He spent the first 22 years of his career as a litigator and arbitration counsel in intellectual property disputes, including patent infringement and validity, trademarks, copyright, licensing, joint ventures, and co-development matters. He practised as an associate at Irell & Manella (1988–1992) and subsequently as partner at Coudert Brothers (1992–2006), Sheppard Mullin (2006–2009), and Arnold & Porter (2014–2016), based in Los Angeles, New York, and Shanghai. His practice covered a wide range of sectors, primarily in technology and life sciences, including pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, entertainment technology and content licensing, systems design, haptics, hardware and software, as well as renewable energy (solar and wind).