Biography
Recognized as a 2024 Dealmaker of the Year by The American Lawyer and as the 2023 California Attorney of the Year by The Recorder, Nader A. Mousavi is a partner of Sullivan & Cromwell, resident in its Palo Alto Office and co-head of the Firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Group and the Artificial Intelligence Practice.
Widely considered one of the top technology deal lawyers in the world, Nader led the representation of OpenAI in its multi-billion dollar partnership with Microsoft and advises clients across industries in their strategies on the adoption, governance and commercialization of artificial intelligence. Nader has been described by his clients as “an amazing lawyer and trusted legal and business partner … [with] a unique ability to think outside the box and meet company goals. There’s nobody better when you take into account substantive knowledge, composed demeanor and negotiation ability.” (IAM Patent 1000). He is ranked Band 1 by Chambers in Technology Transactions in California, and has been recognized by leading industry publications, including as a two-time Law360 MVP in technology and as one of the “The World’s Leading IP Strategists” and as a “Global Leader” by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM).
For more than 25 years, Nader has focused his practice on technology-intensive mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and collaborations, as well as the licensing of rights in intellectual property (such as patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets), data, content, pharmaceuticals, software and other technology. His clients range from Fortune 50 companies to leading edge innovators and investors.
A distinguished thought-leader in the field, Nader has served as a Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School since 2016, where he teaches a course on the Business and Law of Patent and Technology Licensing. Nader served as the law school’s National Reunion Chair (2015 – 2019), and was the recipient of the Stanford University Associates Governors’ Award for exemplary and long-standing volunteer service to Stanford University (2019).
Earlier in his career, Nader served as the general counsel of a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company through its acquisition, as interim counsel to Cisco’s IP telephony business, and as a summer honors law clerk in the antitrust division of the United States Department of Justice.
