For lawyers, there’s nothing quite like a trial win in high-stakes litigation. Unfortunately for clients, the biggest verdicts are often the most vulnerable on appeal.

Over the past four decades, Irell & Manella’s Morgan Chu has built a reputation not just for winning intellectual property cases, but for making the wins stick. His victories have led to “actual payments” to clients totaling more than $5 billion, including verdicts, settlements and judgments, according to Irell.