Keker, Van Nest & Peters is proud to announce that partners Cody Gray, Bailey Heaps, Katie Lynn Joyce, Christina Lee have been named among the 2026 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation.
“The remarkable lawyers featured here chose a path to the law, sacrificed the long hours and investment required to get through law school and the bar and start a career,” Lawdragon wrote.
Included in the announcement was a special profile of Lee, noting that she “has represented major technology clients in cutting-edge privacy class action cases, and leading firms in high-profile patent litigation matters involving artificial intelligence, video streaming and medical devices.” The piece mentioned Lee’s collaborative work with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and the ACLU in filing a federal lawsuit for immigrant families who were separated by authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Gray’s recognition reflects his extensive experience representing companies, nonprofits, and individuals in white-collar criminal matters. He handles high-stakes civil disputes, internal and government investigations, and criminal cases involving allegations such as fraud, insider trading, bribery, and money laundering. He is also part of the team defending Children’s Hospital Colorado challenging a U.S. Department of Justice subpoena seeking sensitive information related to gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
Heaps’ experience includes biotech, life sciences, technology, and other complex business disputes. His practice spans milestone and royalty disputes, partnership and contract claims, and fiduciary duty and intellectual property litigation. Heaps’ work included representing the Vividion Therapeutics’ founding chemist in defeating claims that he conspired to divert intellectual property from Vividion’s $2 billion sale to Bayer.
Joyce has litigated cases in state and federal courts and arbitration, and has served on successful trial teams that secured significant recoveries for clients. She was on the team representing Netflix in a 12-patent lawsuit brought by Broadcom, successfully invalidating nine patents and securing dismissal of the remaining three, resulting in a final judgment in Netflix’s favor.
See the complete list of the 2026 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation here.
