(215) 525-9583 direct (Philadelphia)
(646) 680-9663 direct (NYC)
ndgalli@ndgallilaw.com

“I like to create things from whole cloth and solve problems. Like Han Solo, I don’t ask if something is possible until after I’ve done it.”

Nicole D. Galli focuses her practice on commercial litigation, including all forms of intellectual property (IP) litigation, and IP counseling, especially regarding trade secret protection. After spending over two decades at two AmLaw 100 firms, an IP boutique firm, and a full-service regional firm, Nicole founded our firm in 2015 to provide clients with sophisticated, first-in-class legal services in an efficient manner that best suits their business needs.

Nicole has litigated a wide variety of Intellectual Property and business disputes for clients in federal and state courts, administrative forums, and arbitration and mediation venues throughout the nation. She represents clients in IP matters such as patent infringement and licensing litigation, trademark matters including infringement, as well as opposition and cancellation before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, trade dress infringement, copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets claims.  She also has extensive experience with many other types of business disputes including breach of contract, restrictive covenant, tortious interference, antitrust, consumer fraud and class action matters.  Nicole also counsels clients on IP portfolio acquisition, management, enforcement and monetization.

Nicole has worked in litigation and counseling capacities with clients in various industries including life sciences, healthcare, software, electronics, consumer products, automotive, energy, hospitality, food and beverage, construction, manufacturing, marketing and other service providers. Her clients include individuals, start-ups, large national and international companies, as well as cultural institutions and non-profits.

Professional & Community Activities

Nicole has a long history of giving back to the community and the profession.

Women Owned Law

Nicole founded and was the first President of Women Owned Law (WOL), the first national networking organization for women entrepreneurs in the law. WOL empowers women entrepreneurs to revolutionize the business of law through network building, education and other resources and advocacy in the marketplace. With a soft launch in the fall of 2016 that started in Philadelphia with a group of 8 women, WOL has approximately 200 members throughout the United States.

American Bar Association

Nicole is a member of the American Bar Association, where she served as the CLE Officer of the Section of Intellectual Property Law from 2016 to 2018 and on the Section’s Council.  She is currently the IP Section’s liaison to the ABA Commission on Women and the Licensing Executive Society’s Standards Project.  She also is a member of the Membership Board and co-chairs the Mentoring Program Committee which is launching a pilot mentoring program for the IPL Section. 

Nicole also Co-Chaired the ABA Section of Litigation’s 2023 Corporate Counsel Conference and served on the Litigation Section’s Membership and Marketing Committee during the 2022-2023 bar year. 

Trade Secrets

Nicole leads two national initiatives developing “best practices” for trade secret protection.

Sedona Conference Working Group 12 (Trade Secrets) 

In the winter of 2017, Nicole participated in the first, invitation-only Sedona Conference on Trade Secrets and is a founding member of the new Sedona Conference Working Group 12 (Trade Secrets) that launched in 2018. Nicole serves on the Sedona WG12 Steering Committee and co-chairs the Sedona WG12 sub-team on the governance and management of trade secrets (Team 5). Nicole is also co-chairing the model jury instruction brainstorming group.

Licensing Executives Society

Nicole served as Vice Chair of the IP in the Supply Chain Committee, which developed an ANSI standard for protecting trade secrets and other IP in the supply chain for the LES’s IP Management Standards Project.  You can obtain a copy of that standard here (paywall).

Additional Activities

  • Forum of Executive Women
    • Forum Foundation, Chair, 2020-2022; Board of Directors, 2019-2022
    • Board of Directors, 2018-2020
    • Past Chair, Forum Award for Emerging Women Leaders Committee
    • Member of the Forum Ally Selection Committee, 2020
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
    • Member, Trade Secrets Committee
    • Member, Women in IP Committee
  • Philadelphia Bar Association
    • Founding Co-Chair, Chancellor’s Mentoring and Professional Development Initiative

Thought Leadership

Nicole is a frequent speaker, author and thought leader on issues impacting women attorneys and entrepreneurs, as well as on various legal topics including intellectual property strategy, trade secrets protection and litigation, trademark, copyright and patent law and litigation, commercial litigation best practices and procedural matters, and litigation financing.

Education

  • University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1992, J.D.
  • University of Pennsylvania, 1989, B.A., cum laude

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware (inactive)
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Federal Circuits
  • U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of Delaware, Southern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Michigan, District of New Jersey, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern District of Texas

Awards and Honors

  • Included in the 27th -29th Editions of The Best Lawyers in America® in 2021, 2022 and 2023 for her work in Patent Law
  • WBEC-East, WBE Leadership Award, 2020
  • Women Owned Law, Inaugural “Founders Award,” 2020
  • Tory Burch Foundation, Fellow, 2019
  • Philadelphia Business Journal, “Best of the Bar – Intellectual Property Litigation,” 2019
  • IAM Strategy 300, Worlds Leading IP Strategists, 2019
  • Philadelphia Inquirer, “Influencers of Law – Intellectual Property Litigation,” 2019
  • Philadelphia Business Journal, Women of Distinction, 2018
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer-Rated
  • Philadelphia Magazine, Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, 2005-present
  • Arrive Magazine, Top Women Lawyers in the Northeast, 2011
  • Philadelphia Smart CEO Magazine, Legal Elite, 2010
  • Philadelphia Business Journal, 40 Under 40, 2003
  • American Lawyer Media, Lawyers on the Fast Track in Pennsylvania, 2003
  • Forum of Executive Women, Forum Award, 2003

Contact

Nicole D. Galli
Managing Member
ndgalli@ndgallilaw.com

One Liberty Place
1650 Market Street
Suite 3600, #00250
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 525-9583 direct
(215) 525-9585 facsimile

136 Madison Avenue, 6th floor
New York, NY 10016
(646) 680-9663 direct