Gopi K. Panchapakesan’s practice focuses on the litigation and arbitration of complex business disputes.
Excelling in advising businesses and individuals facing their most significant legal challenges, Gopi is particularly adept in handling quasi-criminal matters and class actions. Gopi has handled some of the most significant civil RICO litigation on the West Coast in the past decade. He has also successfully litigated complex disputes regarding joint development agreements and is at the forefront of navigating novel legal issues facing direct selling and multi-level marketing companies. Gopi has procured multiple early dismissals and settlements for his clients, yet still has the experience to take cases to trial when the situation demands it, having served as first-chair or second-chair in several trials.
Companies, both publicly-traded and privately-held, and leading executives entrust Gopi’s steady hand and calm guidance to efficiently resolve their complex civil and white collar matters early on in cases. His clients come from various industries, including e-commerce, consumer products, energy, apparel, biomedical/pharmaceutical, real estate, and payment processing. These clients include global, publicly-traded companies like Shopify and Herbalife.
Gopi’s extensive litigation experience includes not only complex civil disputes, but also several high-impact white collar matters. He has achieved significant pre-indictment resolutions to avoid criminal charges––particularly in connection with environmental offenses. In the summer of 2020, Gopi successfully resolved an investigation brought by the California Attorney General against a major oil pipeline operator regarding a large oil spill in Ventura County. The settlement was documented by the Los Angeles Times in a July 2020 article. In September 2021, less than three weeks into the three-month prosecution by DOJ in the District of Arizona attempting to hold the former owners of Backpage.com criminally responsible for the publication of content on its website, Gopi and the Bird Marella team secured a mistrial. The case involves significant First Amendment and Communications Decency Act issues that may affect the technology and publishing industries going forward, as courts assess the potential liability of internet platform providers.
Gopi has demonstrated significant thought leadership and has served in prominent roles within the legal community. He has presented numerous webinars dealing with class actions, data privacy law, and quasi-criminal civil litigation. He has also published multiple articles in Law360 and the National Law Journal regarding civil RICO practice and arbitration trends, most recently publishing the widely read article, “3 Ways Defendants Can Nip Civil RICO Claims in the Bud.”
Gopi served as the Co-President of the Southern California Chapter of the South Asian Bar Association for the 2020-2021 term. He is now a Fellow with SABA’s national Leadership Institute and previously served as a Fellow with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Leadership Advancement Program in 2019. In 2022, Gopi was one of five individuals honored as an under-40 “Rising Star” at the South Asian Bar Association of North America’s annual conference.
Rising Star, South Asian Bar Association of North America, 2022
Fellow, South Asian Bar Association Leadership Institute, 2022
Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), 2022
Co-President, South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, 2020-2021
Fellow, Leadership Advancement Program, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, 2019
Southern California Rising Stars, Los Angeles Magazine, 2018-present
Won mistrial less than three weeks into a three-month federal prosecution concerning Backpage.com in a case involving litigation of significant First Amendment and Communications Decency Act issues, the resolution of which is likely to have a considerable effect on websites, social media platforms, and publishing companies in the future.
Defense of a publicly traded nutritional product company in a civil RICO and unfair business practices class action.
Representing online social gaming company in connection with case brought under Washington’s Recovery of Money Lost at Gambling Act (RMLGA).
Representation of a major shareholder against a Canadian biomedical company in a plaintiff-side securities fraud case.
First-chaired an arbitration involving complex breach of contract claims asserted against client (an apparel company), securing over $1 million in offsets.
Represented publicly traded e-commerce company and successfully secured early dismissals in multiple cases.
Represented large Taiwanese conglomerate and other lead defendants in a 34-defendant civil RICO and alter ego action. Plaintiff sought over $80 million in trebled RICO damages. After winning critical motions on the eve of trial, the case was successfully resolved for a nominal amount.
Represented major pipeline and renewable energy company in various compliance matters involving state and local government authorities, securing successful pre-litigation resolutions.
Representing apparel company in its pursuit of over $60 million in contractual and fraudulent transfer claims against a former customer.
Obtained final approval of a class action settlement on behalf of a publicly-traded nutritional product company, defeating objections made by several class members.
Represented a publicly traded company through final arbitration hearing in a multimillion-dollar accounting malpractice case.
