A litigation boutique based in Oakland, California, representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation.
The Norton Law Firm Congratulates Partner Esther Kim Chang for her Inclusion in Profiles in Leadership: 2025 Women Worth Watching in STEAM
The Norton Law Firm congratulates Esther Kim Chang for her inclusion in Profiles in Leadership: 2025 Women Worth Watching in STEAM. The publication showcases Esther’s personal experience as a woman in a STEAM field, along with her insights on how to move women forward in STEAM to remain competitive in a rapidly changing landscape.
In her nomination of Esther for this award, co-founder and partner Bree Hann pointed to Esther’s unique background in science, technology, and patent law including a master’s degree in chemical engineering and 20 years of handling significant intellectual property, trade secrets, and complex technology litigation. “These matters require deep analytical skills,” she said, “and Esther’s knowledge base removes the need for outside experts—when you have Esther, you have the answers.”
Esther has played a key role in high-stakes cases, including Waymo v. Uber and a billion-dollar smartphone jury verdict. She is a leader in cryptocurrency litigation in cases addressing the unsettled legal landscape of digital asset exchanges, as well as the applicability of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act to cryptocurrency platforms, a regulatory issue that could shape industry standards.
Esther’s path from working as a tour guide at MIT to pursuing graduate degrees, working in quantitative finance, and becoming a registered patent attorney is described in her STEAM award profile, in which she says, “There’s growing recognition that diverse skill sets and non-linear career paths often produce the most innovative solutions. The traditional model of staying in one field is giving way to professionals who can bridge multiple disciplines and bring unique perspectives to complex problems. I have been able to use the analytical thinking and problem-solving skills I gained from chemistry and quantitative finance in other areas—not just in those fields. When working on complex patent cases, the confidence in my ability to learn new, difficult things and understand technical concepts gave me a significant edge.”
Dedicated to mentorship, Esther supports junior attorneys, particularly women in the legal profession. She serves on the Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco board and is involved with CHIPS, an organization for women in tech law. Click here to read the full profile of Esther Kim Chang.