United States (National)

A&O Shearman is the newly combined entity composed of US-based Shearman & Sterling and UK-headquartered Allen & Overy, both of which were individually global powerhouses even prior to the merger, giving the new arrangement a massive global footprint. Within the States, the firm is called upon most often for its experience and acumen with matters of the securities and white-collar and enforcement variety and is quickly developing a leading profile in the antitrust space as well. A&O Shearman’s domestic operations showcase litigation star power in its offices in New York, DC and increasingly Texas.
          New York’s Adam Hakki has long been a perennial peer favorite and remains one, with glowing reviews offered on a unanimous basis. Hakki’s practice is largely focused on, but not limited to, the securities, antitrust and governance fields, with experience in both the criminal and civil capacities. “Adam is very, very good, especially for the underwriters,” testifies a peer. Another contemporary remarks, “Adam just seems to be in everything, and is very involved all the time. He doesn’t just pop in and out on a surface level, he gets in the trenches.” Hakki secured a complete victory on behalf of Barclays in a class action litigation arising out of the mining operations of Brazilian mining giant Vale’s “Iron Quadrangle,” which has one of the largest concentrations of iron ore deposits in the world. The plaintiffs, Brazilian homeowners and municipalities, alleged that US banks, including Barclays were strictly liable for various environmental damage caused by Vale’s mining activity by providing over $17 billion in financing to Vale despite their alleged awareness of the environmental risks. The complaints exclusively brought claims arising pursuant to Brazilian law. In September 2024, the Southern District of New York granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint on forum non conveniens grounds, concluding that these cases must be litigated in Brazil. Hakki, along with Agnès Dunogué  and Lyle Roberts, obtained a significant victory on behalf of PayPal Holdings in a putative securities class action alleging that PayPal made material misstatements and omissions related to a metric the company uses to track net increases to the number of active PayPal accounts, which, through incentive campaigns, allegedly gave rise to fraud and led to the creation of illegitimate accounts, causing the company’s stock to trade at artificially inflated prices. In January 2025, the court dismissed all of the claims. “Agnes is terrific, I see her a lot,” confirms a peer. Hakki, along with Richard Schwed and DC-based star Todd Stenerson, also represented PayPal in an antitrust capacity in a case in which plaintiffs allege that PayPal uses illegally restrictive merchant contracts that insulate its high transaction fees from competition and inflate online retail prices for consumers. “Todd is a fantastic antitrust lawyer,” declares one peer of Stenerson’s. “He’s creative and he's a trial lawyer! You don’t always have trial lawyers in antitrust cases – so many of them settle!” White-collar-focused John Nathanson led a team that represented crypto exchange KuCoin in a DoJ criminal indictment and CFTC and NYAG civil enforcement matters, all of which claim that the client and its two China-based founders failed to implement anti-money laundering protocols and thus allowing suspicious transactions associated with substantial sums to flow through its trading platform. A team composed of Hakki, Dunogué and Thad Behrens obtained a significant victory representing the underwriters of seven note offerings for Norfolk Southern. The plaintiffs alleged that the offering materials for these note offerings failed to disclose alleged material facts and trends related to safety risks that eventually materialized with train derailments in February and March 2023, after which the prices of these dropped significantly. In July 2024, that defendants obtained a partial motion to dismiss. Behrens, based in Texas, is called “just a brilliant lawyer” by a peer, who testifies, “and he can try anything. He is building out that [A&O] office in Dallas.”

Although officially forged in 2024, A&O Shearman is the combined product of two historic international powerhouse legal brands, primarily UK-based Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling, which, from a litigation standpoint, was more US-focused (although it too had a global footprint in other areas.) The firm has been at the forefront of some headline-making litigation on a global basis and is routinely recognized as a leading legal entity by disputes lawyers from such locales as Europe and Southeast Asia. The Shearman & Sterling entity was long touted for its experience and acumen with matters of the securities and white-collar and FCPA enforcement variety and is quickly developing a leading profile in the antitrust space as well. 
