Dhillon & Smith is a full service law firm providing sophisticated legal services to corporate and
individual clients in areas ranging from business litigation, labor & employment, First Amendment
law, technology, real estate transactions & litigation, and intellectual property protection services.
Harmeet Kaur Dhillon, is an experienced business trial lawyer, trusted boardroom advisor, and passionate advocate for individual, corporate and institutional clients across numerous industries and walks of life. She has been awarded the prestigious designation of Northern California Super Lawyer in business litigation by Thomson/West Publishing, an accolade reserved for the top 5% of lawyers in the jurisdiction. From an early interest in constitutional litigation, to a stint at the Department of Justice, to a decade of practice at prestigious international law firms, to founding Dhillon & Smith in 2006, Harmeet’s legal career has been marked by a passion for justice, a zeal for attacking legal challenges, and an intense sense of satisfaction in helping her clients realize creative and practical solutions to seemingly intractable problems.
Following a clerkship with the Hon. Paul V. Niemeyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Ms. Dhillon’s practice in New York, London, and the San Francisco Bay Area has focused on federal and state commercial litigation and arbitration, with a particular emphasis on unfair competition/trade secret misappropriation, intellectual property (including trademark litigation and internet torts), complex contractual disputes, and First Amendment litigation (including defamation, trade libel, right of publicity, and anti-SLAPP motions). Harmeet’s broad experience also encompasses securities, entertainment, employment discrimination and civil rights matters. Ms. Dhillon has developed a niche practice in representing clients across California in election and campaign law matters, ranging from general compliance and ethics representation for partisan and non-partisan contenders to ballot description contests and intellectual property matters pertaining to campaign communications. Dhillon & Smith is one of a handful of California law firms offering this expertise.
Harmeet has practiced before numerous state and federal courts and administrative tribunals across the United States, has successfully handled numerous trials (jury and bench), arbitrations, and mediations (including international arbitrations), and has resolved many business disputes prior to the initiation of litigation. Admitted to practice law in New York and California, she is also a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. Harmeet’s clients at Dhillon & Smith have included e-Commerce leaders, private companies, entrepreneurs, celebrities, film and music artists, authors, advertising executives, franchisees, public utilities, educational institutions and nonprofits. She has won numerous awards and recognition for her pro bono legal work on behalf of domestic violence survivors, religious discrimination plaintiffs, and political refugees.
| The Emergence of Sikh Advocacy | Civil Rights in Wartime | 2009 | ||
| The New Gold Rush? Wireless Opportunities for Colleges and Universities Through EBS Broadcast Spectrum Leases | University Business | 2007 | ||
| Brother Sister Legal Team Fights to Protect Bay Area Sikhs | The Recorder | 2001 | ||
| Preliminary Injunctive Relief in the Federal Courts | ALI/ABA publication | 1996 |
| “What Korean Airline Crashes Can Teach Us About Diversity” | National Pacific American Bar Association Western Regional Conference | July, 2010 | ||
| SLAPP Litigation – Free Speech in the Commercial and Political Context | Law.com CLE Presentation | June, 2010 | ||
| “Ashcroft v. Iqbal” – The Importance of the Supreme Court’s Decision on Civil Rights Litigation | Bar Association of San Francisco CLE Presentation | June, 2010 | ||
| Trade Secret Litigation: The New Method to Protect Theft of Intellectual Property | Minority Corporate Counsel Association 9th Annual CLE Expo (Chicago) | March, 2010 | ||
| Reflections on Balancing a Career of Litigation, Pro Bono and Civic Involvement | SABA Sacramento Annual Gala | March, 2010 | ||
| So You Think You Want to Run for Public Office | 21st Annual NAPABA Convention (Boston) | November, 2009 | ||
| A Conversation with New South Asians in Politics | NASABA Convention (Vancouver) | June, 2009 | ||
| Panelist on Presidential Campaigns | Minority Bar Council Conference (Golden Gate Law School, San Francisco) | July, 2008 | ||
| Ethical Issues: What Do You Do When Your Friend Crosses the Line? | NAPABA Convention (Seattle) | November, 2008 | ||
| Running for Office as a South Asian Lawyer | NASABA Convention (Chicaco) | June, 2008 |
