Mountain View, CA (July 25, 2016)– Fenwick & West is pleased to announce that litigation partner Eric Ball and labor and employment senior associate Sheeva Ghassemi-Vanni have each earned a spot on the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list of standout professionals.
This year’s list spotlights leaders who are striving to invest in the future, working to improve Silicon Valley and their communities and industries.
Eric Ball
The Journal recognized Ball for his representation of innovators and “unicorns” in the e-commerce, gaming, mobile apps and telecommunications sectors. His client list includes leading tech companies like Twitter, NVIDIA, Nextdoor.com and Razer.
Focused on trademark litigation and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board disputes, Ball also handles trade secret, copyright and complex commercial litigation matters. He has led trademark enforcement and policing programs for leading social media and hardware companies. He also represents UC Santa Cruz’s first gender neutral “frarority” that welcomes students who identify as male, female, transgender or no gender.
Ball told the Journal that his biggest professional achievement so far is saving a client’s brand and watching the company use the brand to grow into an international company.
“It’s a privilege to be working with some of the world’s greatest innovators and helping them achieve their goals,” Ball said. “I share this recognition with the clients I’m fortunate to be working with.”
Sheeva Ghassemi-Vanni
Ghassemi-Vanni advises employers on a variety of labor and employment issues such as hiring, progressive discipline, and termination, employee handbooks, disability accommodation, and wage and hour issues. She considers some of her biggest professional achievements so far to be the work she does on the biggest technology mergers and acquisitions in Silicon Valley. She has assisted on Facebook’s WhatsApp and Oculus VR deals and transactions for Cisco, Dropbox, Square and Fitbit.
The Journal noted her creative approach to serving clients. For example, realizing her clients’ need to stay abreast of shifting law on employer social media policies, Ghassemi-Vanni set up a Fenwick Twitter account that spreads the word about best practices. She organized a partnership with LinkedIn to offer hiring and performance management webinars and, under her guidance, Fenwick produced videos explaining honor vacation policies.
Ghassemi-Vanni told the Journal that it’s important to her to be continually challenged in her work. “I have no idea what the day has in store for me,” she said. “I do know that it will require creative solutions.”
The full list of the 40 Under 40 is available through the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s website.
About Fenwick & West
Fenwick & West LLP provides comprehensive legal services to ground-breaking technology and life sciences companies – at every stage of their lifecycle – and the investors that partner with them. We craft innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions on issues ranging from venture capital, public offerings, joint ventures, M&A and strategic relationships, to intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, taxation, antitrust, and employment and labor law. For more than four decades, Fenwick has helped some of the world's most recognized companies become and remain market leaders. For more information, please visit fenwick.com.