John Gray
- Firmwide Vice Chair, Trademark, Copyright, Internet & Advertising Practice; Firmwide Co-Chair, Trade Secrets
- Phoenix
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John brings a practical approach to helping companies navigate their most complex challenges, representing clients in prominent business and intellectual property cases and counseling them on managing high-risk matters.
John Gray advises well-known technology clients across the country on complex business and intellectual property disputes. He also regularly counsels clients on mitigating litigation risk in the area of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Having spent time on the Arizona State Bar’s Civil Practice and Procedure Committee and worked directly with federal judges in Phoenix, John is skilled in all aspects of litigation. This includes initial case assessment, pleadings, and e-discovery, as well as dispositive and procedural motions, evidentiary hearings, trial, and appeal and settlement negotiations. He also has significant experience representing both large and small companies in disputes over trademark enforcement, patent infringement, licensing, copyright infringement, employment and noncompetition agreements, false advertising, marketing law, and an array of contract and business tort issues.
John serves as a lawyer representative to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, helping foster open communications between judges and lawyers and providing support and advice in the functioning of the court. He twice worked on Perkins Coie’s Pro Bono Team of the Year, assisting Guantanamo Bay detainee Noor Uthman Muhammed and later helping approximately 36,000 prison inmates achieve a favorable settlement in a three-year class-action lawsuit alleging that Arizona inmates receive unconstitutional healthcare and conditions of confinement.
Outside of his legal practice, John enjoys serving the community. In 2018, inspired by his four-year-old daughter, he led a team to raise nearly $230,000 in 10 weeks for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and, in doing so, was named the 2018 LLS “Man of the Year.” He also regularly raises funds for Phoenix Children’s Hospital and local nonprofit organizations.
Areas of focus
Industries
Services
Education & Credentials
Education
- Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, Order of the Coif, Associate Note and Comment Editor, Arizona State Law Journal, 2009
- Arizona State University, B.S., Political Science, Emphasis in Public Advocacy and Lobbying, summa cum laude, 2005
Bar and Court Admissions
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Arizona
- U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Related Employment
- The Hon. Michael Daly Hawkins, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Phoenix, AZ, Legal Extern, 2008
- Perkins Coie Brown & Bain, P.A., Phoenix, AZ, Summer Associate, 2008
- Hon. David G. Campbell, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, Legal Extern, 2007-2008
- Mariscal, Weeks, McIntyre & Friedlander, P.A., Phoenix, AZ, Summer Law Clerk, 2007
- Office of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Office of Boards and Commissions, Deputy Director, Phoenix, AZ, 2005-2006
Clerkships
- Hon. G. Murray Snow, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
Professional Recognition
Recommended in Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000, 2023; Trade Secrets, 2023
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America: Commercial Litigation; Copyright Law, 2023-2025; Trade Secrets Law, 2025
Recognized as "Young Lawyer of the Year Finalist (Beyond Practice)" by The American Lawyer, 2022
Recognized as a “40 Under 40” by the Phoenix Business Journal, 2020
Listed as a “Rising Star” in Southwest Super Lawyers, 2015 – 2023
Impact
Professional Leadership
- State Bar of Arizona, Civil Practice and Procedure Committee
- Arizona Asian American Bar Association, Board of Directors
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), 2014 Convention Local Host Committee
- ABA Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy
- Arizona Bar Leadership Institute
- American Bar Association
- State Bar of Arizona
- Maricopa County Bar Association
Community Involvement
- HustlePhx, Workshop Speaker and Facilitator
- Phoenix Children's Hospital, Emerging Leaders
- 2018 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society “Man of the Year” – raised nearly $230,000 in 10 weeks