Robert Van Nest, a distinguished partner at Keker, Van Nest & Peters in San Francisco, has been recognized in Bloomberg Law’s Unrivaled 2025 for his exemplary work in trial litigation. His most prominent recent success involved the defense of Google in a high-stakes patent infringement lawsuit against Singular Computing. Overseeing a legal team, Van Nest managed to navigate the complexities of the trial, focusing on Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and presenting them as fundamentally different from Singular Computing’s patented inventions.
The suit, which demanded over $1 billion in damages, was settled before closing arguments in a Boston federal court. Van Nest’s approach emphasized a meticulous examination strategy, focusing on narrowing the case pre-trial and leveraging application-specific integrated circuits used by Google to bolster computational workload scalability in machine learning applications like search and image recognition.
During the trial, which spanned several weeks, his team effectively challenged the infringement claims by highlighting the distinctiveness of Google’s TPU designs. Van Nest emphasized the necessity of presenting complex computational mathematics in an accessible manner to the jury, which proved to be pivotal in securing the eventual settlement.
Throughout his career, Van Nest has prioritized building a narrative grounded in fact and simplicity to resonate with juries and judges. He attributes the success in the Google case to these principles, alongside a robust understanding of both the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the case presentation.
When asked about his path to becoming a trial lawyer, Van Nest reflected on early influences, including time spent as a Democratic staffer and his subsequent decision to enter the legal field. His experiences shaped his belief in the courtroom’s potential for meaningful advocacy, distinct from the political landscape he initially encountered. This conviction drives his approach to trial law today.
For young trial lawyers, Van Nest advises a mastery of details while maintaining a clear grasp of overarching themes—a strategy that has evidently contributed to his successful litigation career. More details on Van Nest’s accomplishments and his interview can be found on Bloomberg Law.