Unrivaled 2025: Courtland Reichman and Christine Lehman of Reichman Jorgensen

You successfully represented Kove in Kove IO v. Amazon Web Services, a patent infringement battle against Amazon Web Services. This matter concluded in April 2024 with a $525 million jury verdict and an additional $148 million in interest secured through post-trial motions. Can you tell us about your trial strategy?

This was a fascinating trial. It involved highly complex technology that lies behind Amazon Web Services— the world’s largest “cloud” storage.

Much of our trial strategy took place before the jury was seated. After years of battles, including overcoming eight patent office challenges, we proved Kove’s invention and revealed Amazon’s billions in profits from the technology.

With the jury, our strategy was to be teachers. We tried to make the technology understandable. We humanized the invention and inventors. We stayed vigilant against distractions in a case with millions of pages of records. The jury ultimately saw Kove as the party with facts and figures, authentically trying to equip it to make its best decision. We attempted to make the trial lively with younger attorneys handling most of the action.

Our trial strategy focused on clarifying the facts, engaging the jury, and empowering their decision. The verdict was the top surviving patent verdict of 2024, and top 10 for the last decade, reflecting the massive scale of infringement— big infringement, big damages. Our job was to show the jury the billions in profits Amazon made from Kove’s technology and equip it to decide how much it made sense for Amazon to keep.

Can you describe a major hurdle that happened during the course of Kove. How did you overcome it?

Amazon’s opening statement explained non-infringement in powerful terms— so strong that we wondered how we missed it. We quickly realized it had never been disclosed in the six years leading up to trial. We decided to address the new theory with our technical expert, only to draw an objection, ironically, that Kove had not previously disclosed the expert’s testimony. We explained it hadn’t been disclosed because we only heard about the non-infringement theory for the first time in opening.

The court granted the objection (not allowing Kove’s expert to testify on that point) but said it would consider a motion to strike the new theory from Amazon’s opening, if we could establish it was new. We worked all night drafting an emergency motion to strike. After briefing and argument, the court granted the motion and instructed the jury to disregard Amazon’s new theory. What started as a major hurdle turned into an opportunity.

When did you first know you wanted to be a trial lawyer? What clicked for you?

Reichman: During law school I discovered a passion for trial advocacy. It took hold when I worked for the public defender as a summer associate defending a murder trial. I realized the first day that this was my calling.

Lehman: In college, I worked for the Yonkers court system, helping people requesting orders of protection. Seeing the difference I could make in people’s lives representing them in court made a huge impression.

What are the major keys to winning over a jury or a judge?

• Credibility. Build your case on facts, maintain your credibility above all else.
• Be authentic. Be yourself.
• Teach & Empower: Trials are an opportunity for juries to make a meaningful contribution to society. They need to be equipped with the tools to discharge their civic duty. They can, and usually do, make wise decisions, but that depends on the lawyers making the facts accessible, and presenting the case in a way that keeps their attention.

What is the best advice you give young trial lawyers?

Reichman: “Think about the case from the juror’s perspective. Your authentic communication makes your client’s case more accessible and trying to help a jury understand the truth enhances your credibility, allowing your side to be heard. Be relentlessly thorough and careful.”