Jennifer Keller is one of America’s most successful trial attorneys. She represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad range of high-stakes commercial litigation and white collar cases. Chambers USA and Chambers Global rank her among the top commercial litigators in the nation, quoting sources who describe Jennifer as “widely regarded as one of the best trial lawyers in California.” “She has uncanny instincts, a wonderful courtroom demeanor and she’s an extremely clear and effective communicator,” and “is absolutely unflappable in court and builds a strong rapport and credibility with judges and decision makers.” “When you go to trial with Jennifer Keller you come back with a win.” She is a Fellow of the invitation-only American College of Trial Lawyers, considered to be among the highest honors a North American trial attorney can receive. The Legal 500, among the most prestigious international legal directories, recommends Jennifer as one of just 70 “leading trial lawyers” in the entire United States. Jennifer is also a 2018 inductee into the California Lawyers Association Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame, one of only 38 attorneys so honored throughout the years. Benchmark Litigation lists her as one of the “Top 100 Trial Attorneys in America” and among the “Top 20 Trial Lawyers in California,” calling her a “National Litigation Star.” In 2020 and in 2021, Super Lawyers ranked Jennifer #1 in Southern California. “Revered for her versatility and ease in front of a jury … the go-to trial attorney for difficult cases” is how Jennifer is described by The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, ranking her as a “Top 100 Lawyer in California” for over 18 years. In three separate years (2019, 2018 and 2012), in starkly different subjects, Jennifer’s trial victories have led to California Lawyer Magazine Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) awards for extraordinary achievements in litigation.
Jennifer made a last-minute entrance as lead counsel for MGA Entertainment in the 2011 retrial of Mattel v. MGA, the epic doll battle popularly known as “Barbie v. Bratz.” Coming into the four-month jury trial just twelve days before jury selection, Jennifer captained MGA to a win Reuters called “an astonishing loss” for Mattel and the LA Times deemed “a stunning reversal of fortune” for MGA. The jury found Mattel had no rights to the Bratz doll line and awarded MGA $85 million in damages for theft of its own trade secrets, to which the judge added $85 million in punitive damages. (While the damages judgment was reversed on appeal, MGA’s $139 million attorneys’ fee award stands.)
Just two years earlier Jennifer won California’s largest business jury verdict of 2009 with $350 million awarded to her venture capitalist client in Auerbach v. Daily. She also represented Standard & Poors in United States v. The McGraw-Hill Companies, the government’s civil suit claiming S&P inflated the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. Jennifer was selected as one of S&P’s three trial attorneys. The case settled in 2015 for over $1 billion, which was less than one-fifth of what the government had been demanding.
In 2024, Jennifer won one of the largest Lanham Act false advertising verdicts in history, in Guardant Health Inc. v. Natera Inc. The jury trial verdict was a complete sweep for Guardant Health: $75 million for corrective advertising, $42 million for disgorgement of profits and $175.5 million in punitive damages. The trial was held in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals recognized this win as a Top Verdict in 2024.
In 2022, Jennifer successfully defended Tony, Emmy and two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey against actor Anthony Rapp in a sexual battery civil jury trial in Southern District of New York. The jury deliberated only 30 minutes before reaching a unanimous verdict finding Mr. Spacey not liable and denying Mr. Rapp the $40 million he was seeking. The case was covered by the global media.
In 2023, Jennifer won a unanimous federal jury trial verdict for MGA Entertainment against trade dress allegations made by Rapper, T.I. Harris and the O.M.G. Girlz. The plaintiffs were seeking over $100 million in damages claiming that the MGA stole the name, likeness, and trade dress of the OMG Girlz when it created the L.O.L. Surprise! OMG doll line. The jury deliberated less than two hours before reaching its verdict. The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals recognized this win as a Top Defense Verdict in 2023.
