Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Intellectual Property

Partner

For nearly three decades, Robert Benson has dedicated himself to helping clients resolve their most challenging legal disputes. Whether litigating multi-patent matters, competitor disputes, or licensing obligations, Robert blends his commitment to serving others with his legal acumen, creativity, integrity, and collaborative leadership to attain the best possible results for his clients.

Robert has handled a wide range of commercial and intellectual property litigation in federal and state courts, litigated Section 337 investigations before the ITC, represented both patent owners and petitioners in PTAB proceedings, obtained injunctive relief, and argued before the Federal Circuit. He has handled both offensive and defensive patent licensing and litigation, and has implement strategies that incorporate inter partes review and reexamination proceedings. His matters have involved technologies including semiconductors, graphics processing, mobile devices, computer hardware and software, medical devices, and countless other products and consumer electronics.

In addition to his domestic practice, Robert also leads Orrick’s Taipei office. In Chambers Global 2018, Robert is the only attorney ranked in the U.S. for Intellectual Property – Foreign Expert for Taiwan. Global corporations headquartered in Asia trust him to navigate the unique issues, claims, and defenses that arise in multinational litigation and cross-border disputes. Please click here to read his bio in Simplified Chinese.

Robert’s commitment to service extends beyond his professional clients. Over the past 20 years, Robert has established programs in Asia, Africa, and North and South America that care for hundreds of at-risk children and enable them to attend universities and launch their careers. He is the founder of Arms of Love International, a charitable organization that operates family-based homes for abandoned or abused children, and Love Forward, a charitable organization that provides a higher education for students who have experienced violence and other forms of abuse. In his recently published book, Love Forward, Robert shares the life stories of some of the young women and men who grew up in the Arms of Love homes, together with his personal story, to encourage and inspire others in their own endeavors. In recognition of his service, Orrick awarded Robert its Community Responsibility Award in 2017.

A feature article in the Orange County Register, "A Global Embrace," traced his personal journey from being abandoned as a child to becoming an international advocate for children. He often shares his inspirational stories through articles such as the National Law Journal commentaries “Let’s Take a Broader Look at Justice” and "A Lawyer's Story of Giving and Forgiving," and "Why Are You Here? A Volunteer in Tohoku Shares the Journey of His Heart," published in the Asahi Shimbun in March 2012.

Robert is a founding member of the East Bay Community Law Center, which provides legal services to the low-income community.

English

Admitted in CaliforniaRegistered Foreign Attorney in Taiwan

University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D., 1990, Order of the CoifCharles W. Davidson College of Engineering at San José State University, B.S., Aeronautical Operations, 1987, President's Scholar