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Highly Recommended
Recommended
Wilmington boutique Abrams & Bayliss has staked a firm claim in the community, placing itself on equal footing with the more historically established shops. In fact, some actually consider the firm to be in an advantageous position to overtake those firms. “There is a generation of lawyers in Delaware that are 20 years senior to those at Abrams & Bayliss that for the past 20 years have dominated Delaware. Well, those people are ready to retire! That puts a firm like Abrams & Bayliss, who has a consistently strong bench of people in their 40s and 50s, ready to take over from those other firms who had one major star and no one else because they didn’t groom the younger partners.” The firm is also said to be “very selective with its associates.” A peer offers in summation, “Abrams & Bayliss is terrific, incredibly plugged into the Delaware space. They don’t do as much in the federal space but in Delaware they are second to none.”
Name partner Tom Bayliss has emerged as one of Delaware’s leading lights, universally championed by peers and clients alike. “Tom Bayliss is one of the best lawyers in the state, everybody loves him,” attests one Wilmington contemporary, who goes on to address Bayliss as “the roof!” Another elaborates on Bayliss’ acumen “particularly in the appraisal space, which people are saying is going to be an increasingly important, with all the new law. Just a few short years ago, I would have been saying this about someone at one of the much bigger firms in [Wilmington.]” A client concurs with the peer praise. “Tom is an excellent writer and speaker, and he really listens to clients, both their ideas and their needs. [He has] Inexhaustible energy – he's like the Energizer bunny and seemingly always has a way to make time for what matters. [He is also] Totally connected – he seems he at the center of everything.” Bayliss led a team acting for Shari Redstone and National Amusements as Delaware co-counsel advising on Delaware law aspects of the three-way transaction between NAI, Paramount Global and Skydance Media, including responses to the multi-billion-dollar topping bid proposed by Edgar Bronfman. The deal has since become the target of multiple books-and-records cases and multiple suits alleging breaches of fiduciary duty by Redstone, National Amusements and others. Bayliss and team also acted as Delaware co-counsel for Fox in high-profile derivative litigation, which seeks to hold members of the Murdoch family and other directors and officers of Fox liable for promoting factually unfounded political narratives, including ones that allegedly led Fox to defame Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA in connection with the 2020 US presidential election.
Wilmington corporate and commercial litigation boutique Ross Aronstam & Moritz has edged its way into a position at the forefront of the crowded Delaware community, earning “a top seat at the table” among larger, older and more established institutions. “Ross Aronstam has come a long way,” confirms a local peer, “and they did it
fast! We are all watching them and respect them equally.” The firm has even earned acclaim from out-of-town firms, several of whom are themselves widely championed brand-name “white shoe” firms who have partnered with Ross Aronstam. “A lot of ‘big law’ firms have this high-handed attitude in Delaware,” elaborates one peer. “They come in and go, ‘I respect your opinion, and I want to hear what you have to say, but ultimately, it’s
our case. This is a BIG MISTAKE! Judges in Delaware spot it immediately and hate it. But Ross Aronstam is one firm I have never witnessed this happening to! They get immediate respect, and I don’t just think it’s luck - I think that alone speaks volumes as to their reputation.” Indeed, the firms calling on Ross Aronstam’s services as Delaware counsel read like a “who’s who” of blue-ribbon big law and out-of-town litigation boutiques, and the cases the firm handles illustrate a broad cross section of commercial and Chancery disputes.
All three name partners are namechecked by peers. David Ross is called “the one l would go with for case strategy, if I had to choose only one lawyer in Delaware. He also knows the bench really well.” Ross provides lead counsel to Facebook in several matters. In one, he represents the company and its current and former officers and directors in a purported derivative action seeking to recover based upon alleged issues concerning advertising metrics, competitive practices, and executive compensation. Ross is also co-counsel to Facebook in connection with various litigations arising out of the well publicized Cambridge Analytica privacy breach scandal, including derivative actions and actions seeking to inspect company books and records. In another of his (non-Facebook-related) matters, Ross represents Swipe Acquisition Corporation, the acquirer in action asserting fraud arising out of a substantial indirect acquisition by a fund advised by Platinum Equity Advisors.
