Nick Goldberg specializes in high-stakes complex civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense. His clients include established companies, start-ups, government entities, and executives across a broad range of industries, including software, financial services, internet security, pharmaceuticals, professional sports, and venture capital.
Nick has litigated a wide variety of complex civil cases in federal and state courts, at both the trial and appellate levels, and in arbitration proceedings. He has handled disputes involving intellectual property, contract, fraud, professional liability, antitrust, securities, and corporate law. Nick also has extensive experience helping guide venture-backed companies, founders, executives, and investors through disputes involving trade secrets, employee mobility, fiduciary duties, confidentiality agreements, and other contract issues.
In his criminal practice, Nick represents companies and executives in internal and government investigations, including those by the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, California Attorney General, and other government agencies. He has experience in matters involving allegations of securities fraud, insider trading, anticompetitive conduct, and campaign finance offenses.
Nick maintains an active pro bono practice representing clients in high-impact litigation. He was awarded the 2018 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) award by the Daily Journal for his representation of the County of Santa Clara in successfully challenging President Donald J. Trump’s January 2017 Executive Order attempting to defund “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
Cases of Note
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OpenAI Copyright Cases
OpenAI tapped Keker as lead trial counsel in a series of copyright lawsuits that will establish the boundaries of copyright fair use as applied to generative AI. The cases include…
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Oregon State University v. The Pac-12 Conference
We represented Oregon State University in a lawsuit against the Pac-12 Conference to determine control of the Pac-12, in the wake of the announced departures of 10 conference members. We…
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Mickelson et al. v. PGA TOUR
We represented the PGA TOUR in an antitrust lawsuit filed by 11 professional golfers who left the PGA TOUR and joined LIV Golf. We defeated plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary…
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TopDevz v. LinkedIn
We defended LinkedIn against a nationwide putative class action alleging fraud, unfair competition, false advertising, and other claims arising from allegedly invalid activity on LinkedIn’s ad platform. We won a…
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CoStar v. CREXi
We represented Commercial Real Estate Exchange, Inc. (CREXi), a fast-growing online commercial real estate marketplace, in competitor litigation against industry giant CoStar. After CoStar filed a complaint against CREXi alleging…
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In re: Xyrem Antitrust Litigation
We represent Par Pharmaceutical in an antitrust case alleging an anti-competitive reverse payment arising out of a patent litigation settlement concerning the narcolepsy medication Xyrem® (sodium oxybate).
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United States v. Executive
We represented a senior executive of a national bank in an investigation involving three United States Attorneys’ Offices, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve Bank, and the Office…
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United States v. Christopher Lischewski
We defended the former CEO of Bumble Bee Foods in a five-week jury trial in the Northern District of California against charges that he conspired to fix prices of canned…
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CEO v. Co-Founder and Investor
We represented the CEO of an information security company against a co-founder and investor who were trying to push the CEO out of the company he founded. We devised a…
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County of Santa Clara v. Trump
Representing the County of Santa Clara, we won a nationwide injunction against President Trump’s 2017 executive order that attempted to defund state and local governments deemed to be “sanctuary jurisdictions.”…
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Plaintiff v. Law Firm
Following a week-long arbitration, we secured a complete defense verdict for our law firm client in a malpractice action arising from a $30 million unsuccessful real estate deal involving a…
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San Diego County Water Authority v. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
For more than a decade, we have represented the San Diego County Water Authority in litigation against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), the regional water wholesaler for…
News & Events
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How Keker Notched an Assist in the Pac-12’s Comeback
Tailgate parties, marching bands, and packed stadiums mean college football season is in full swing. Behind the familiar fall traditions and storied rivalries, Keker, Van Nest & Peters recently steered the …
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Hims & Hers Says Privacy Policy, Disclosures Foil FTC Suit
Keker, Van Nest & Peters has asked a federal judge to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission suit against Hims & Hers Health Inc. arguing that the government ignored the company’s disclosures to manufacture…