     New York’s Stephen Fishbein, whose practice straddles white-collar crime and enforcement with antitrust elements, secured a victory on behalf of an individual in a significant criminal insider-trading case. In December 2022, the Second Circuit ruled, among other things, that the evidence was insufficient on the two counts on which the client was convicted and dismissed the fraud charges. Adam Hakki remains a perennial peer favorite, with glowing reviews offered on a unanimous basis. Hakki’s practice is largely focused on, but not limited to, the securities, antitrust and governance fields, with experience in both the criminal and civil capacities. A team led by Hakki (and also involving Agnès Dunogué and Lyle Roberts) won a significant and complete victory for Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) in a high-profile and closely watched securities class-action arising from the 2021 collapse of Archegos Capital Management, a family office run by billionaire investor Bill Hwang, who later was indicted for his conduct. (ViacomCBS was one of the companies whose share prices were adversely affected by the liquidation of Archegos.) The litigation claimed that the offering documents for March 2021 securities offerings by ViacomCBS should have disclosed that Archegos had obtained concentrated and leveraged synthetic positions in ViacomCBS stock via total return swaps entered into with investment banks, which also acted as underwriters for the offerings, and that those swaps needed to be liquidated due to Archegos’ financial distress. An April 2024 appellate ruling confirmed an earlier victory (from February 2023) for the Shearman team. Hakki and another peer favorite, Richard Schwed, achieved an important litigation victory on behalf of Bank of America, who was named as a defendant along with other financial institutions in multidistrict class action alleging an antitrust conspiracy to boycott certain entities that supported electronic trading of interest rate swaps, an important financial instrument. The Shearman team scored in December 2023, when class certification was denied.

     Other Shearman partners also increasingly demonstrate antitrust prowess. A frequent teammate of Hakki’s, Jeffrey Resetarits, is generating a good deal of traction in antitrust as well as securities. “Keep your eye on him,” advises a colleague at one of New York’s top firms. “We’ve been seeing more of him lately and we are very impressed. He and Adam Hakki had a nice win [in March 2019] in a matter involving CDOR [Canadian Dollar Offered Rate.]” Todd Stenerson, based in the DC office, led a team (including DC’s David Higbee) achieved​ an April 2024 victory on behalf of Huntington Ingalls Industries and its affiliates in an antitrust class action alleging that the client agreed with dozens of other companies – mostly shipbuilders and contractors for the US Navy and Marine Corps – not to actively solicit each other's naval engineers. One fellow leader in the antitrust space enthuses, “Todd is a very creative and out-of-the-box thinker. He will just generate idea after idea in a very thought-provoking way that benefits all involved.”
     A&O Shearman also got a substantial boost in the intellectual property capacity, luring Elizabeth Holland to its bench from the New York office of Goodwin. Holland has made a name for herself for her trial acuity with patent litigation, specifically in the pharmaceutical and life sciences area.

A&O Shearman is the newly combined entity composed of US-based Shearman & Sterling and UK-headquartered Allen & Overy, both of which were individually global powerhouses even prior to the merger, giving the new arrangement a massive global footprint. Within the States, the firm is called upon most often for its experience and acumen with matters of the securities and white-collar and enforcement variety and is quickly developing a leading profile in the antitrust space as well. A&O Shearman’s domestic operations showcase litigation star power in its offices in New York, DC and increasingly Texas.
