a caregiver. Obtained immigration relief allowing the couple to reunite following several years apart.
  • Represented a revenge porn victim in a lawsuit asserting claims for copyright infringement and emotional distress claims against an ex-boyfriend who posted her images and impersonated her online. The client eventually obtained a $6.45 million default judgment.
  • Represented a non-profit in a lawsuit against a municipality that passed ordinances to move unhoused individuals in the city to an undeveloped dirt lot next to a sewage treatment plant. The municipality reversed the relevant city ordinances after litigation was initiated.
  • Represented an imprisoned transgender individual seeking protection from prison violence. Helped secure important safety protections for her.

Bylines

  • Co-author, High Court 'Purely Legal' Appeal Ruling Raises New Questions, Law360, (June 12, 2023)
  • Co-author, Antitrust Analysis of Vertical Health Care Mergers, Practical Law (April/May 2020)
  • Co-author, Digital Competition Reports and Merger Enforcement, CPI Antitrust Chronicle (December 2019)
  • Co-author, INSIGHT: The FTC Tech Task Force—Are Lawsuits On The Horizon?, Bloomberg Law (September 13, 2019)
  • Co-author, INSIGHT: The FTC Tech Task Force—Answers To Important Questions, Bloomberg Law (September 10, 2019)
  • Co-author, To Cooperate, or Not To Cooperate?, Daily Journal (June 28, 2019)
  • Author, Conspiring Computers: Algorithmic Price-Setting, Artificial Intelligence, and the Antitrust Laws, ABTL Report, Orange County, Volume XXI No. 1 (Spring 2019)
  • Co-author, Multi-Agency Report Emphasizes Importance of Competition in Health Care, AHLA Antitrust Advisor, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (February 2019)

Seminars

  • Handling the Hoopla(w): The Dimensions and Determination of Professional Sports Disputes, AthletesTouch OC-I Team Meeting (February 11, 2020)
  • Co-presenter, Resolving Competitor Disputes Generally and in the NBA: A Focus on NBA Game Protests, OCBA Young Lawyers Division HoopLaw CLE & Clippers Game Night (December 1, 2019)

Clerk Experience

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    • Law Clerk to the Hon. Consuelo M. Callahan
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
    • Law Clerk to the Hon. Andrew J. Guilford
    • Extern to the Hon. Josephine L. Staton
    • Extern to the Hon. Virginia A. Phillips

Community Involvement

  • Elder Law and Disability Rights Center, board member 2017–2021, 2022-present
  • UC Irvine School of Law Dean's Circle, board member 2018-present
  • UC Irvine School of Law Pre-Law Outreach Program, speaker 2018-present
  • Orange County Asian American Bar Association, lifetime member 
  • Orange County Bar Association, member 2016-2021, 2023-present
  • Orange County Coalition for Diversity in the Law, board member 2016–2019
  • Thurgood Marshall Bar Association, board member 2017–2019
  • Public Law Center Advocates, board member 2019-2021

My latest insights

Publication

In noteworthy development for civil litigators, Supreme Court rules "purely legal" issues...

12 June 2023 .4 minute read

Connect

Phone

+1 310 595 3008
(Work, Los Angeles )
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