Bradley Aronstam is attending to novel matters in the rapidly burgeoning SPAC area; in one such matter, he is partnering Weil Gotshal & Manges in representing Churchill Capital Corp III and the former directors of Churchill in consolidated stockholder litigation challenging Churchill’s SPAC acquisition of MultiPlan Corp.
Garrett Moritz is attending to a diverse basket of matters straddling several practices. He acts with Cravath in representing the directors of Tesla in stockholder litigation challenging Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity in a stock-for-stock transaction that valued SolarCity at approximately $2.6 billion to $2.8 billion. Shortly before trial, the director defendants other than Elon Musk reached an agreement in principle, subject to court approval, to settle for $60 million to be funded by insurance. Trial was set to proceed in the Court of Chancery in March 2020 with respect to Elon Musk but was delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Trial moved scheduling to July 2021. In a more commercial-related matter, Moritz acts with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher in representing Keurig Dr. Pepper affiliate The American Bottling Company in litigation against BA Sports Nutrition, LLC and the Coca-Cola Company for wrongful termination of a distribution contract with The American Bottling Company to distribute the sports drink Bodyarmor in order to wrongfully move distribution to Coca-Cola. ABC’s contract and tortious interference claims seeking to recover hundreds of millions of dollars or more in losses have survived a motion to dismiss. The case is currently in discovery, with a jury trial scheduled for February 2022 in Delaware Superior Court. In a derivative matter concerning corporate governance, Moritz represents McDonald’s in a lawsuit against McDonald’s former CEO Stephen Easterbrook for breach of fiduciary duty and fraudulent inducement. The case arises from McDonald’s discovery - after entering into a Separation Agreement with the Easterbrook after learning that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with a subordinate - that Easterbrook had lied about the existence of other sexual relationships with other Company employees during an internal investigation, and that Easterbrook had approved an equity grant to one of the employees, in violation of Company policy. In February 2021, the Court of Chancery denied Easterbrook’s motion to dismiss. The case is currently in discovery and trial is expected to be held in mid-2022.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is a premier firm of more than 1,000 lawyers with diverse backgrounds, personalities, ideas and interests who provide innovative and effective solutions to our clients’ most complex legal and business challenges. With 10 offices across North America, Europe and Asia, and a robust international network, the firm represents many of the world’s largest and most important public and private corporations, asset managers and financial institutions, as well as clients in need of pro bono assistance. We consistently earn high praise for our collaborative, commercial approach, providing novel and efficient solutions to otherwise intractable situations.
The firm is widely recognized as having market-leading practices in private equity, public company M&A, litigation, white collar and regulatory defense, and restructuring. Within these broad practices, we also offer numerous market-leading specialized practices, including intellectual property and technology transactions, finance, capital markets, private funds, competition/antitrust, tax, executive compensation and real estate, among others. Our firm is at the forefront of legal innovation and offers a full suite of premier legal services to clients across borders.
Litigation:
No other law firm can approach Paul, Weiss’s experience and record of success in the most complex, high-stakes disputes in U.S. federal and state courts and before major arbitration bodies. With a deep bench that includes many of the country’s most accomplished trial lawyers and former senior government officials, our Litigation Department is uniquely positioned to handle multifaceted crises, from sprawling cross-border, multi-regulator enforcement actions to parallel private litigation. We are regularly entrusted with fast-moving, franchise-threatening matters because of our ability to develop and execute a winning strategy, no matter the problem or adversary, and to see the matter through to the ultimate resolution, whether at trial or before the Supreme Court.
White Collar & Regulatory Defense:
Clients facing white collar and regulatory enforcement challenges look to Paul, Weiss to protect their businesses and reputations and manage the behind-the-scenes interplay among competing regulators and enforcement agencies. We handle a vast range of regulatory and enforcement inquiries, including across jurisdictions. Our lawyers are adept at conducting internal investigations on behalf of companies, boards, audit committees and special litigation committees.