          New York’s Adam Hakki has long been a perennial peer favorite and remains one, with glowing reviews offered on a unanimous basis. Hakki’s practice is largely focused on, but not limited to, the securities, antitrust and governance fields, with experience in both the criminal and civil capacities. “Adam is very, very good, especially for the underwriters,” testifies a peer. Another contemporary remarks, “Adam just seems to be in everything, and is very involved all the time. He doesn’t just pop in and out on a surface level, he gets in the trenches.” Hakki secured a complete victory on behalf of Barclays in a class action litigation arising out of the mining operations of Brazilian mining giant Vale’s “Iron Quadrangle,” which has one of the largest concentrations of iron ore deposits in the world. The plaintiffs, Brazilian homeowners and municipalities, alleged that US banks, including Barclays were strictly liable for various environmental damage caused by Vale’s mining activity by providing over $17 billion in financing to Vale despite their alleged awareness of the environmental risks. The complaints exclusively brought claims arising pursuant to Brazilian law. In September 2024, the Southern District of New York granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint on forum non conveniens grounds, concluding that these cases must be litigated in Brazil. Hakki, along with Agnès Dunogué  and Lyle Roberts, obtained a significant victory on behalf of PayPal Holdings in a putative securities class action alleging that PayPal made material misstatements and omissions related to a metric the company uses to track net increases to the number of active PayPal accounts, which, through incentive campaigns, allegedly gave rise to fraud and led to the creation of illegitimate accounts, causing the company’s stock to trade at artificially inflated prices. In January 2025, the court dismissed all of the claims. “Agnes is terrific, I see her a lot,” confirms a peer. Hakki, along with Richard Schwed and DC-based star Todd Stenerson, also represented PayPal in an antitrust capacity in a case in which plaintiffs allege that PayPal uses illegally restrictive merchant contracts that insulate its high transaction fees from competition and inflate online retail prices for consumers. “Todd is a fantastic antitrust lawyer,” declares one peer of Stenerson’s. “He’s creative and he's a trial lawyer! You don’t always have trial lawyers in antitrust cases – so many of them settle!” White-collar-focused John Nathanson led a team that represented crypto exchange KuCoin in a DoJ criminal indictment and CFTC and NYAG civil enforcement matters, all of which claim that the client and its two China-based founders failed to implement anti-money laundering protocols and thus allowing suspicious transactions associated with substantial sums to flow through its trading platform. A team composed of Hakki, Dunogué and Thad Behrens obtained a significant victory representing the underwriters of seven note offerings for Norfolk Southern. The plaintiffs alleged that the offering materials for these note offerings failed to disclose alleged material facts and trends related to safety risks that eventually materialized with train derailments in February and March 2023, after which the prices of these dropped significantly. In July 2024, that defendants obtained a partial motion to dismiss. Behrens, based in Texas, is called “just a brilliant lawyer” by a peer, who testifies, “and he can try anything. He is building out that [A&O] office in Dallas.”

Initially headquartered in Seattle and still considered a dominant force in that city’s legal community, Perkins Coie is unique in its ambitious strategic expansion. Its West Coast origins have enabled to establish a considerable footprint in the western half of the US as well as in Asia, specifically China and Taiwan. Perkins Coie is also somewhat unique in its distribution of litigation talent; rather than clustered in one specific city or metropolis, the firm has stars in a variety of disciplines throughout its offices in more recently developed offices such as Madison, Wisconsin and Anchorage, Alaska. One peer notes, “Perkins Coie is still the big brand name in Seattle – they get all the Boeing work! – but some of their best litigators are actually spread throughout its other far-flung offices.”
     Perkins Coie scored a considerable coup, and immediately established a burgeoning New York presence, with the recent absorption of the entire litigation team of the former Richards Kibbe & Orbe firm when that firm decided to divest itself of its litigation practice in 2020. In doing so, Perkins Coie also received a significant augmentation to its securities and white-collar operations on the East Coast. Lee Richards, a seasoned star in this capacity, is revered by all peers in the white-collar and enforcement field who are familiar with him. Richards remains an active force in this field, with several high-level appointments to his credit in just the past year alone. He represented Liberty Health Sciences in a securities class action alleging that Liberty made materially false and misleading statements about certain of its policies. In March 2020, the court granted Liberty’s motion for leave to file a motion to dismiss the class-action complaint. Richards is also counsel for the former director of CBS, Charles Gifford, in a federal class action against CBS and various officers and directors alleging violations of the securities laws related to #MeToo allegations against former CBS CEO Les Moonves and other CBS employees. The motion to dismiss filed by Gifford and the other director defendants was granted in January 2020. Richards also represents ICAP in a settlement with US and UK regulators over its alleged role in Yen LIBOR rate manipulation. Another former Richards Kibbe partner, Shari Brandt, acts on this particular matter. Brandt, a consistently recognized nominee in Benchmark’s Top 250 Women in Litigation over the past several years, is also counsel to a (confidential) company as well as to former senior executives involved in a federal class action alleging antitrust violations arising out of a claimed conspiracy among bank defendants to stymie the growth of open access markets for interest rate swaps on swap execution facilities following implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act. Other former Richards Kibbe stars acquired include James Walker and Daniel Zinman.
