O’Melveny Welcomes Former Lenovo Director of Global IP Litigation

WASHINGTON, DC—April 23, 2025—O’Melveny announced today that Shawnna Yashar, a seasoned intellectual property litigator and the former Director of Global IP Litigation and IP Enforcement at Lenovo, has joined the firm’s Washington, DC office as a partner in its Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group. Her arrival further strengthens O’Melveny’s acclaimed roster of patent litigators and expands the firm’s formidable East Coast capabilities in the intellectual property and technology arena.

For nearly 20 years, Yashar has advised innovative technology and software companies on high-stakes IP litigation and complex commercial litigation, successfully handling matters and resolving disputes in various district and federal courts, as well as before the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the US International Trade Commission. She has deep experience with Standard Essential Patents, and she also advises on matters involving international trade secrets, IP portfolio management, enterprise IT compliance, and global privacy concerns.

Yashar comes to O’Melveny from multinational technology company Lenovo, where she managed global IP litigation and enforced the company’s IP portfolio, overseeing hundreds of matters in jurisdictions across the globe. She previously served as Assistant General Counsel for Technology at ManTech, a US defense contracting firm specializing in cybersecurity and systems development, and as Principal Senior Counsel for Technology and Complex Commercial Litigation at bitcoin treasury company MicroStrategy. Before her career in-house, Yashar worked in private practice, most recently as a partner in the Intellectual Property Group of BakerHostetler. Earlier in her career, she served as a clerk for the Hon. S. Jay Plager of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

“We are delighted to welcome Shawnna to O’Melveny,” said O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin. “Our technology clients will immediately benefit from her impressive skillset and wide-ranging experience, particularly her extensive knowledge of Standard Essential Patents. She is an ideal addition to our award-winning Intellectual Property and Technology team, and it is a pleasure to welcome her aboard.”

“Joining O’Melveny was an easy and exciting decision for me,” said Yashar. “The firm has a well-earned reputation as an industry leader in the technology sector and a track record of success helping clients resolve their most challenging intellectual property litigation. I’m thrilled to join such a talented team.”

Yashar’s addition accelerates O’Melveny’s continued strategic growth. She is the third lateral partner to join O’Melveny’s renowned Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group in recent years—after partners Gregory Morris and Rob Shaffer joined the firm in 2022 and 2023, respectively. And Yashar is the 34th lateral partner to join the firm since 2023.

Yashar earned her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and her B.S. from the University of Illinois.

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