Broader Practice:
We are widely recognized for our expertise in many specialized litigation, regulatory defense and investigatory areas, including, among others: Anti-Corruption & Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; Anti-Money Laundering; Antitrust; Artificial Intelligence; Restructuring Litigation; Congressional Investigations; Copyright & Trademark Litigation; Crisis Management; Cryptocurrency & Blockchain; Cybersecurity & Data Protection; Employment, Workplace Investigations & Trade Secrets; ERISA, Pension & Benefits Litigation; False Claims Act & Qui Tam Litigation; Financial Services Litigation & Investigations; Foreign Direct Investment Regulation; Insurance Litigation; Internal Investigations; International Arbitration; Investigations; Investment Management Litigation; Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation; National Security & CFIUS; Patent Litigation; Product Liability & Mass Torts Litigation; Sanctions; Securities Litigation; and Supreme Court & Appellate Litigation.
Updated Sep 2025
Saul Ewing’s Litigation Department features approximately 200 attorneys across 18 offices, including our newest locations in Los Angeles and Irvine, California. We handle a wide range of matters including complex business and commercial disputes, bet-the-company legal proceedings, and high-profile cases in state and federal courts and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) forums across the nation. We represent local, regional, national and international organizations as well as individuals across a diverse array of industries, including but not limited to higher education, energy and environmental, manufacturing, financial and other professional services, construction, insurance, health care, food/beverage/agribusiness, life sciences, cannabis, sports/entertainment and real estate.
Our deep bench of litigators work to protect the interests of our clients and mitigate the impact of litigation on business operations in all phases of litigation, including investigation, pleadings, motions, fact and expert discovery and depositions, hearings, trials, appeals, settlement negotiations, and enforcement of judgments. Among our ranks are seasoned trial lawyers and former government officials and prosecutors, whose insight and strategic judgment are a valuable resource to our entire team.
Our core areas of focus include:
Consumer Financial Services Litigation
Employee Benefits & ERISA Litigation
Environmental Civil Litigation
Insurance Litigation & Arbitration
Intellectual Property Litigation
Title Claims & Coverage Litigation
White Collar & Government Enforcement
Within these core areas of focus, we have extensive experience representing clients in pursuing and defending claims of breach of contract, tortious interference with contracts and business relationships, fraud and misrepresentation, lender liability, property liability, negligence, unfair competition, unfair trade practices, antitrust violations, conspiracy, RICO violations, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, trade disparagement, false advertising, malicious prosecution, theft of trade secrets, intellectual property infringement, trespass, conversion, trust and estate controversies, partnership and corporate dissolutions and claims arising in shareholder and partner derivative actions, among others.
Our Approach: We start by tailoring a strategy to meet our clients’ objectives and risk management priorities, whether those focus on litigation avoidance, early settlement, resolution through dispositive motions, or pursuing a case through adjudication at trial. Using early case assessment tools, we develop a detailed roadmap for each case. We recognize that litigation can be expensive, distracting and time-consuming, and that our clients need cost predictability. Depending on client needs, we are able to create customized litigation plans and budgets at the matter, phase and/or task levels. Our project management team carefully monitors work volume and billing metrics to help ensure that our services align with project scope and needs, and to maximize proactive communication with clients about changes in cost, scope and/or strategy.
eDiscovery: For cases requiring electronic discovery, we rely on our in-house Litigation Support Services (LSS) team, which is driven by members with sophisticated technical knowledge and credentialing by the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. With extensive experience managing complex eDiscovery collection, processing, review and production, our LSS team leverages advanced analytics and technology-assisted review to quickly identify and locate relevant information, process and analyze data efficiently, and help reduce overall litigation costs.
Updated Sep 2025
In today’s legal and regulatory environment, litigation can threaten a company’s very existence. Skadden’s lawyers have extensive experience with such complex, “bet-the-company” litigation matters, and we are widely recognized for our ability to handle our clients’ most critical litigation issues. The firm can rapidly assemble a focused, integrated and efficient team to address all important aspects of a client’s problem and to handle numerous cases in multiple jurisdictions and forums. We have handled some of the largest and most high-profile cases in recent years, earning a reputation as a go-to firm for litigation, and we are responsible for numerous decisions, from the trial courts to the U.S. Supreme Court, that have shaped various areas of law.