     Beyond its recent buildout in securities and white-collar, Perkins Coie has also established itself as one of the leaders in insurance coverage cases, particularly through its DC office where Selena Linde is a noted standout. A peer observes, “Shadow insurance suits are becoming a real phenomenon, and Perkins Coie is really becoming a leader in this space, on the plaintiff side.” The firm is also a noted contender in the intellectual property arena. A peer in this space confirms, “We recently tried a really hard case against David Anstaett, who is kind of Mylan’s trusted counsel. It was a three-ring circus, all remote, with witnesses all over the world. We won, but Dave is a very skilled lawyer who managed the case very effectively.”

Bartlit Beck is celebrated among peers for forging a template of what many aspire to; the firm’s name is one of the most frequently referenced by maverick litigators who calve off of larger “Big Law” institutions and forge their own shops. One peer declares, “They set the standard for litigation boutiques in the US. Most people setting up litigation shops owe at least some debt to Bartlit Beck, whether they know it or not.” Ironically, the runaway success that the firm has experienced with its business model has caused it to outgrow its “boutique” status; the firm now has more than 40 partners practicing in its offices in Chicago and Denver. “Bartlit Beck has its offices in two great epicenters, but they’re barely doing any work that’s confined to either of these locales,” declares a peer. “They’re just an elite litigation shop that’s gone national, and their lawyers are on the road constantly. Wherever there are big trials, they will be there.” The firm continues its staggering run as being recognized as one of Benchmark’s Top 20 Trial Firms every year since 2015 with yet another appearance in 20215.
     Bartlit Beck also logs another candidate to Benchmark’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers with the addition of Sean Gallagher this year. Gallagher’s addition is considered long overdue by some, and is enhanced by a raft of peer and client commendations. One client sums Gallagher up as “a highly skilled first-chair trial lawyer, a great listener, a very clear communicator.  The best trial lawyer at a firm of great trial lawyers.  [He is] Among the best in America.” Another raves, “[Sean is the] dictionary definition of the perfect lawyer: incredibly smart, [a] tremendous leader of his team, [with a] deep understanding of all aspects (legal and commercial) of a circumstance, [and with] creative solutions. And a gem of a human being.” Based in the Chicago office, Gallagher is lead trial counsel for Pratt & Whitney in environmental tort cases involving more than $1 billion in alleged property damage and personal-injury claims arising out of the declaration of a "cancer cluster" by the Florida Department of Health in a neighborhood near Pratt & Whitney's West Palm Beach facility. Claims involve complex allegations of water and soil contamination with radionuclides and other contaminants. Several hundred property owners sued individually and on behalf of a putative class of many thousands of plaintiffs. Andrew McNally, another Chicago partner, acts with Gallagher on this case. McNally is another favorite of clients, with one addressing him as “one of the smartest and hardest working lawyers I've worked with, and he really grasps complex scientific and medical issues quickly and thoroughly.” Another client testifies, “Andrew has an uncanny ability not only to find the ‘devil in the details’ of the evidentiary record, but also to communicate those details in a way that is easy for the client (or the court) to understand. He has done an exceptional job managing his team.” Rebecca Weinstein Bacon, also based in Chicago, has also been a steady mention on the Top 100 Trial Lawyers and on the Top 250 Women Litigators in the US. “Rebecca is a pleasure to work with,” confirms a client. “She's responsive, thoughtful, brilliant, warm, and very client focused.” Bacon, along with Adam Hoeflich, is representing Walmart in putative class-action lawsuits claiming that Walmart is violating consumer protection statutes in various jurisdictions due alleged discrepancies between the prices posted on Walmart's shelves and the prices actually charged at the register. Plaintiffs claim these discrepancies add up to hundreds of millions of dollars (or more) each year.
