SAN FRANCISCO — Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan’s reputation as one of the toughest firms to beat in a courtroom is on the line.

Starting Monday, a team of high-profile litigators led by Charles Verhoeven will defend Samsung Electronics Co. in front of a jury against Apple Inc.’s claims that it “slavishly” copied features of the iPad and iPhone in some of its Galaxy line of products, which includes smartphones and touchscreen tablets.