Over his 20-plus years with Skadden, Lance Etcheverry — head of litigation in the firm’s Palo Alto office and co-head of the West Coast litigation practice — has developed a reputation as an aggressive litigator who is equally accomplished on both the plaintiff and the defense sides of disputes.
Etcheverry has secured in excess of $2.5 billion for his clients on the plaintiff side, while at the same time absolving his clients of well in excess of $1 trillion in liability on the defense side.
In addition to his expansive domestic and European practice, Etcheverry is a leader of Skadden’s litigation and arbitration practice for Asia-based clients and their domestic subsidiaries. Etcheverry represents clients in all facets of civil and criminal proceedings, including at trial, in arbitration hearings and on appeal. The breadth of Etcheverry’s experience includes work for foreign and domestic clients in industries such as technology, automotive, health care, financial services, oil and gas, retail, manufacturing, sports and entertainment, where he has successfully handled high-stakes class actions, individual litigations, business disputes, securities matters, enforcement proceedings and internal investigations.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2026 | International Litigation & Investigations |
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2026 | Complex Litigation |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2025 | International Litigation & Investigations |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2025 | Complex Litigation |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2024 | International Litigation & Investigations |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2024 | Complex Litigation |
| Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2023 | International Litigation & Investigations |
| Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2022 | Complex Litigation |
Some of Etcheverry’s notable representations and achievements include:
Class Actions
- Viking River Cruises in achieving a full dismissal, with prejudice, of a putative class action, including securing a post-dismissal settlement that required the plaintiffs to pay Viking’s attorneys’ fees
- Hyundai and Kia Motors Corporations in the dismissal of a nationwide class action alleging vehicle defects that resulted in vehicle fires causing serious injuries and property damage
- People’s Liberation in securities class actions and derivative actions alleging securities fraud and corporate waste. The case was dismissed outright with no payment from the company or its directors to the plaintiffs
- Samsung Electronics America, Inc. in securing the dismissal of a putative federal nationwide class action brought on behalf of late-model smart TV owners alleging breach of contract and fraud. This was recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the Top Verdicts of 2021 in California
- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. in securing the dismissal of more than $250 billion in claims asserted in 26 class actions for product defects and violations of the Federal Wiretap Act
Civil Proceedings
- a complete trial victory for Kia Motors Corporation and Kia Motors America, Inc., defeating allegations that the automaker and its U.S. subsidiary infringed a registered trademark. This case was selected by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of its Top Defense Verdicts of 2017
- Woori Bank of South Korea in securing the dismissal of claims exceeding €8 billion in an action in the Southern District of New York, including securing sanctions and contempt orders against the plaintiff and its counsel, and a criminal referral to the Department of Justice
- a $52 million judgment in favor of Korea Development Finance Corporation, a Korean private equity firm, against TagAZ, a large Russian automobile manufacturer
- successful constitutional challenge to California insurance statute on behalf of Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. in the United States Supreme Court
- preliminary and permanent injunctions on behalf of Atomico Ventures in litigations brought against individuals and entities that stole valuable information and trade secrets from the company
- Occidental Petroleum in the dismissal of multifaceted claims brought by a partner in one of its oil producing properties
Criminal Proceedings
- executives of SDI Future Health in connection with a 137-count federal health care fraud indictment. After proving a 4th Amendment violation that resulted in the suppression of more than 40 million pages of potential evidence, the government agreed to resolve the case for a plea to a single misdemeanor tax count, with no jail time or monetary fines imposed
- a prominent Chinese businessman in the successful defense of criminal tax evasion claims
- a large Hollywood studio in connection with an FBI investigation into a widespread fraud committed by its CFO and Controller
- a Silicon Valley executive in connection with claims stemming from alleged stock options backdating
- a well-known American businessman in connection with claims of alleged insider trading