     The Denver office boasts its own stacked deck of stars. Glen Summers and Karma Giulianellirepresent a class of California residents who used mobile devices with the Android operating system who allege that Google has designed the Android operating system to constantly take information from plaintiffs’ phones without regard to whether they are on WiFi or cellular connections. Unbeknownst to people who use Android devices, this constant surveillance, and the transmission of information to Google consumes plaintiffs’ cellular data – data that they purchased, and that Google has consumed without permission.  Trial is scheduled for June 2025 in Superior Court of California. Giulianelli, an “antitrust rockstar,” also works with Sundeep “Rob” Addy as counsel for a group of large corporations, including American Airlines, who have brought state and federal price-fixing claims against over 50 generic drug manufacturers for engaging in a wide-ranging conspiracy to fix the price of hundreds of generic medications since at least May 2009. These agreements are claimed to have led to staggering price increases for critical medications and forced consumers and their health plans to shoulder the cost.  Kat Hacker serves as lead national coordinating counsel on the fraudulent transfer claims for three DuPont entities in over 6,000 cases pending across the country related to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In these cases, plaintiffs allege that DuPont engaged in a series of corporate transactions to try to fraudulently transfer assets to avoid paying potential judgments. “She is an excellent oral advocate and can distill complex issues in a very simple way to appeal to a jury,” declares a client on Hacker’s behalf. “She has expertise in trial graphics that and has quite the depth of knowledge and experience in studying the best graphics for jury trials.” Andrew Baak represents UnitedHealth Group in a dispute under the False Claims Act brought by the US DoJ and a purported whistleblower to recover treble damages and civil penalties. Plaintiffs are seeking damages for amounts they claim were unlawfully retained from the federal Medicare program by UnitedHealth Group and its affiliates involved in the Medicare Advantage Program. Plaintiffs allege that UnitedHealth submitted invalid diagnostic data related to the health status of patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. Joseph Doman, a Denver partner making his debut as a future star in this edition, is championed by a client as “a wonderful litigator that understands how to weave a story and [provides] great client service.”

Bartlit Beck is celebrated among peers for forging a template of what many aspire to; the firm’s name is one of the most frequently referenced by maverick litigators who calve off of larger “Big Law” institutions and forge their own shops. One peer declares, “They set the standard for litigation boutiques in the US. Most people setting up litigation shops owe at least some debt to Bartlit Beck, whether they know it or not.” Ironically, the runaway success that the firm has experienced with its business model has caused it to outgrow its “boutique” status; the firm now has more than 40 partners practicing in its offices in Chicago and Denver. “Yes, they’re like a boutique on steroids now,” sums up one peer. “The big difference between them and a boutique is that it’s not ‘eat-what-you-kill’ and it’s not just a ‘one-star’ system. They have the bench depth! They don’t need to take on all the cases to make a lot of money, they can just take the lead on two or three and just do a great job on them. That puts the client more at ease because they feel like they will get more attention.” While Bartlit Beck has arguably demonstrated its most high-profile successes in the fields of product liability, intellectual property and antitrust, the firm’s generalist approach has ensured that it is certainly not limited to these practices by any means.
     While the firm’s legacy as a gold-standard trial-centric litigation powerhouse remains unchanged throughout the years, one noticeable change that has played out is the transition of generational talent and the work being managed by these groomed ranks of personnel. Based in the Denver office, Kat Hacker led Bayer-Monsanto to a victorious verdict in a trial in Missouri concerning allegations of the client’s Roundup herbicide causing cancer. “The snowball momentum has continued for Kat Hacker,” observes a peer. “Bartlit Beck in general seems very busy, and Kat in particular has been very impressive.” Hacker serves as lead national coordinating counsel on fraudulent-transfer claims for three DuPont entities in over 6,000 cases pending across the country related to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In these cases, plaintiffs allege that DuPont engaged in a series of corporate transactions to try to fraudulently transfer assets to avoid paying potential judgments. “These are ugly, nasty cases, but Kat doesn’t flinch from them!” Also based in Denver, Karma Giulianelli has emerged as what peers identify as “an antitrust rockstar, who is also doing plaintiff work!” In one such example of this, Giulianelli represented a class of consumers that purchased applications and in-app products on Android-compatible mobile devices in a case against Google, alleging monopolization of the application distribution market for Android devices and the associated aftermarket for in-app purchases. The case alleged that through a series of contractual restrictions and other anticompetitive conduct, Google's Play Store obtained a monopoly over the distribution of applications, allowing Google to generally charge a 30% commission for all application and "in-app" purchases. Following Giulianelli’s appointment as lead counsel, many State Attorneys' General followed suit, and the teams worked together on a novel joint prosecution effort, which culminated in a settlement prior to a planned trial.

