Craig Holden

Partner

Craig.Holden@lewisbrisbois.com

Craig Holden is the Administrative Partner of the Los Angeles office and serves as national Co-Chair of the firm’s Complex Business and Intellectual Property Practices.

A seasoned first-chair trial lawyer, Mr. Holden has successfully litigated high-stakes matters in state and federal courts nationwide. One judge, in a post-trial order, described his performance as “exceptionally well-tried,” comparing it to “chess masters” at work or “professional pitchers throwing…no hitters.” In addition to his active trial practice, he has served as lead counsel in numerous international and domestic arbitrations.

Mr. Holden’s clients range widely from NASDAQ 100 companies and global corporations to entrepreneurs and entertainment industry leaders. His practice spans complex business, intellectual property and shareholder disputes, entertainment law and other contested commercial transactions. He has served as lead counsel in all types of IP disputes including copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secrets litigation – representing both plaintiffs and defendants – involving IP ranging from advanced computer technology to Grammy Award winning music.

Clients turn to Mr. Holden for his ability to distill complexity into clear strategies, his cut-to-the-chase focus and results-oriented approach.  

Mr. Holden’s accomplishments have earned him repeated recognition within the legal industry.  He has been named to the 2026 Lawdragon "500 Leading Litigators in America," repeatedly recognized in the “Best Lawyers in America” edition by his peers, as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California” by the Daily Journal, selected to Super Lawyers by Thompson Reuters, named “Minority Power Broker” by Law360, “Most Influential Black Lawyer” by Savoy Magazine, and “Advocate of the Year” by Public Counsel.

Mr. Holden is a member of the firm’s management committee, and has served on various corporate and charitable boards. He has also held leadership roles in multiple think tank and civic organizations, including a leadership council for the Rand Corporation, a non-partisan think-tank focused on cutting edge issues relating to business regulation and civic justice.

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Complex Business & Commercial Litigation
  • Intellectual Property & Technology
  • Directors & Officers Litigation
  • Trade Secrets & Non-Compete Disputes
  • National Trial Practice

Additional Experience

Admissions

California

United States District Court for the Northern District of California

United States District Court for the Southern District of California

United States District Court for the Eastern District of California

United States District Court for the Central District of California

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Associations

  • Young President’s Organization 
  • Chancery Club of Los Angeles
  • Life member, John M. Langston Bar Association 
  • Life member, California Association of Black Lawyers 
  • Board of Governors, University of California, Hastings College of Law (past)
  • SoCal 50 Leadership Council, Rand Corporation (past)
  • Board of Directors, Boulé Charitable Foundation, Gamma Zeta Chapter (past)
  • Board of Directors, California Minority Counsel Program (past)
  • President, State Bar of California (past)
  • Chairman, Courts Committee, Assoc. of Business Trial Lawyers, LA (past)
  • Chairman, IP Litigation Committee, CA State Bar IP Section (past)
  • Chairman, Council on Access & Fairness, State Bar of California (past)
  • Board Member/Expert on Supplier Diversity, Insurance Diversity Taskforce, California Department of Insurance (past)

Awards & Honors

  • Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America”
  • "Top 100 Lawyers," Los Angeles Business Journal
  • “Best Lawyers in America, 2023-2026 Commercial Litigation
  • “Top 100 Lawyers in California,” Daily Journal
  • Selected to Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters
  • “Advocate of the Year,” by Public Counsel
  • Leadership Award, Bench-Bar Coalition
  • “Most Influential Black Lawyer,” Savoy Magazine
  • “Minority Power Broker,” Law360.com
  • Corporate Leadership Award, BWL of Los Angeles
  • Presidential Award, National Bar Association
  • “Top Litigators,” Los Angeles Business Journal

Professional Presentations

  • Government Investigations & White-Collar Enforcement in The Biden/Harris Administration – What to Expect and How to Prepare, Lewis Brisbois webinar
  • Best Practices in Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition Litigation, Lewis Brisbois webinar
  • Best Practices for Data & Privacy Breach, Hosted by Microsoft, Staples Center Los Angeles
  • Access to Justice with Business to Business Litigation, by the UCLA-RAND Center for Law & Public Policy, RAND Corporation Campus
  • Mistakes Litigators Make Representing Big Companies, National Bar Association, Doral Resort & Spa, Miami, FL
  • Reducing Legal Costs with Cutting Edge Technology, Corporate Counsel Magazine, Harvard Club, New York, NY
  • Nuts & Bolts on TROs, Injunctions & Seizure Orders, 35th Annual IP Institute, Silverado Country Club, Napa, CA
  • Top Ten Winning Trial Strategies, Moderator, 29th Annual California Intellectual Property Institute
  • Strategies for Taking and Defending Expert and Lay Witness Depositions, National Institute of Trial Advocacy, St. Paul, MN

Education

University of California School of Law, San Francisco

Juris Doctor

University of California, Los Angeles

Bachelor of Arts

Publications

"Judge upholds rare defense verdict in $250M+ solar investment case," Daily Journal