Represented global biomedical company in international arbitration, successfully resolving case before any significant litigation had occurred.
Successfully defeated motion to compel arbitration on behalf of Labor Commissioner of the State of California.
Successfully settled several cases involving complex vendor and customer disputes on behalf of global supplier of consumer products.
Settled case brought by the government under the Federal Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act for less than one-sixth of the damages initially demanded by the government.
Resolved action brought against a big-box retailer by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, in which the government alleged the retailer sold products in violation of air quality standards.
Defeated class certification on behalf of large retail bookseller in a wage and hour class action.
Successfully represented several families (pro bono) living in dilapidated housing on skid row in Los Angeles and procured a $750,000 settlement on behalf of the tenants in a partnership with the Inner City Law Center.
The South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA-NA) has selected principal Gopi Panchapakesan to serve as Co-Chair of its Law Partners Section. Gopi previously served as co-president of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC) and is currently a fellow with SABA-NA’s Leadership Institute. Gopi was recently ...
This past weekend, Principal Gopi K. Panchapakesan was honored at the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America’s annual conference in San Francisco. Mr. Panchapakesan was one of five recipients of SABA North America’s Rising Star Award, which recognizes his achievements in his practice, leadership within the South Asian ...
Bird Marella is proud to announce the selection of Principal Gopi Panchapakesan and associates Alexis Wiseley and Alexander Tran to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) 2022 Fellows and Pathfinder Programs. The LCLD Fellows and Pathfinders programs are designed for diverse, talented, early to mid-career attorneys. The programs offer ...
Principal Gopi K. Panchapakesan has been selected to join the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) 2022 Fellowship Class of the SABA Leadership Institute. Previously serving as Co-President of SABA’s Southern California chapter, Gopi is one of sixteen Fellows chosen for the highly competitive leadership program. The Institute offers an innovative leadership program designed to advance the ...
In an abrupt end to a trial expected to last three months, Bird Marella won a mistrial in the highly-publicized Backpage.com federal jury trial. On September 14, 2021, U.S. District Judge Brnovich granted the defense motion that the prosecutors had presented irrelevant and inflammatory testimony in violation of her prior ...
Principals Paul Chan and Gopi Panchapakesan will be panelists in the upcoming MCLE webinar, “When Civil Cases (Almost) Go Criminal – Litigating Quasi-Criminal Civil Claims,” on June 29 at 11:00 am PST. Hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), Chan and Panchapakesan will be joined by Andrea Phillips, Chief Counsel of Litigation & Employment – Americas at Rolls Royce. The panel ...
Attorneys Julia Cherlow, Gopi Panchapakesan, Ray Seilie, and Fanxi Wang have been selected for inclusion in the 2021 Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. All four attorneys have been recognized consecutively as a “Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney” in Southern California. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of ...
Principals Nicole Rodriguez Van Dyk and Gopi K. Panchapakesan will be featured panelists in the upcoming webinar presentation, “Recent Trends in Data Privacy Law,” co-hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and Bird Marella. Van Dyk and Panchapakesan will be joined by Shopify’s Associate General Counsel and Data Privacy Officer, Vivek Narayanadas, and Northrop Grumman’s Corporate Counsel, Kimberley ...
Principal Gopi K. Panchapakesan authored the Law360 article, “3 Ways Defendants Can Nip Civil RICO Claims In The Bud.” The article analyzes several recent cases that highlight strategies defendants can use to defeat civil RICO claims early on in a case. Click here to read the full article.
Principal Gopi K. Panchapakesan will be a featured panelist in the upcoming webinar presentation, “Recent Trends in Class Action Practice: Perspectives from Both Sides of the V,” hosted by the South Asian Bar Association of North America and the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC). Gopi, who currently ...
Panelist, “When Civil Cases (Almost) Go Criminal – Litigating Quasi-Criminal Civil Claims,” Association of Corporate Counsel, June 2021
Panelist, “Recent Trends in Data Privacy Law,” Association of Corporate Counsel, January 2021
Author, “3 Ways Defendants Can Nip Civil RICO Claims In The Bud,” Law360, December 2020
Panelist, “Recent Trends in Class Action Practice: Perspectives from Both Sides of the V,” South Asian Bar Association of North America, October 2020
Co-Author, “The Changing Scope of Arbitrability and Appealability,” National Law Journal, August 2019 (with Paul Chan)
Co-Author, “The Far-Reaching New Domestic Injury Rule Under Civil RICO,” Law360, June 2017 (with Paul Chan)
Gopi K. Panchapakesan’s practice focuses on the litigation and arbitration of complex business disputes.
