David Leichtman, a member of the Firm, has tried a variety of complex matters in federal and state courts around the country. Recent trials Mr. Leichtman has first-chaired have involved: patent infringement; copyright infringement and ownership; breach of fiduciary duty; fraud; unjust enrichment; and contract claims. The types of matters he handles include patent, copyright, trade secret and trademark cases, as well as other kinds of commercial litigation involving business torts. He has significant experience in a variety of industries including: life sciences; arts, media, entertainment and information; financial services; consumer electronics; and the retail industries. His work also involves the monetization of IP portfolios and licensing.
Mr. Leichtman served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Volunteer Lawyers For The Arts from 2009-2018, and he continues to serve on its board and executive committee. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Copyright Society, the Boad of Advisors of the Kernochan Center for Law, Media & The Arts at Columbia Law School, and is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan. In the past he has served as a board member or chair or vice-chair of various committees of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association, the Intellectual Property Owners Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He has been named a New York SuperLawyer for intellectual property and commercial litigation every year since 2010. In 2016, The New York Law Journal selected him as a Lawyer Who Leads by Example for providing crucial pro bono legal services in New York. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a highly selective Trial Lawyer Honor Society, where he is a founding member of its Intellectual Property Institute.
Prior to joining Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, Mr. Leichtman was Managing Partner of trial law firm Leichtman Law PLLC, formed in April 2017 after practicing for over 20 years in large law firms. Leichtman Law was awarded as a Chambers Spotlight small firm for 2026. Mr. Leichtman is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School (1986), the University of Michigan (BA, 1990), Hunter College (MA, 1993), and Columbia Law School (JD, 1996).