Debevoise & Plimpton: United States (National)

Key practice areas

Intellectual property

Trade mark disputes

Trade mark

Patent

Insurance

Intellectual property

Dispute resolution

International arbitration

White collar crime

Securities

Competition/antitrust

Product liability

Product liability and recall

Commercial

Firm overview

Regularly hailed as one of the strongest litigation teams in the industry, the Debevoise litigation practice consistently delivers outstanding results for its clients.

Recent matters include:

Led a landmark cryptocurrency win on behalf of Ripple Labs in which the Southern District of New York Court ruled that Ripple’s XRP token is not a security, and not subject to SEC regulation when sold to the general public.
Secured a rare post-trial victory obtaining a Rule 29 acquittal of ex-Fox International Channels CEO Hernan Lopez in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Won summary judgment on behalf of YPF S.A., the largest energy producer in the Republic of Argentina, defeating claims for roughly $15 billion in damages and pre-judgment interest.
Secured a historical win for Fortinet and eight other defendants with the dismissal of a suit brought by Realtime Data by invalidating seven patents and over 120 individual patent claims.
Obtained a dismissal of a class-action lawsuit against Tether and Bitfinex in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Won a $100 million award for Gramercy Funds Management and Gramercy Peru Holdings in an UNCITRAL arbitration against the Republic of Peru relating to Peru’s agrarian reform bonds – largest amount awarded against Peru in any treaty arbitration and the first decision finding Peru liable under the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement.
Represented the Board of CBS Corporation in an investigation of sexual harassment allegations against the CEO and senior personnel
Reached a resolution with the DOJ and EPA for Toyota’s emissions reporting practices without any criminal charges being filed
Represented Booking.com in a Supreme Court case where the Court ruled 8-1 that Booking.com’s eponymous domain name is not generic and could register as a trademark
Successfully represented Qatar and Qatari entities and individuals in claims arising from measures imposed by UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt against Qatar, twice prevailing before the International Court of Justice
Responded to a significant data breach for Capital One and conducted a related investigation for the bank’s Board
Represented Robinhood in SEC and FINRA settlements relating to best execution practices and payment for order flow
Secured a $75 million bench trial victory for Resolution Life in the NY Supreme Court stemming from an M&A transaction
Secured a $327 million victory in a dispute for D. E. Shaw / TERP in the NY Supreme Court on claims for breach of contract and damages from the sale of First Wind Holdings
Won a record-breaking $400 million award on behalf of Perenco Ecuador in the final phase of its 13-year-long dispute against the Republic of Ecuador
Won preliminary injunctions on behalf of Diamond Hands Consulting which operates “SatoshiStreetBets” web and social forums, forcing its competitors to stop using the moniker and hand over infringing social media accounts to DHS.
Secured the dismissal of a securities class action on behalf of Tribune Media Company which accused the company of failing to disclose that its proposed merger partner Sinclair Broadcast Group, was playing hardball with regulators regarding their demand that Sinclair divest certain broadcast stations.
Helped get relief in federal courts for nearly 46 inmates serving onerous sentences resulting from outdated mandatory sentencing provisions that were disproportionately invoked against Black men

The firm’s litigation practice is led by co-chairs Mary Beth Hogan and Andrew Ceresney and features an all-star roster, including former Attorneys General Lord Peter Goldsmith KC and Michael Mukasey and former Chair of the SEC Mary Jo White, who returned to Debevoise in 2017 following her four-year tenure. Ms. White, who previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for nine years, is Senior Chair of the firm and leads the Strategic Crisis Response and Solutions Group.

Their team also includes over 15 former Assistant U.S. Attorneys or Department of Justice attorneys, including a former federal district court judge, the former Chief of the Criminal Division of the Southern District of New York, the former Acting Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ Criminal Division, the former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security and three former Unit Chiefs of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.

The breadth of experience offered by Debevoise in and out of the courtroom sets their litigators apart. They bring personal attention, seasoned judgment, deep industry knowledge, credibility and substantive legal experience to each matter, tailoring advice to clients’ needs and circumstances. They work seamlessly and collaboratively with clients and co-counsel and across practices to achieve the best possible results for our clients.

