Irell & Manella secured a $2.3 billion final judgement for VLSI Technology Inc. in a lawsuit against Intel Corp. involving two microprocessor technology patents, helping earn the firm a place as a finalist for the Tech Industry Litigation Team of the Year as part of the The Recorder's California Legal Awards.

Irell partners Keith Orso and Ben Hattenbach recently caught up with The Recorder about how the firm developed expertise in the increasingly smaller set of courts and agencies deciding important technology law cases.