Unsung: Kia Schmeckpeper

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When litigators in Robins Kaplan’s Intellectual Property & Technology Litigation Group take on a new case, the paralegal that the attorneys ask for is Kia Schmeckpeper.

“If the matter is going to be in any way challenging or complex, I want Kia on my trial team,” says partner Bill Manning.

Two cases from earlier this year are probably the best illustrations of why every Robins Kaplan IP lawyer wants her assisting on their matters.

Schmeckpeper’s 2017 began with preparations for a Markman technology tutorial and hearing in a complex multi-patent-infringement case in March, for which she supported a team of 11. Kia coordinated and assisted in a weeklong mock hearing out of the firm’s Silicon Valley, California, office and attended the hearing, which was really a compact, intense “minitrial.”

At the same time, Kia was preparing for an equally challenging breach-of-contract case set to go to trial in April.

“She didn’t drop a thing. Nothing. It was amazing,” says Manning. “I really don’t know how she did it. It’s a testament to her talent, tenacity and work ethic that Kia was able to pull that off so seamlessly.”