SAN FRANCISCO — As the old trope goes, there are two sides to every story.

Earlier this month Apple Inc. filed an astonishing motion to disqualify opposing counsel in a Northern District patent suit. The tech giant accused a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, one of Apple’s longtime go-to law firms, of secretly orchestrating legal strategy and advising plaintiffs counsel even as he had access to reams of confidential Apple materials.