In 2018 Jennifer won two landmark jury verdicts in different areas, each of which was named a “Top Defense Verdict” by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals. For one of them, Yellowstone Women’s First Step House v. Costa Mesa, Jennifer won her third CLAY Award (California Lawyer Magazine Attorneys of the Year). In the other, Chavez et al. cv. MassMutual Life Insurance Co., she also won a CVN “Top Verdicts” award. In 2017 Jennifer as co-lead counsel got a not guilty verdict for her developer client Jeffrey Burum after nine months of jury trial in what the California Attorney General called “the largest corruption case in the history of San Bernardino, and possibly California.” The jury was out a little more than two hours before acquitting Mr. Burum of all charges.
Jennifer is listed annually in “The Best Lawyers in America®” and is among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America. Jennifer is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only organization limited to the top one-half of one percent of the nation’s attorneys.
Jennifer is also active in the community. She is the former President of the Orange County Bar Association and served for many years as a Trustee of Chapman University. She counts as present and former clients, judges, public officials, law enforcement officers, CEOs, CFOs, lawyers, physicians, professional athletes, entertainment industry executives, actors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. Jennifer’s past and present institutional clients have included Fortune 100 corporations, other publicly-traded corporations, and large privately-held companies.
PRACTICE AREAS
- Trials
- Commercial Litigation
- Intellectual Property
- Securities
- Insurance Recovery/Bad Faith
- White Collar Criminal Defense
- Legal Malpractice
- Entertainment/Sports
EDUCATION
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D.
- University of California, Berkeley, A.B.
CLERKSHIP
Senior Research Attorney, California Court of Appeal, 4th District, Div. 3
Admissions
- State Bar of California
- United States Supreme Court
- Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
- U.S. District Court, Central, Southern, Northern and Eastern Districts of California
- District of Arizona
- District of Colorado
Professional Activities
- Orange County Bar Association: President (1996); Officer (1993-1997); Board of Directors (1991-93), Member (present)
- Governor Gavin Newsom’s Judicial Selection Advisory Committee for Orange County
- Trustee, UC Hastings College of the Law Foundation (2012-2017)
- OC Chapter of Federal Bar Association
- Orange County Asian American Bar Association
- UC Hastings College of the Law Alumni Association, Board of Governors (2010-2012)
- Chapman University School of Law, Dean’s Board of Advisors (1995-2013)
- Chancery Club of Los Angeles, member (invitation only) (2015-present)
- State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, Commissioner (2002-2005)
- State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, Criminal Law Advisory Commission Chair (1993-94), Vice-Chair (1992-93) and Commissioner (1990-92)
- Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, Lawyer Representative (1996-99)
- Public Law Center of Orange County, Board of Directors (1995-2000)
- California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, Board of Governors (1992-93)
- Master Bencher, American Inns of Court, William P. Gray Legion Lex Inn
- Senior Research Attorney, Justice Edward Wallin, Calif. Court of Appeal, 4th District, Div. 2 (1989-92)
Community Involvement
- Board of Trustees, UC Berkeley Foundation (2023- )
- Chapman University, Board of Trustees (2012-2022)
- Anti-Defamation League of OC & Long Beach, Regional Board Member (2008-present)
- Teach Democracy, Board of Directors (2020-present)
- Democratic Foundation of Orange County, Board of Directors (2000-present)
- The California State Polytechnic University Humboldt Foundation, Board of Directors (2019-present)
- Southern California chapter of the International Women’s Forum, Board of Directors (2014-2017)
- Distinguished Fellow, University of California, Irvine, Center for Psychology & Law (2014-2016)
- Life Member, The Sierra Club
Publications
- “Why privacy law needs specialized courts in California,” Jennifer Keller and Akhil Sheth, (Los Angeles & San Francisco Daily Journal, April 1, 2026)
- “Demonstrative Evidence: Tell and Show,” Jennifer Keller and Chase Scolnick, (Litigation Journal, American Bar Association, Spring 2021)
- “Why You Should Hire a Trial Attorney for a Case That Will Never Go to Trial,” Jennifer Keller, (Orange County Business Journal, November 16, 2020)
