Elon Musk Taps Two Boutique Law Firms for Apple, OpenAI Battle

Elon Musk hired two boutique law firms—one known for antitrust work and another with Texas roots—to take on Apple Inc. and Open AI in court.

Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider, which on its website touts the antitrust practice as “among the largest and most experienced,” and Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, launched in 1970 with its main office in Dallas, are representing Musk’s X and xAI, according to the complaint filed Monday.

The complaint in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas seeks billions of dollars of damages with a claim that the integration of OpenAI in the Apple iPhone operating system stifles innovation and harms consumers.

Boutique law firms are increasingly taking on big ticket trials, either alongside Big Law firms or on their own. Axinn and Carrington Coleman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Axinn’s team includes partners Bradley Justus, Craig Reiser, Scott Eisman and Christopher Erickson. Justus, Eisman and Erickson were part of the team tasked with defending Alphabet Inc.'s Google against antitrust violation allegations by the Justice Department.

Axinn also defended pharmaceutical company Alvogen Inc. against price fixing and price gouging allegations by Walmart Inc.

The boutique is home to Big Law alums and ex-government attorneys. Since May, Axinn has hired former Justice Department attorneys Mary Helen Wimberly and Jacklin Chou Lem.

Axinn has a handful of offices across the US, including New York, Washington, and San Francisco.

The Carrington Coleman attorneys working on Musk’s case include Alex More, Monica Gaudioso and Robert Rowe.

The case is X Corp. et al v. Apple Inc., US District Court, Northern District of Texas (Fort Worth).