In a patent showdown between rivals in the network security space, jurors in the East Texas courtroom of U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap found on Friday that Apcon did not infringe any of the six asserted claims of five different Gigamon patents. What’s more, after just two hours of deliberations, the jurors found all six claims Gigamon asserted at trial invalid.

That overwhelming defense result landed APCON’s lead counsel, Kirkland & Ellis partners Adam Alper and Michael De Vries, Litigator of the Week honors. The win marks the second time that Alper and De Vries have brought home a major trial win while also navigating courtroom protocols designed to keep courtroom participants safe during the pandemic. Alper and De Vries, who try all their cases together, previously were named Litigators of the Week alongside partner Gianni Cutri in October for winning an $855 million trade secret jury verdict for Cognizant in one of the first in-person civil jury trials held in New York federal court during the pandemic.