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California Powerhouse: Keker, Van Nest & Peters
Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP partners helped Google and Netflix beat major patent litigation in the past year, while representing OpenAI and other tech companies in precedent-setting IP cases, and fostering a st…
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17 Keker Partners Named Among Lawdragon’s Leading Litigators for 2027
Seventeen Keker, Van Nest & Peters lawyers have been named among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America for 2027. The annual guide recognizes lawyers’ exceptional work in handling disputes in areas inclu…
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Pac-12, Mountain West Reach Agreement to Settle in Realignment Litigation
The Pac-12 Conference, represented by Keker, Van Nest & Peters, and the Mountain West Conference have reached an agreement in principle to resolve federal litigation over $55 million in “poaching” fees tied to …
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Daily Journal Top Antitrust Lawyers: Nicholas Goldberg
Nicholas Goldberg has spent 15 years practicing antitrust law, building on a foundation laid by his parents. His mother was one of the first women to make partner at her firm in New Mexico, and his father has s…
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Keker Joins ABA in Celebrating Pro Bono Work
At Keker, Van Nest & Peters, pro bono work is an integral part of our firm. From challenging illegal mass deportation tactics, to pushing for criminal justice reform, to fighting for the rights of individuals a…
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Judge Denies Mountain West’s Motion to Dismiss Pac-12’s Conference Realignment Lawsuit
On behalf of the Pac-12 Conference, Keker Van Nest & Peters attorneys defeated a motion to dismiss its antitrust lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference for “poaching fees” imposed by the MWC related to co…
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Law360 Names Keker, Van Nest & Peters a 2025 California Powerhouse
Law360 has named Keker, Van Nest & Peters a 2025 California Powerhouse, recognizing the firm for its high-profile victories and distinctive culture. The feature highlights Keker’s wins for clients such as Netfl…
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Big Tech’s Refusal-To-Deal Hits a Wall: Judges
Big tech’s refusal-to-deal defenses against antitrust claims are not convincing courts, according to a Law360 analysis. The report highlights cases where courts rejected arguments from large tech companie…
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Momentum Builds for CREXi, as Judge Clears Path to Trial in IP Row
A California federal judge denied both CoStar and CREXi’s partial summary judgment motions in CoStar’s copyright suit, clearing a path to trial in the same week the Ninth Circuit revived CREXi’s antitrust count…
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9th Circuit Revives Antitrust Counterclaims Against Real Estate Data Company CoStar
Keker, Van Nest & Peters won an appeal on Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals reviving most of client Crexi’s antitrust counterclaims against industry rival CoStar in a unanimous opinion.
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Lawsuit Seeks to End Unconstitutional and Inhumane Conditions in New Mexico Prisons
Keker, Van Nest & Peters and the ACLU of New Mexico filed a lawsuit on behalf of three individuals held in the Penitentiary of New Mexico that seeks to end the practice of long-term solitary confinement in the …
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Law360’s Sports & Betting Groups of the Year: Keker, Van Nest & Peters
In a Law360 profile, Keker, Van Nest & Peters partners Nick Goldberg, Adam Lauridsen and Eric MacMichael reflect on the influence the firm has had on the legal landscape of professional and collegiate athletics…
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Nick Goldberg Featured Among Daily Journal’s Top Antitrust Lawyers in California
Nick Goldberg is included on the Daily Journal’s annual list of Top Antitrust Lawyers in California.
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Keker Argues for 9th Circuit to Revive CREXi’s Antitrust Claims Against Rival CoStar
Keker partner Nicholas Goldberg presented CREXi’s appeal to a 9th Circuit panel of judges, arguing that a lower court misapplied the legal standard for a motion to dismiss, and that CREXi’s antitrust countercla…
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters Wins Emergency TRO in Pac-12 Governance Dispute
Representing Oregon State University, a Keker, Van Nest & Peters team secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Pac-12 Conference from holding an unauthorized September 13 board meeting.
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters Team Named Litigators of the Week, Runners-Up
The Am Law Litigation Daily has named a team from Keker, Van Nest & Peters among its Litigators of the Week Runners-Up for winning a temporary restraining order that blocks the Pac-12 Conference from holding an…
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Am Law Litigation Daily: Another Dose of Litigator of the Week Runners-Up and Shout Outs
Litigators at Keker, Van Nest & Peters land runners-up honors in the case they’re handling for the PGA Tour involving antitrust claims brought by suspended golfers who have joined the professional golf tour’s u…
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Federal judge denies LIV golfers bid for PGA Tour postseason
A federal judge in California ruled Tuesday that three golfers who joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf will not be able to compete in the PGA Tour’s postseason.
