Managing Confidential Information Risk in M&A Transactions: Lessons from Propel v. Phillips 66
Thursday, July 31, 2025
5:00 – 8:00 pm
5:00 pm: Drinks and hors d’oeuvres
6:00 pm: Panel discussion
Kobre & Kim
150 California Street, Floor 19
San Francisco, CA 94111
The stakes in a potential merger or acquisition can be high. The consequences from a broken deal can be great. The target will have shared its most valuable secrets, which, upon termination, the would-be acquirer cannot use. If the information is mishandled or worse, the resulting legal consequences can skyrocket. This panel will examine those risks from broken deals and discuss lessons for how to avoid them.
Please join us for an engaging discussion with Michael Ng and Daniel Zaheer, lead counsel for the plaintiff in Propel v. Phillips 66, in which an unconsummated M&A resulted in a $604.9 million jury verdict for their client. Panelists will discuss Propel v. Phillips 66 and address other examples of the rising prevalence of trade secret litigation as a vehicle for litigating competitor and deal-related disputes.
You are warmly invited to a wine and hors d'oeuvres reception hosted by HLSA of NorCal and Kobre & Kim preceding the panel discussion.
Please RSVP by July 29, 2025.
About Michael Ng
Michael Ng leads Kobre & Kim’s global intellectual property and technology litigation practice. He has led some of the highest-stakes trade secret and patent infringement litigations of the past decade, and is regularly asked to represent clients from around the world in bet-the-company courtroom disputes. Mr. Ng is also recognized for his strategic and business advice, including the protection of IP assets, investments in IP-centered transactions, and cross-border monetization.
Based in San Francisco, Mr. Ng has devoted much of his career to public service. He currently serves as board chair of the Asian Law Caucus, board member and chair emeritus of the East Bay Community Law Center, and co-chair of the Judiciary Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area. He served as a Skadden Fellow for a grass roots civil rights nonprofit in rural Mississippi, and two stints in the New York City government, the latter as a legal advisor on terrorism preparedness following the September 11 attacks, as well as National Volunteer Coordinator for the voter protection program of the first Obama presidential campaign.
Mr. Ng graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2001 and magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1995.
Mr. Ng, along with Mr. Zaheer, co-led the team that represented Propel Fuels Inc. in California’s Alameda County Superior Court in Propel Fuels, Inc. v. Phillips 66 Company.
About Daniel Zaheer
Daniel Zaheer is a partner in the San Francisco office of Kobre & Kim. He is a trial lawyer representing clients in high-value trade secret, patent, and other commercial disputes. Mr. Zaheer has acted as lead counsel in matters with over a billion dollars in controversy, and has obtained multiple nine-figure recoveries on behalf of plaintiffs. As counsel for defendants in high-stakes commercial disputes, Mr. Zaheer has successfully overcome nine- and ten-figure claims. Among other recognition, Mr. Zaheer has been named a “Top Intellectual Property Lawyer” and “Top Trade Secrets Lawyer” by the Daily Journal, is listed in the IAM Patent 1000, and has been featured as Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer.
Prior to joining Kobre & Kim, Mr. Zaheer practiced at Quinn Emanuel and Kerr & Wagstaffe LLP. Earlier in his career, Mr. Zaheer served as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the Honorable Raymond C. Fisher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also served as deputy city attorney for the City and County of San Francisco. Mr. Zaheer is a 2004 graduate of the Stanford Law School, with Distinction and Order of the Coif.
Mr. Zaheer, along with Mr. Ng, served as co-lead trial counsel for Propel Fuels Inc. in California’s Alameda County Superior Court in Propel Fuels, Inc. v. Phillips 66 Company.