Excelling in advising businesses and individuals facing their most significant legal challenges, Gopi is particularly adept in handling quasi-criminal matters and class actions. Gopi has handled some of the most significant civil RICO litigation on the West Coast in the past decade. He has also successfully litigated complex disputes regarding joint development agreements and is at the forefront of navigating novel legal issues facing direct selling and multi-level marketing companies. Gopi has procured multiple early dismissals and settlements for his clients, yet still has the experience to take cases to trial when the situation demands it, having served as first-chair or second-chair in several trials.
Companies, both publicly-traded and privately-held, and leading executives entrust Gopi’s steady hand and calm guidance to efficiently resolve their complex civil and white collar matters early on in cases. His clients come from various industries, including e-commerce, consumer products, energy, apparel, biomedical/pharmaceutical, real estate, and payment processing. These clients include global, publicly-traded companies like Shopify and Herbalife.
Gopi’s extensive litigation experience includes not only complex civil disputes, but also several high-impact white collar matters. He has achieved significant pre-indictment resolutions to avoid criminal charges––particularly in connection with environmental offenses. In the summer of 2020, Gopi successfully resolved an investigation brought by the California Attorney General against a major oil pipeline operator regarding a large oil spill in Ventura County. The settlement was documented by the Los Angeles Times in a July 2020 article. In September 2021, less than three weeks into the three-month prosecution by DOJ in the District of Arizona attempting to hold the former owners of Backpage.com criminally responsible for the publication of content on its website, Gopi and the Bird Marella team secured a mistrial. The case involves significant First Amendment and Communications Decency Act issues that may affect the technology and publishing industries going forward, as courts assess the potential liability of internet platform providers.
Gopi has demonstrated significant thought leadership and has served in prominent roles within the legal community. He has presented numerous webinars dealing with class actions, data privacy law, and quasi-criminal civil litigation. He has also published multiple articles in Law360 and the National Law Journal regarding civil RICO practice and arbitration trends, most recently publishing the widely read article, “3 Ways Defendants Can Nip Civil RICO Claims in the Bud.”
Gopi served as the Co-President of the Southern California Chapter of the South Asian Bar Association for the 2020-2021 term. He is now a Fellow with SABA’s national Leadership Institute and previously served as a Fellow with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Leadership Advancement Program in 2019. In 2022, Gopi was one of five individuals honored as an under-40 “Rising Star” at the South Asian Bar Association of North America’s annual conference.
Won mistrial less than three weeks into a three-month federal prosecution concerning Backpage.com in a case involving litigation of significant First Amendment and Communications Decency Act issues, the resolution of which is likely to have a considerable effect on websites, social media platforms, and publishing companies in the future.
Defense of a publicly traded nutritional product company in a civil RICO and unfair business practices class action.
Representing online social gaming company in connection with case brought under Washington’s Recovery of Money Lost at Gambling Act (RMLGA).
Representation of a major shareholder against a Canadian biomedical company in a plaintiff-side securities fraud case.
First-chaired an arbitration involving complex breach of contract claims asserted against client (an apparel company), securing over $1 million in offsets.
Represented publicly traded e-commerce company and successfully secured early dismissals in multiple cases.
Represented large Taiwanese conglomerate and other lead defendants in a 34-defendant civil RICO and alter ego action. Plaintiff sought over $80 million in trebled RICO damages. After winning critical motions on the eve of trial, the case was successfully resolved for a nominal amount.
Represented major pipeline and renewable energy company in various compliance matters involving state and local government authorities, securing successful pre-litigation resolutions.
Representing apparel company in its pursuit of over $60 million in contractual and fraudulent transfer claims against a former customer.
Obtained final approval of a class action settlement on behalf of a publicly-traded nutritional product company, defeating objections made by several class members.
Represented a publicly traded company through final arbitration hearing in a multimillion-dollar accounting malpractice case.
Represented global biomedical company in international arbitration, successfully resolving case before any significant litigation had occurred.
Successfully defeated motion to compel arbitration on behalf of Labor Commissioner of the State of California.