     In the Chicago office, Rebecca Weinstein Bacon continues to enjoy a status as a peer favorite on the strength of her versatility and trial acuity across a spectrum of practice areas. Bacon and Chicago future star Luke Beasley triumphed for Align Technology in two AAA Arbitrations and confirmation proceedings. Both concerned breach-of-contract claims related to Strategic Supply and Operating Agreements between Align Technology and SmileDirectClub In one case, Align was the defendant; in the other, Align was the plaintiff. Sean Gallagher represents Hamilton Sundstrand in a series of personal-injury lawsuits alleging exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) due to the operation of an industrial facility that a predecessor company owned and operated during the 1970s and 1980s. TCE was detected in the community water supply in the late 1990s and it has been detected in area soil and groundwater as well as ambient air in nearby houses. The plaintiffs in these cases include former employees and area residents with various injuries and ailments that they attribute to occupational or environmental exposures to TCE. A trial was held in August 2023, and a Missouri jury returned a complete defense verdict later that month. A peer insists, “You need to recognize Jason Peltz – he is the managing partner there, but he also has his own very cutting-edge litigation on the go.” Peltz and Hamilton Hill represented Collins Aerospace in a suit brought by Boeing for breach of contract and warranty. Boeing alleged that Collins (a supplier) breached certain contracts related to components Collins provided for the CST-100 Starliner Space Vehicle. The parties settled their dispute in late 2023. Peltz and Brian Swanson also act for Raytheon in another breach-of-contract case brought by Boeing in Missouri Circuit Court relating to landing gear, avionics, and other various components on the F-15 and F/A-18 fighter jets. The case was settled in late 2023.

Bartlit Beck is celebrated among peers for forging a template of what many aspire to; the firm’s name is one of the most frequently referenced by maverick litigators who calve off of larger “Big Law” institutions and forge their own shops. One peer declares, “They set the standard for litigation boutiques in the US. Most people setting up litigation shops owe at least some debt to Bartlit Beck, whether they know it or not.” Ironically, the runaway success that the firm has experienced with its business model has caused it to outgrow its “boutique” status; the firm now has more than 40 partners practicing in its offices in Chicago and Denver. “Bartlit Beck has its offices in two great epicenters, but they’re barely doing any work that’s confined to either of these locales,” declares a peer. “They’re just an elite litigation shop that’s gone national, and their lawyers are on the road constantly. Wherever there are big trials, they will be there.” The firm continues its staggering run as being recognized as one of Benchmark’s Top 20 Trial Firms every year since 2015 with yet another appearance in 20215.
     Bartlit Beck also logs another candidate to Benchmark’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers with the addition of Sean Gallagher this year. Gallagher’s addition is considered long overdue by some, and is enhanced by a raft of peer and client commendations. One client sums Gallagher up as “a highly skilled first-chair trial lawyer, a great listener, a very clear communicator.  The best trial lawyer at a firm of great trial lawyers.  [He is] Among the best in America.” Another raves, “[Sean is the] dictionary definition of the perfect lawyer: incredibly smart, [a] tremendous leader of his team, [with a] deep understanding of all aspects (legal and commercial) of a circumstance, [and with] creative solutions. And a gem of a human being.” Based in the Chicago office, Gallagher is lead trial counsel for Pratt & Whitney in environmental tort cases involving more than $1 billion in alleged property damage and personal-injury claims arising out of the declaration of a "cancer cluster" by the Florida Department of Health in a neighborhood near Pratt & Whitney's West Palm Beach facility. Claims involve complex allegations of water and soil contamination with radionuclides and other contaminants. Several hundred property owners sued individually and on behalf of a putative class of many thousands of plaintiffs. Andrew McNally, another Chicago partner, acts with Gallagher on this case. McNally is another favorite of clients, with one addressing him as “one of the smartest and hardest working lawyers I've worked with, and he really grasps complex scientific and medical issues quickly and thoroughly.” Another client testifies, “Andrew has an uncanny ability not only to find the ‘devil in the details’ of the evidentiary record, but also to communicate those details in a way that is easy for the client (or the court) to understand. He has done an exceptional job managing his team.” Rebecca Weinstein Bacon, also based in Chicago, has also been a steady mention on the Top 100 Trial Lawyers and on the Top 250 Women Litigators in the US. “Rebecca is a pleasure to work with,” confirms a client. “She's responsive, thoughtful, brilliant, warm, and very client focused.” Bacon, along with Adam Hoeflich, is representing Walmart in putative class-action lawsuits claiming that Walmart is violating consumer protection statutes in various jurisdictions due alleged discrepancies between the prices posted on Walmart's shelves and the prices actually charged at the register. Plaintiffs claim these discrepancies add up to hundreds of millions of dollars (or more) each year.
