Gavin Masuda is an associate in the San Francisco office of Latham & Watkins. His practice focuses on securities litigation and intellectual property. In the Securities Litigation arena, Mr. Masuda’s practice focuses on the defense of “Big Four” accounting firms, in a wide range of litigation and non-litigation (i.e. investigatory) situations, against allegations of professional malpractice. Based on this experience, as well as his degrees in both accounting and finance, Mr. Masuda has substantial expertise in complex financial reporting requirements under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), the auditor’s professional obligations under Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS), as well as federal and state law concerning accountant’s liability claims. In addition, Mr. Masuda represents issuers of securities against claims arising under the federal securities laws, and corporate executives against claims of gross negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.

In the Intellectual Property arena, Mr. Masuda’s practice focuses on trade secrets misappropriation and contractual protections for intellectual property. In particular, Mr. Masuda has litigated a wide range of issues involving misappropriation based on “improper use” of trade secrets in violation of licensing agreements, and worked extensively with expert witnesses to develop defenses to misappropriation claims.

Mr. Masuda also maintains an active pro bono practice in the areas of immigration and post-conviction DNA testing. In 2009, he was recognized for his pro bono work by the Asian Law Caucus. Mr. Masuda was also awarded a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for his service to the community.