Our Litigation Group comprises approximately 600 attorneys throughout the firm’s offices worldwide, and Skadden attorneys are admitted to practice throughout the United States as well as in more than 30 other countries and territories. In particular, our New York- based attorneys have extensively litigated in New York state and federal courts. Moreover, Skadden was the first national law firm to establish a presence in Delaware more than 40 years ago, and our Delaware litigation attorneys have a wealth of experience in the renowned Court of Chancery. Our California-based offices, in Los Angeles and Palo Alto, as well as our Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston and Houston offices, round out our national presence, allowing us to effectively handle complex disputes that may arise in any U.S. jurisdiction, or several jurisdictions at once. Our international experience, through offices in Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America, and our numerous multilingual attorneys, further enable us to seamlessly represent clients globally and to successfully handle disputes of an international nature.
We represent clients in all stages of litigation, from applying cutting edge e-discovery capabilities to trials. Indeed, Skadden is recognized as having a leading national trial practice, and our attorneys score groundbreaking precedent-setting trial wins that are highly favorable to our clients’ bottom line. Our trial lawyers often inherit cases from other firms when trial is imminent, and we offer the capabilities to quickly pull together crisis teams to confront challenges wherever our clients face them. Moreover, our attorneys are no strangers to appellate state and federal courts throughout the country. We also frequently appear in arbitral forums, including the American Arbitration Association, JAMS, FINRA, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution and other domestic and international dispute resolution tribunals.
Our team represents clients in proceedings involving numerous government agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service. We also serve in an advisory capacity, striving to achieve results that best align with our clients’ business goals.
Our attorneys have significant experience litigating all types of complex commercial claims, including contract disputes; fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference claims; non-compete litigation; merger-related litigation and control disputes; joint venture and partnership disputes; bankruptcy and restructuring-related issues; and statutory claims. Our renowned securities litigation practice frequently handles some of the most challenging, high-stakes securities litigation matters, and we have served as lead counsel in several of the largest securities class actions in U.S. history. Our experience in these and other complex litigation claims spans numerous industries, including banking, energy, financial services, insurance, health care, manufacturing, mortgage, pharmaceutical, real estate, retail, technology and telecommunications.
In addition to handling some of the largest, most complex litigations, Skadden attorneys represent clients in a wide variety of pro bono matters, from trials to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Updated Sep 2024
With more than 60 years of experience, Labaton Keller Sucharow stands as a tenacious advocate for investors, having secured billions of dollars in landmark recoveries. Renowned as a global leader in complex litigation, the Firm specializes in representing clients in securities, corporate governance, shareholder rights, and consumer protection and data privacy litigation, as well as alternative dispute resolution. Labaton Keller Sucharow’s successful reputation is built not only on its team of more than 90 attorneys, but also on its industry-leading in-house investigators, financial analysts, and forensic accountants.
Recognized for excellence by both the courts and peers, the Firm is consistently ranked in leading industry publications.
Labaton Keller Sucharow’s offices are strategically located in New York, Delaware, London, and Washington, D.C. More information about Labaton Keller Sucharow is available at www.labaton.com.
BLB&G is the preeminent securities litigation and investor rights law firm in the United States. Since its founding in 1983, the firm has been dedicated to representing and advising the world's most sophisticated institutional investors in portfolio monitoring, securities litigation (including class action, opt-out, and direct litigation), and corporate governance litigation. BLB&G's clients include public pension funds, Taft-Hartley funds, state attorneys general, state treasurers, and private asset managers.
With offices in New York, Delaware, California, Illinois, and Louisiana, the firm is strategically located in the nation’s epicenters of securities class action and other forms of shareholder litigation, enabling the firm to serve clients effectively throughout the country. The firm has approximately 140 specialized attorneys and 80 professional staff members—including investigators, financial analysts, paralegals, e-discovery specialists, IT professionals, data engineers, and administrative staff—all focused on maximizing financial recoveries for clients and the investor classes they represent.
BLB&G has successfully identified, investigated, and prosecuted many of the most significant securities and corporate governance actions in history, helping clients recover over $40 billion on behalf of defrauded investors. The firm has secured some of the largest class action recoveries in history, including seven recoveries of $1 billion or more—outpacing all other investor-side securities litigation firms. BLB&G has also helped to secure critical corporate governance reforms through litigation, holding companies and directors accountable for corporate misconduct.