- “The Waning Days of Sunshine in the Securities Class Action Plaintiffs’ Paradise,” Jennifer Keller and Jesse Gessin, (Orange County Business Journal, October 16, 2017)
Honors & Awards
- Chambers USA, Star Individual for Commercial Litigation in California; and Chambers USA and Chambers Global, recommended in General Commercial Litigation Band 1, and Trials (of all types) Band 1
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- The Legal 500, USA Edition, Leading Trial Lawyers (2021-2025)
- The Legal 500, Los Angeles Elite in Commercial Litigation, Tier 1 (2026)
- Benchmark Litigation “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America” (2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018), “The Top 20 Trial Lawyers in California” (2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019)
- Lawdragon Hall of Fame (2023)
- The Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2012-2026)
- Lawdragon Legend (2020)
- The Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America (2023-2026)
- The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, “The Top 100 Lawyers in California,” (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2007, Editors’ Pick 2001), Inaugural “Distinguished Counsel” List (2025)
- California Lawyer Magazine Attorneys of the Year (CLAY Award), Municipal Law (2019), White Collar Criminal Defense (2018), Intellectual Property Litigation (2012)
- California Lawyers Association “Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame” (inducted 2018)
- The Irish Legal 100 (2021-2025)
- 2026 Forbes – Top Women Lawyers in the United States
- Benchmark Litigation “Top 250 Women in Litigation” (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017)
- Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America (by invitation only, limited to top ½ of 1 percent of lawyers nationally)
- Los Angeles Magazine, “Southern California Super Lawyers”: Ranked #1 Super Lawyers Southern California (2020-2021); Ranked either #1 or #2 Super Lawyers Southern California (2019-2024, 2026); Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyers (2018-2026), Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers (2016-2026), “Top 50 Orange County Super Lawyers” (19 times), “Top 50 Southern California Women Super Lawyers” (17 times); “Super Lawyers in Business Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Professional Liability: Plaintiff, and White Collar Criminal Defense” (2006-2026)
- The Best Lawyers In America®, S. Naifeh & G. Smith (2004-2026 eds.); Bet-The-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Securities Litigation, Legal Malpractice-Plaintiffs, Trusts and Estates Litigation, White Collar Criminal Defense, and Professional Malpractice-Plaintiffs; Orange County Lawyer of the Year – Bet-the-Company Litigation (2026); Orange County Lawyer of the Year – Criminal Defense (2013); Orange County Lawyer of the Year – White Collar Criminal Defense (2017 and 2022)
- The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, “California’s Top Women Lawyers” (2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2002)
- The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, “California’s Leading Commercial Litigators” (2023-2026)
- The Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, “Top Verdicts” (2018, 2023, 2024)
- Federal Bar Association of Orange County, Alicemarie Stotler Award for lifetime achievement (2024)
- Business Today, “USA’s Most Influential Trial Lawyers (2023)
- Chapman University, Public Interest Law Foundation, Katherine Baird Darmer Commitment to Public Interest Award (March 2020)
- The San Francisco Recorder, Attorneys of the Year (2012)
- The National Trial Lawyers, “The Top 100 Trial Lawyers in California” (2008-2014)
- Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, Business Litigation Trial Lawyer of the Year (2010)
- Orange County Business Journal, “OC 500 Directory of Influence” (2023, 2021, 2020, 2019)
- The National Law Journal, Annual “Winning” Edition (2012)
- Member, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Orange County Women Lawyers, Attorney of the Year (2003)
- Anti-Defamation League of Orange County & Long Beach, Jurisprudence Award (2001)
- Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer of the Year (2000)
- Public Law Center of Orange County, Attorney of the Year (1996)
- The Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County, Lawyer of the Year (1983)
- State Bar of California, Wiley Manuel Award for Pro Bono Service (1998)
- Martindale-Hubbell “AV” rated since 1983. Listed, Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
