About Steve

Steve Strauss is a first chair trial lawyer in Cooley's global litigation department with 35 years of experience achieving trial verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 billion. Steve is one of the country's most sought after trial lawyers for complex commercial litigation, including business, intellectual property, environmental and real estate matters.

Fortune 500 companies and other market leaders have depended on me for decades to win their most complex and contentious litigations.

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Experience

    Steve Strauss Trial Record

    August 26, 2020

    Steve specializes in complex business litigation, including intellectual property, real estate, partnership and hospitality disputes. He has obtained trial verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 billion.

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    Related contacts

    Steve Strauss
    Senior Counsel, San Diego

    Related Practices & Industries

    Steve Strauss Appellate Record

    January 2, 2020

    Steve has successfully argued numerous appeals in complex business litigation cases, including intellectual property, real estate, partnership and hospitality disputes. 

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    Related contacts

    Steve Strauss
    Senior Counsel, San Diego

    Manchester Financial Closes $425 Million Refinance of Fairmont Austin Hotel

    October 23, 2019

    Cooley advised Manchester Financial Group on the closing of a $425 million credit facility for the refinance of its Fairmont Austin Hotel.

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    Related contacts

    Steve Strauss
    Senior Counsel, San Diego
    Todd Gluth
    Partner, San Diego
    Francis Wheeler
    Senior Counsel, Colorado
    Mischi a Marca
    Partner, San Francisco
    Patrick Flanagan
    Partner, New York

    Related Practices & Industries

    Appellate Win for Major Pipeline Company in Easement Rental Disputes

    May 14, 2018

    Obtained a significant victory for pipeline operator SFPP, which is a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, when the 2nd US District Court of Appeal overturned $100 million in damages awarded to Union Pacific Railroad based on an examination of acts of Congress from more than a century earlier. The court held that Union Pacific may not charge SFPP rent for easements underlying rights-of-way acquired by the Congressional Act and that Union Pacific has the burden to prove sufficient title to charge SFPP rent. The court also reversed the award of $20 million in prejudgment interest. On January 21, 2015, the California Supreme Court refused Union Pacific's petition to rehear the ruling.

    Related contacts

    Steve Strauss
    Senior Counsel, San Diego
    Summer Wynn
    Partner, San Diego

    Related Practices & Industries

    Complete Victory for Qualcomm

    July 24, 2019

    Cooley obtained a victory for Qualcomm and its executives in a securities class action filed in the Southern District of California. The plaintiffs, relying heavily on “confidential witnesses,” alleged the company misled investors by failing to disclose overheating problems with a high-end chipset and the impending loss of a large customer. Piercing through these allegations, the court granted our motion to dismiss with leave to amend after oral argument. Plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint and we filed and argued another motion to dismiss. The court ultimately granted our second motion to dismiss with prejudice, and the ruling was affirmed on appeal.

    Related contacts

    Koji Fukumura
    Partner, San Diego
    Peter Adams
    Partner, San Diego
    Steve Strauss
    Senior Counsel, San Diego
    Craig TenBroeck
    Partner, San Diego
    Jeanne Detch
    Associate, San Diego

    Related Practices & Industries

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The best in the business

Legal 500 US

Admissions and credentials

  • California

Rankings and accolades

Chambers USA: Litigation: General Commercial – California: San Diego (2021 – 2025)

Daily Journal: Top Verdict
(Javo Beverage Co. v. Stephen Corey;
Bee-Dee Investments v. Rady)

Daily Journal: Top 100 Attorneys in California

Daily Journal: Top Appellate Reversals (Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Santa Fe Pacific Pipelines Inc. et al.)

Financial Times - Innovative Lawyers: Standout, Dispute Resolution
(Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Santa Fe Pacific Pipelines Inc. et al.)

Daily Journal: Top 75 Leading IP Litigators in California

Daily Journal: Top 50 Development Lawyers

The National Law Journal: Energy & Environmental Trailblazer

Benchmark Litigation Star

Best Lawyers in America: Commercial Litigation, Construction Law and Real Estate Law 

Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America

Southern California SuperLawyers: Top 50 Attorneys in San Diego for Business Litigation

San Diego Daily Transcript: Top San Diego Attorney

The San Diego Trial Lawyers Association: 3 Outstanding Trial Lawyer Awards

 

Memberships and affiliations

  • International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL)
  • American Inns of Court
  • San Diego County Bar Association
  • American Business Trial Lawyers Association
  • California Trial Lawyers Association
  • San Diego Lawyers Association
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)

Strauss is an energy & environmental trailblazer

–  National Law Journal

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