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters Elects Four Attorneys to Partner
Keker, Van Nest & Peters is pleased to announce that the firm has elected associates Nicholas Goldberg, Thomas Gorman, Elizabeth McCloskey, and Erin Meyer to its partnership effective January 1, 2019.
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters Team Wins 2018 CLAY Award
Keker Attorneys Help Get Key Victory in a Fight Over Immigration, Federal Funding
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Calif. Judge Permanently Blocks ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Order
A California federal judge on Monday permanently blocked the enforcement of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January that calls for withholding federal funds from so-called sanctuary citie…
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Trump’s Order Attacking Sanctuary Cities Ruled Unconstitutional
In a historic ruling issued today, U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick declared unconstitutional the key provision of the Trump Administration’s Executive Order targeting “sanctuary jurisdictions,” and …
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Court Denies Trump’s Efforts to Undo Injunction Blocking “Sanctuary Cities” Exec. Order
A U.S. District Court has denied the federal government’s request to reconsider a preliminary injunction blocking President Donald Trump’s Executive Order defunding “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
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SF Federal Judge Blocks Trump Order
Keker, Van Nest & Peter’s win blocking President Trump’s Executive Order to defund “sanctuary jurisdictions” was featured in the Daily Journal
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Between Trump and his Justice Department lawyers, a vast disconnect
Keker, Van Nest & Peter’s win blocking Pres. Trump’s Executive Order to defund “sanctuary jurisdictions” was featured in Alison Frankel’s On The Case column for Reuters.
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Q&A With Pro Bono Lawyer Who Helped Block Trump’s Sanctuary Executive Order
The nationwide injunction to block Trump’s executive order defunding sanctuary cities was a win for lawyers for Santa Clara County and their pro bono counsel at Keker Van Nest & Peters.
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County of Santa Clara Wins Nationwide Injunction of Trump’s Executive Order Defunding “Sanctuary Jurisdictions”
In a historic ruling issued today, U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick granted the County of Santa Clara’s request to temporarily enjoin President Trump and his administration from enforcing an Executiv…
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Trump Crackdown Confronts Sanctuary Fight, Skeptical Judge
During a recent hearing in which Keker, Van Nest & Peters represented Santa Clara County, Bloomberg news reported that Trump’s Executive Order Targeting Sanctuary Jurisdictions was met with skepticism from a fe…
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters Sues Trump over Sanctuary Jurisdictions Order
In conjunction with the County of Santa Clara, KVP attorneys have sued the Trump Administration over the President’s Executive Order threatening to deny “sanctuary jurisdictions” federal funds.
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Keker & Van Nest Filed an Amicus Brief for Amnesty International on Behalf of Chelsea Manning
Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, was sentenced in a military court for leaking about half a million classified documents to the secret-spilling WikiLeaks site.
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Victories for Instacart, Qualcomm, and the San Diego County Water Authority Earn Recognition in the Recorder’s Litigation Department of the Year Awards
The awards recognize California litigation practices that delivered exceptional results on their clients’ most critical and challenging matters.
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters Wins California’s Top Plaintiff’s Verdict by Dollar
John Keker and his team brought in nearly $235 million for the San Diego County Water Authority. The big win was a key installment in California’s ongoing water wars, made increasingly urgent by four dry years.
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$44M Awarded in Water Case – Damages Follow $188M Ruling in Suit Over Rates
John Keker, Dan Purcell and their team secured another victory for the San Diego County Water Authority.
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San Diego Owed $188M Over Alleged Water Row Overcharges
John Keker and his team win a major victory for the San Diego region.
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Historic Win for County Water Authority over MWD Villains
Keker & Van Nest helped the San Diego County Water Authority triumph in its long-standing battle with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California over millions in water transportation fees.
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Publications
- Reviewing 2019’s White Collar Cases And Controversies, Law360, 2020, co-authored with Brook Dooley, Eric MacMichael, and Cecily Harris.
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2017 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2018, co-authored with Brook Dooley, Eric MacMichael, and Cecily Harris
- “The Road to Hell: The Case Against Solitary Confinement,” NACDL’s The Champion, March 2017, co-authored with Dan Jackson
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2016 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2017, co-authored with Brook Dooley and Eric MacMichael
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2015 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2016, co-authored with Brook Dooley and Eric MacMichael