Eric Kraeutler has decades of experience representing clients in complex, high-stakes litigation—including trials, arbitrations, appeals, and government investigations. As a member of the firm’s litigation practice and the former global leader of the firm’s intellectual property practice, Eric has achieved distinction across a broad range of matters. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2013–20) and Best Lawyers in America (2008–19). Chambers USA has described Eric as "very smooth in court," "a very good manager of complex matters," “a good strategic thinker,” and “absolutely magic.” Eric is a former Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and a former Special Deputy Pennsylvania Attorney General.
Eric represents clients in a range of industries, including healthcare, technology, life sciences, and energy. Eric has litigated and tried patent infringement, licensing dispute, trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters, as well as a variety of commercial disputes. He has similarly broad experience representing clients in government investigations, with a particular emphasis on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and environmental crimes. Eric regularly counsels companies on corporate compliance and crisis and risk management issues.
Eric served as leader of the firm’s intellectual property practice from 2014-20, during which time the practice grew to include more than 200 lawyers and other professionals across our global offices. In 2019, Morgan Lewis was named IP Litigation Practice of the Year by The American Lawyer and IP Practice Group of the Year by Law360.
In addition to his practice group responsibilities, Eric is in his fourth term as a member of the firm's Advisory Board and has served as Lead Advisory Board Member. For many years, Eric served as Morgan Lewis's firmwide hiring partner, and he was a founding member of the firm's Diversity Committee.
Within the community, Eric serves as Vice Chair of the political watchdog group the Committee of Seventy. He also serves on the board of the InterAct Theater Company and served for many years as a national board member and secretary of Back on My Feet, an organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless populations through running. As the former Chair of the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, Eric earned the highest honor the society bestows on volunteers for service to persons with MS and their families.
In the 1990s, as a Special Deputy Attorney General, Eric oversaw the indictment of Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen, and testified before the Pennsylvania Senate at the historic impeachment trial of Justice Larsen.
Intellectual Property/Licensing Litigation
FCPA, Anti-Bribery, and Other International Investigations
Other White Collar Litigation and Government Investigations Defense
Commercial Litigation
Ranked, Litigation: General Commercial, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia & Surrounds, Chambers USA (2013–2020)
Ranked, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, Pennsylvania, Chambers USA (2017–2020)
Recommended, Intellectual property: Patents: Licensing, The Legal 500 US (2019)
Recommended, Intellectual property: Patents: Litigation (full coverage), The Legal 500 US (2019, 2020)
Recommended, Intellectual property: Patents: Prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings), The Legal 500 US (2019, 2020)
Recommended, Intellectual property: Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing), The Legal 500 US (2018)
Recognized, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Philadelphia; Litigation – Intellectual Property, Philadelphia, The Best Lawyers in America (2008–2019)
Recognized, IP Patent Star, Managing Intellectual Property (2018–2020)
Recognized, IP Trademark Star – Pennsylvania, Managing Intellectual Property (2018, 2019)
Recognized, "Best of the Bar," Philadelphia Business Journal (2017)
Life Sciences Star, Intellectual Property, LMG Life Sciences (2017–2020)
Recognized, Acritas Star Lawyer (2017)
Recommended, US Legal 500 Volume 2: Intellectual Property, Media, Technology and Telecoms (2007 & 2008)
Recognized, IAM Patent 1000—The World’s Leading Patent Professionals (2017–2020)
Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
Former Chairman, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Delaware Valley Chapter
Board Member, Committee of 70 (the Philadelphia region’s preeminent political watchdog organization)
Emeritus Trustee, Princeton Tower Club
Awarded the Norman Cohn Hope Award by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (the highest honor given to volunteers by the Society for service on behalf of persons with multiple sclerosis and their families)
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