Successfully settled several cases involving complex vendor and customer disputes on behalf of global supplier of consumer products.
Settled case brought by the government under the Federal Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act for less than one-sixth of the damages initially demanded by the government.
Resolved action brought against a big-box retailer by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, in which the government alleged the retailer sold products in violation of air quality standards.
Defeated class certification on behalf of large retail bookseller in a wage and hour class action.
Successfully represented several families (pro bono) living in dilapidated housing on skid row in Los Angeles and procured a $750,000 settlement on behalf of the tenants in a partnership with the Inner City Law Center.
The South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA-NA) has selected principal Gopi Panchapakesan to serve as Co-Chair of its Law Partners Section. Gopi previously served as co-president of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC) and is currently a fellow with SABA-NA’s Leadership Institute. Gopi was recently ...
This past weekend, Principal Gopi K. Panchapakesan was honored at the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America’s annual conference in San Francisco. Mr. Panchapakesan was one of five recipients of SABA North America’s Rising Star Award, which recognizes his achievements in his practice, leadership within the South Asian ...
Bird Marella is proud to announce the selection of Principal Gopi Panchapakesan and associates Alexis Wiseley and Alexander Tran to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) 2022 Fellows and Pathfinder Programs. The LCLD Fellows and Pathfinders programs are designed for diverse, talented, early to mid-career attorneys. The programs offer ...
Principal Gopi K. Panchapakesan has been selected to join the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) 2022 Fellowship Class of the SABA Leadership Institute. Previously serving as Co-President of SABA’s Southern California chapter, Gopi is one of sixteen Fellows chosen for the highly competitive leadership program. The Institute offers an innovative leadership program designed to advance the ...
In an abrupt end to a trial expected to last three months, Bird Marella won a mistrial in the highly-publicized Backpage.com federal jury trial. On September 14, 2021, U.S. District Judge Brnovich granted the defense motion that the prosecutors had presented irrelevant and inflammatory testimony in violation of her prior ...
Principals Paul Chan and Gopi Panchapakesan will be panelists in the upcoming MCLE webinar, “When Civil Cases (Almost) Go Criminal – Litigating Quasi-Criminal Civil Claims,” on June 29 at 11:00 am PST. Hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), Chan and Panchapakesan will be joined by Andrea Phillips, Chief Counsel of Litigation & Employment – Americas at Rolls Royce. The panel ...
Attorneys Julia Cherlow, Gopi Panchapakesan, Ray Seilie, and Fanxi Wang have been selected for inclusion in the 2021 Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. All four attorneys have been recognized consecutively as a “Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney” in Southern California. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of ...
Principals Nicole Rodriguez Van Dyk and Gopi K. Panchapakesan will be featured panelists in the upcoming webinar presentation, “Recent Trends in Data Privacy Law,” co-hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and Bird Marella. Van Dyk and Panchapakesan will be joined by Shopify’s Associate General Counsel and Data Privacy Officer, Vivek Narayanadas, and Northrop Grumman’s Corporate Counsel, Kimberley ...
Principal Gopi K. Panchapakesan authored the Law360 article, “3 Ways Defendants Can Nip Civil RICO Claims In The Bud.” The article analyzes several recent cases that highlight strategies defendants can use to defeat civil RICO claims early on in a case. Click here to read the full article.
Principal Gopi K. Panchapakesan will be a featured panelist in the upcoming webinar presentation, “Recent Trends in Class Action Practice: Perspectives from Both Sides of the V,” hosted by the South Asian Bar Association of North America and the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC). Gopi, who currently ...
Panelist, “When Civil Cases (Almost) Go Criminal – Litigating Quasi-Criminal Civil Claims,” Association of Corporate Counsel, June 2021
Panelist, “Recent Trends in Data Privacy Law,” Association of Corporate Counsel, January 2021
Author, “3 Ways Defendants Can Nip Civil RICO Claims In The Bud,” Law360, December 2020
Panelist, “Recent Trends in Class Action Practice: Perspectives from Both Sides of the V,” South Asian Bar Association of North America, October 2020
Co-Author, “The Changing Scope of Arbitrability and Appealability,” National Law Journal, August 2019 (with Paul Chan)
Co-Author, “The Far-Reaching New Domestic Injury Rule Under Civil RICO,” Law360, June 2017 (with Paul Chan)