     The Denver office boasts its own stacked deck of stars. Glen Summers and Karma Giulianellirepresent a class of California residents who used mobile devices with the Android operating system who allege that Google has designed the Android operating system to constantly take information from plaintiffs’ phones without regard to whether they are on WiFi or cellular connections. Unbeknownst to people who use Android devices, this constant surveillance, and the transmission of information to Google consumes plaintiffs’ cellular data – data that they purchased, and that Google has consumed without permission.  Trial is scheduled for June 2025 in Superior Court of California. Giulianelli, an “antitrust rockstar,” also works with Sundeep “Rob” Addy as counsel for a group of large corporations, including American Airlines, who have brought state and federal price-fixing claims against over 50 generic drug manufacturers for engaging in a wide-ranging conspiracy to fix the price of hundreds of generic medications since at least May 2009. These agreements are claimed to have led to staggering price increases for critical medications and forced consumers and their health plans to shoulder the cost.  Kat Hacker serves as lead national coordinating counsel on the fraudulent transfer claims for three DuPont entities in over 6,000 cases pending across the country related to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In these cases, plaintiffs allege that DuPont engaged in a series of corporate transactions to try to fraudulently transfer assets to avoid paying potential judgments. “She is an excellent oral advocate and can distill complex issues in a very simple way to appeal to a jury,” declares a client on Hacker’s behalf. “She has expertise in trial graphics that and has quite the depth of knowledge and experience in studying the best graphics for jury trials.” Andrew Baak represents UnitedHealth Group in a dispute under the False Claims Act brought by the US DoJ and a purported whistleblower to recover treble damages and civil penalties. Plaintiffs are seeking damages for amounts they claim were unlawfully retained from the federal Medicare program by UnitedHealth Group and its affiliates involved in the Medicare Advantage Program. Plaintiffs allege that UnitedHealth submitted invalid diagnostic data related to the health status of patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. Joseph Doman, a Denver partner making his debut as a future star in this edition, is championed by a client as “a wonderful litigator that understands how to weave a story and [provides] great client service.”

Cahill Gordon & Reindel remains a favorite with its stable of loyal long-time clients, which include global cornerstones of the financial industry, as well as embattled individuals who turn to Cahill practitioners for counsel but probably hope to never see the firm (or any litigator) again. One of Cahill’s clients voices appreciation for the “comprehensive advice, with excellent strategic game plan” that the firm has become known for. Cahill is best known for its concentration in the commercial, securities, antitrust and white-collar crime capacities.
     Operating from both the firm’s New York flagship as well as its DC location, Brad Bondi has become known as a trusted advocate for white-collar and securities enforcement matters. Bondi leads a team that is representing five large hospital funds as plaintiffs in connection with potential claims against Allianz Global Investors arising from the catastrophic implosion of Allianz’s Structured Alpha investment products. The allegations concern violation of federal securities laws and state common law claims. Total losses claimed exceed $10 billion. Bondi also represents former a KPMG senior partner and executive who is charged, along with four others, in a high-profile case with wire fraud and other offenses relating to the misappropriation by the defendants of confidential inspection information from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. “Over the years I have some to know Brad well and have trusted him on several important projects,” testifies a peer. Bondi is not the only partner in this group earning acclaim; Nola Heller represents a former asset manager who is charged for her alleged role in a $63 million scheme to place fraudulent bonds in discretionary client accounts. In March 2020, Heller served as lead trial counsel in a four-day evidentiary hearing regarding the client’s motion to withdraw her guilty plea. The response is also strong for Anirudh Bansal, a younger partner who is making a swift ascent. “I think Anirudh is first-rate,” opines a peer. “He was a junior to [celebrated former Cahill partner] David Kelley so he got excellent training and then had big shoes to fill, which he did. He stepped up in a big way, and I expect you’ll see more of him.”