BLB&G is consistently listed as a top-ranked firm by ISS Securities Class Action Services (“ISS SCAS”), a leading industry research publication that provides independent and objective third-party analysis and statistics on securities litigation law firms. ISS SCAS ranked the firm #1 in its Top 50 Plaintiff Law Firms of 2023. ISS SCAS also ranked the firm #1 for the 15th consecutive year in its 2025 Top 100 U.S. Class Action Settlements of All-Time report. According to this report, BLB&G dominates the field, having served as lead or co-lead counsel in 37 of the top 100 U.S. securities fraud recoveries and having recovered almost 40% (over $27 billion) of all funds in the top 100 recoveries, $7 billion more than any other plaintiffs’ securities firm.
The firm has used the litigation process to achieve record-setting recoveries for injured investors, as well as precedent-setting corporate governance reforms that have increased market transparency, held wrongdoers accountable, and improved corporate business practices in groundbreaking ways.
Highlights of the firm's recent success on behalf of clients and shareholders include:
- Securing a historic corporate governance trial victory in the Delaware Court of Chancery rescinding Elon Musk’s $56 billion Tesla compensation package.
- Obtaining a landmark $1 billion recovery in a securities class action against Wells Fargo—the top U.S. securities class action settlement of 2023, one of the top six in the past decade, and among the top 17 of all time.
- Achieving a historic $812 million judgment for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shareholders in a unanimous trial verdict and award of prejudgment interest against the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”). BLB&G convinced the jury that the value of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s stock was significantly decreased by the FHFA’s improperly transferring the companies’ net worth to the U.S. Treasury Department (a “net worth sweep”).
- Securing a $450 million recovery in a class action suit against Kraft Heinz Company, 3G Capital Partners, and former Kraft executives. The claims arose from misstatements regarding Kraft’s financial position, including the carrying value of its assets, the sustainability of its margins, and the success of recent cost-cutting strategies by the company.
Updated Oct 2025
Abrams & Bayliss LLP is a business litigation and advisory boutique that focuses on high stakes controversies and transactions carrying a high risk of litigation.
The firm’s Litigation Practice primarily involves actions in the Delaware Court of Chancery, the nation’s preeminent corporate and commercial law court, and the Delaware Supreme Court. The firm’s litigators have extensive experience representing public and private companies, stockholders, directors and executives in a wide range of business, corporate and alternative entity litigation matters at the trial and appellate level. The firm regularly litigates actions involving corporate control disputes, rights of equity holders, large public and private company controversies, complex transactions, and significant valuation and appraisal proceedings. Unlike many other firms, Abrams & Bayliss represents plaintiffs and defendants, giving their attorneys an added measure of insight on strategic and tactical issues in transactions and litigation. The firm has a proven track record of offensive and defensive litigation, including successfully pursuing and defeating injunction applications, conducting expedited trials and prosecuting and defending claims for significant monetary, declaratory or equitable relief.
The firm’s Transactional Practice primarily involves matters where there is a high risk of litigation or which raise complex or novel issues of Delaware law, such as contests for corporate control, private equity and portfolio company matters, going-private transactions, recapitalizations, refinancings and stockholder or board level disputes. Abrams & Bayliss also advises business entities and their constituents on Delaware issues relating to all phases of their life cycle, ranging from formation questions to continuing issues involving the payment of dividends and asset sales to end-of-life matters such as dissolution and receiverships. The firm regularly provides advice on the interpretation of certificates of incorporation and bylaws, whether for newly formed entities, initial public offerings, operating companies with internal disputes, reincorporations, restructurings or corporations seeking to amend their existing governance documents.
Abrams & Bayliss similarly advises business entities, directors, officers and stockholders on contracts relating to their governance structure and commercial relationships, including stockholder rights plans, stockholder agreements, and indemnification or advancement rights.
As a result of the firm’s expertise on fiduciary duty matters, Abrams & Bayliss regularly represents trust beneficiaries in claims against corporate and individual trustees for significant damages, the replacement of trustees and the amendment of trust instruments.
Abrams & Bayliss represents a broad array of clients including national and international corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, joint ventures, stockholders, directors, equity investors and executives.
All of the firm’s lawyers have distinguished academic records and the firm’s attorneys are regular authors and speakers at national programs regarding Delaware business law matters.
Updated July 2024
