Profile details
About Boris Feldman
Boris Feldman specializes in securities litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and fiduciary duty and disclosure counselling.
Boris has represented many of the leading technology companies: Google, Genentech, Tesla, Salesforce, Rivian and Palantir (complete list here).
Boris has also represented legendary entrepreneurs, including Marc Andreessen, Marc Benioff, Herb Boyer, Sergey Brin, Vint Cerf, Carly Fiorina, Arthur Levinson, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg.
Boris has defended over 240 shareholder class actions, derivative suits, and merger challenges throughout the United States on behalf of domestic and foreign issuers. He has represented boards of directors in internal investigations and regularly represents companies and individuals in SEC enforcement proceedings. A major part of his practice is advising public companies on fiduciary duty and disclosure issues.
Boris was born in South Bend, Indiana. He attended Yale College on a National Merit Scholarship. At Yale, he was President of the Yale Debate Association and Speaker of the Yale Political Union. Boris graduated from Yale, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with distinction in history. Boris graduated from Yale Law School, where he served as Note & Topics Editor of The Yale Law Journal. He was also the Director of Debating for Yale University while a law student.
Boris has served on a variety of legal organizations, including the Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law and the American Law Institute. He has been outside counsel to Palo Alto Community Eruv.
Boris has lectured at many law schools, including Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. He has published extensively on litigation and securities law topics (articles here).
Recent work
Select cases:
- He represented Genentech in all of its shareholder suits.
- He regularly represents Google (Alphabet) in its shareholder suits.
- He represented Snap in shareholder litigation growing out of its IPO.
Select clients
*Refers to separate lawsuits in different periods
Software companies:
- Autodesk*
- BEA Systems
- Business Objects
- Caere*
- Dataworks
- Engineering Animation*
- Evolving Systems
- Indus International
- Intuit
- Legato Systems
- Network Associates*
- New Era of Networks*
- Novell*
- Nuance Communications
- ParcPlace-Digitalk
- Platinum Software
- Portal Software
- Rational Software*
- Salesforce.com
- SupportSoft
- Sybase*
- Synopsys
- TCSI
- Tier Technologies
- Veritas*
Hardware companies:
- 3Com*
- Atmel
- Carrier Access
- Cylink
- Electronics for Imaging
- FileNet
- Hewlett-Packard*
- Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc.
- Lantronix
- Network Appliance
- OPTi
- Palm Computing
- Quantum
- Quintus
- Rambus*
- Read-Rite*
- Seagate
- Sigma Designs
- Silicon Graphics
- Sipex
- Smart Modular Technology
- Solectron
- Turnstone
- Tut Systems
- UT Starcom
- White Electronic Designs
Life sciences companies:
- AgriBioTec
- Genentech*
- Guidant*
- IntraBiotics
- Nektar
- Synergen
- Tularik
- VISX* (now part of Advanced Medical Optics)
Other technology-related companies:
- Businessland
- CBT Systems/SmartForce
- Centigram Communications
- Digital Microwave
- Loudcloud
- Merisel
- Netflix
- Perot Systems
- Quintiles Transnational
- Skillsoft
- Valence Technology
Non-technology companies:
- Coram Healthcare
- Cygne Designs
- Groupon
- LeapFrog
- Pixar
- Scientific Learning
- Silicon Valley Bank
- SLM International
- SmarTalk Teleservices
- USA Detergents
- 51job, Inc.
Qualifications
Education
- J.D., Yale Law School, 1980
Note & Topics Editor, Yale Law Journal (Volume 89); Director of Debating for Yale University - B.A., History, Yale College, 1977
Summa cum laude; With Distinction in History; Member, Phi Beta Kappa; National Merit Scholar; President, Yale Debate Association; Speaker, Yale Political Union
Associations and memberships
- Member, The American Law Institute
- Member, Board of Advisors, Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law
- Member, Board of Advisors, Stanford Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Honors
- Honored as the 2016 Bet-the-Company Litigation "Lawyer of the Year" for San Jose by Best Lawyers
- Honored as a "BTI Client Service All-Star" for 2015
- Named the 2012 San Francisco Litigation – Securities Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers
- Selected as one of Lawdragon's "100 Lawyers You Need to Know in Securities Litigation," 2008
- Named a top securities litigator in the 2004-2020 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, with peers describing him as "very wise, very able to take leadership on a case, and clearly in command of very complicated cases"
- Named in Northern California Super Lawyers, 2006-2018
- Selected for inclusion in The Legal 500 US
- Named to "Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America" list, 2006-2010
- Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America ever since its 1999-2000 edition, including recognition the 2007-2018 editions in the area of Bet-the-Company Litigation, and 2011-2018 editions in the areas of Commercial Litigation, M&A Litigation, Regulatory Enforcement Litigation, and Securities Litigation
- Profiled in the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Top Ten Lawyers
- Named by The Recorder (the California affiliate of American Lawyer) as the "go to" securities defense litigator in Northern California
- Included in the Los Angeles Daily Journal's list of the 100 most influential lawyers in California in 2002 and its list of top securities litigators in the state in 2005
- Named by The American Lawyer as one of the top 45 lawyers in the country under the age of 45 in 1995
- AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
Admissions
- Bar of the District of Columbia
- State Bar of California
- Supreme Court of California
- Various U.S. District Courts
- Various U.S. Courts of Appeals
- U.S. Supreme Court
Select speaking engagements
Boris has lectured on shareholder and disclosure issues before ALI-ABA, American Society of Corporate Secretaries, Nasdaq, National Investor Relations Institute, New York Stock Exchange, PLI, Professional Liability Underwriting Society, Risk & Insurance Management Society, SEC Institute, Stanford Directors' College, and Software Publishers Association. He has also lectured at several law schools, including UC Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.