Based in New York, Washington DC, London, Paris, Frankfurt, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, their broadly skilled team of nearly 300 litigators handle domestic and cross-border disputes of every kind and complex matters in courts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, France and elsewhere, as well as before arbitration tribunals, agencies and administrative bodies worldwide. They represent clients as plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of areas, including:

Antitrust & Competition
Arbitration & International Disputes
Bankruptcy
Business Integrity
Crisis Management
Data Strategy & Security
Commercial Litigation
Insurance Industry Disputes
Intellectual Property
Internal Investigations
Labor & Employment Litigation
Product Liability
Securities Enforcement
Securities Litigation
Trial Practice
White Collar & Regulatory Defense

Another notable and distinguishing feature of the Debevoise litigation practice is the success of their women partners. Benchmark Litigation has named nine Debevoise women litigation partners among the “Top 250 Women in Litigation”—an exceptional ranking for a firm of its size. Since the inception of Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation” list in 2013, the firm’s partners have been recognized every year for demonstrating its tradition of serving clients at the highest levels and of contributing to the development and advancement of distinguished women leaders.

Updated Oct 2023

Address:

919 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10022

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Debevoise & Plimpton

Linked Reviews

Dispute Resolution

Debevoise & Plimpton remains one of the country's most respected litigation firms, with a deep nationally recognized bench spanning commercial litigation, securities disputes, white collar matters, international arbitration, intellectual property, and restructuring litigation. The firm continues to earn recognition for its ability to handle high-stakes matters across multiple jurisdictions, combining litigation strength in New York, DC, and California with a globally integrated disputes practice. A peer characterized the firm's lawyers as "very respectable," while another noted that Debevoise has long distinguished itself through the quality and depth of its bench.

Among the firm's leading figures is New York-based Maeve O'Connor, whose securities litigation and corporate governance practice remains a cornerstone of the firm's disputes offering. O'Connor continues to earn strong market recognition for her work in high-stakes shareholder and securities matters. One peer specifically identified her as among the lawyers they most enjoy working with and highlighted her prominence within the financial services litigation space. Fellow New-York based commercial litigator Maura Monaghan also remains a key figure within the firm's litigation department, contributing to a practice that continues to attract major representations.

International arbitration continues to be a hallmark of the firm's disputes offerings. New York-based Catherine Amirfar and Mark Friedman co-chair the international dispute resolution group and are widely recognized leaders in the field. Colleagues pointed to Amirfar as an "absolute leader" in the arbitration community, as she recently secured a victory for Hess in a dispute tied to Chevron's $53 billion acquisition of the company. The firm also remains active in investor-state disputes and other complex international matters involving sovereigns, multinational corporations, and cross-border commercial interests.

Debevoise also continues to excel in intellectual property litigation. New York's David Bernstein, long considered one of the profession's most accomplished trademark litigators, remains a central figure in the practice. At the same time, Debevoise's next generation of leaders has continued to build impressive profile. New York-based Megan Bannigan has been at the forefront of several of the group's most notable successes, including her representation of X Corp. (formerly Twitter, Inc.) in a series of high-profile trademark disputes arising from the company's rebrand to "X." Bannigan has secured significant victories while helping protect both the newly launched X brand and the company's legacy Twitter intellectual property against third parties seeking to capitalize on its well-known marks. On the West Coast, San Francisco-based Lindsay Cooper Hayman has helped strengthen the firm's patent litigation capabilities through a series of notable victories. Hayman recently led GAF Energy in a closely watched patent dispute against CertainTeed in the growing solar shingle market, securing a favorable settlement that included a multimillion-dollar payment for the client.

The firm has also seen notable success in restructuring-related litigation. New York-based Erica Weisgerber continues to garner attention for her work in complex bankruptcy and restructuring matters. Weisgerber played a leading role in the representation of Patrick James in connection with the chapter 11 proceedings of First Brands Group, one of the largest bankruptcy filings of 2025. Faced with a sweeping court order that froze assets connected to multiple businesses, Weisgerber led the effort to challenge the relief, ultimately helping secure a ruling denying a preliminary injunction and preserving the continued operation of those businesses while the litigation proceeds. One firm leader remarked that Weisgerber is "hitting it out of the park," reflecting the regard she has earned within the restructuring bar.

The firm's increasingly collaborative approach has also contributed to its continued momentum. Cross-office teams regularly serve clients in matters spanning commercial litigation, white collar investigations, intellectual property disputes, international arbitration, and emerging technology-related issues. That depth, coupled with a longstanding reputation for handling business-critical disputes, continues to position Debevoise as a go-to firm for clients facing their most challenging litigation matters.

Updated October 2026