-
Recommended
Highly Recommended
Wiggin and Dana is routinely referenced as “arguably the strongest and deepest firm in Connecticut.” While the firm certainly has a foothold on the Nutmeg State – with six offices (New Haven, Hartford, Stamford, Greenwich, Westport and Madison) here alone – it is also has a more expansive footprint that encompasses Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Florida, housing a total of approximately 70 litigators. The firm is also recognized outside the state’s boundaries for its work, with appellate work on a national level and even incorporating international aspects. “Wiggin and Dana are big in the insurance world,” testifies one peer. “They represent the Hartford nationwide and they also do some work for Zurich.” Another insists, “You’ve got to respect Wiggin and Dana. They even have close ties with Cravath [Swaine and Moore]! You don’t get that kind of alliance unless you’ve got the goods.”
Specifically, Benjamin Diessel, who operates from New Haven and New York, is noted as “a Cravath alum,” who peers acknowledge as “a great guy and a real asset to that [Wiggin] firm. He is in that sweet spot with antitrust and tech!” Illustrating this assertion, Diessel works as co-counsel with the aforementioned Cravath representing Epic Games, the maker of the popular videogame Fortnite, against Apple in what has been called “the World War III of antitrust” regarding the availability of Fortnite on Apple’s app store. Similar actions are being litigated against Google. Diessel also works with New York-based future star
Nathan Denning as lead counsel representing Aurobindo Pharma USA in a multi-district litigation in which the plaintiffs, which include putative classes, individual companies, and State Attorneys General representing virtually all US states, allege price-fixing and market-allocation conspiracies in the pricing of generic pharmaceuticals. These matters had been ongoing for several years before the Wiggin pair was engaged to take over lead counsel responsibilities from prior counsel to optimally position the case for trial.
The appeals practice at Wiggin has taken on national-level proportions and is naturally equally well revered in Connecticut. “I really like their appellate practice,” opines a local peer. “I think that is the premier [appellate practice] in the state. It was 20 years ago, it is now.” New Haven’s Jonathan Freiman represents Elm City institution Yale University in a putative class action filed in the District of Connecticut brought by an undergraduate at Yale alleging unjust enrichment in violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, all allegedly arising out of Yale’s transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and its use of a hybrid learning model in the 2020-2021 school year. The plaintiff initially claimed that he, and every student in all of Yale’s 14 graduate, professional and undergraduate schools, were owed refunds of the tuition that they paid during the remote-learning period. After a Wiggin team prevailed at several trial and lower-court appeals, the plaintiff appealed to the Second Circuit, which, in August 2024, affirmed summary judgment for Yale.
Incisive. Inclusive. Invested. We’re Axinn.
Experienced, tenacious, and always trial-ready, we are committed to understanding complex legal challenges that impact the future of our clients’ businesses, globally.
Focusing on antitrust, intellectual property, and high-stakes litigation, our extensive teams in the U.S. possess deep knowledge and client-side experience across a range of sectors, including technology, healthcare, life sciences, and consumer products.
With a strong culture of respect, collaboration, and fairness, we build relationships with our clients and colleagues alike — creating opportunity, supporting communities, and acting with purpose. Our client service, entrepreneurialism, and inquisitive nature sit at the heart of the firm, enabling us to prioritize client goals and achieve successful outcomes.
Updated Sep 2025
Wiggin and Dana is a full-service law firm of highly talented, creative and experienced lawyers dedicated to exceeding our clients’ expectations every day. With offices in Connecticut, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Palm Beach, we represent clients throughout the United States and globally on a wide range of sophisticated and complex matters. From defending a Fortune 500 institution in “bet-the-company” litigation, to helping the next generation of inventors bring a new technology to market, to preserving the wealth that a family business has worked so hard to create, we pride ourselves in offering value driven solutions and results.
Litigation Overview: As a nationally recognized litigation law firm, Wiggin and Dana prides itself on the talent, drive, and integrity of its litigators. The firm’s deep bench includes leaders of the bar who have been honored with a fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Appellate Lawyers, membership in the Product Liability Advisory Council and recognized in Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, as well as in The Best Lawyers in America, Guide to the World’s Leading Litigation Lawyers, and The International Who’s Who of Commercial Litigation Lawyers. Most recently, Benchmark Litigation selected our department as the 2023 Connecticut Litigation Department of the Year, and our appellate and white-collar practices have recently been recognized as stand-out practices in Connecticut.
We work collaboratively with our clients to provide efficient and cost-effective legal services and encourage mutually beneficial alternative fee arrangements where feasible. And we keep our litigation teams lean and responsive. We know from experience that a limited number of knowledgeable and responsible people produces the best results, while keeping costs contained. How do we do this? It’s simple, we invest time in our clients and associates. We make it our business to know your business through our cross-disciplinary industry or client-specific practice teams. And we train our associates: for example, we have an annual nuts and bolts trial training program, an annual mock jury trial, and a writing program comprised of seminars and one-on-one instruction.
Our lawyers give the same dedication to pro bono clients as to the major institutions on our client roster. For example, in the past two years, Wiggin and Dana litigators prevailed at trial in a Section 1983 civil rights action, and settled another Section 1983 action on the eve of trial. In a Criminal Justice Act case we achieved two successive appellate victories in the Second Circuit on behalf of a prisoner convicted of Espionage Act violations. In 2014 alone the department represented 49 clients on a pro bono basis, and received awards from Connecticut Legal Services and New Haven Legal Assistance, the two largest legal aid organizations in Connecticut.
Wiggin and Dana recruits and cultivates talented associates, who come from highly ranked law schools, clerkships (our litigators have had over 30 clerkships), and from top national and international law firms. Our litigators have had distinguished careers as federal prosecutors, and collectively have well over 100 years of law enforcement and government experience. We encourage you to review the profiles of our litigation attorneys on our website.
Updated Sep 2024