     In the commercial capacity, Tammy Roy is another younger partner making a rapid rise. A client addresses Roy as “a rock star” who “[has] command of facts without getting lost in details. [She has a] bright future.” Roy has taken the lead on several notable engagements as of late. She represents S&P Global in five related actions alleging that S&P made reckless misrepresentations in connection with the rating of a life settlement securitization. In March 2019, several claims were dismissed but others were allowed to proceed and are now in discovery. Roy also represented UBS in connection with a defamation claim filed by a former UBS employee-turned-whistleblower after UBS publicly refuted the plaintiff’s claims, which were published in a book, regarding the details of his role in a tax-evasion scheme allegedly implicitly endorsed by UBS. UBS also denounced the plaintiff and highlighted lapses of credibility in his story. The parties settled the matter in September 2020. Roy also represented UBS Financial Services in a putative class action filed in the Southern District of New York in October 2020.  The named plaintiff sought to represent an alleged class of US citizens living abroad who she claimed had their UBS investment accounts frozen, converted to cash or closed without timely notification. At a pre-motion conference that was filed for in January 2021 in anticipation of UBS’s motion to dismiss, the plaintiff conceded that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction and subsequently filed a stipulation of voluntary dismissal of all claims.
     Cahill has long serviced Credit Suisse in cases straddling an intersection of securities and antitrust issues. Joel Kurtzberg, a recent addition to Benchmark’s litigation stars, has proven his mettle in having taken the lead on several of these matters. “Get Joel on your radar,” advises a peer. “He has earned it.” The team also includes long-time stars Herb Washer and Elai Katz, the latter known primarily for his antitrust acumen and the former frequently pivoting between securities, antitrust and commercial cases. “Elai is an antitrust secret weapon,” confides a peer. “He comes on like a bit of a street fighter, but you can tell by his writing – and he does a lot of it – that he is really studious and geeks out on this stuff.” Washer is said to be able to “do it all, while all the while being one of the more pleasant and well-spoken litigators you’ll encounter.” Others servicing Credit Suisse in various capacities include Sheila Ramesh and future star Jason Hall, as well as David Januszewski, a seasoned partner who receives near-universal acclaim from peers in the market. “David is fantastic, he should get national recognition,” insists a peer. Beyond his work for Credit Suisse, Januszewski also acts for Deutsche Bank. On behalf of this institution, Januszewski led a team (including Ramesh) that litigated a six-day bench trial in Connecticut seeking to enforce a judgment, secured by the bank in a UK court in 2013, against Alexander Vik and his offshore investment entity Sebastian Holdings, seeking to hold Vik liable personally as the Sebastian Holdings’ alter ego in Connecticut. Januszewski also prevailed on behalf of Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, securing a July 2020 dismissal in the Northern District of Illinois for a suit filed in March of that year in which plaintiffs filed their complaint against the bank, asserting claims for negligence, conversion, and contribution in connection with the transfer of securities alleged to have been funneled among various entities as part of a third-party’s long-running Ponzi scheme.

Cahill Gordon & Reindel remains a favorite with its stable of loyal long-time clients, which include global cornerstones of the financial industry, as well as embattled individuals who turn to Cahill practitioners for counsel but probably hope to never see the firm (or any litigator) again. One of Cahill’s clients voices appreciation for the “comprehensive advice, with excellent strategic game plan” that the firm has become known for. Cahill is best known for its concentration in the commercial, securities, antitrust and white-collar crime capacities.
     Operating from both the firm’s New York flagship as well as its DC location, Brad Bondi has become known as a trusted advocate for white-collar and securities enforcement matters. Bondi leads a team that is representing five large hospital funds as plaintiffs in connection with potential claims against Allianz Global Investors arising from the catastrophic implosion of Allianz’s Structured Alpha investment products. The allegations concern violation of federal securities laws and state common law claims. Total losses claimed exceed $10 billion. Bondi also represents former a KPMG senior partner and executive who is charged, along with four others, in a high-profile case with wire fraud and other offenses relating to the misappropriation by the defendants of confidential inspection information from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. “Over the years I have some to know Brad well and have trusted him on several important projects,” testifies a peer. Bondi is not the only partner in this group earning acclaim; Nola Heller represents a former asset manager who is charged for her alleged role in a $63 million scheme to place fraudulent bonds in discretionary client accounts. In March 2020, Heller served as lead trial counsel in a four-day evidentiary hearing regarding the client’s motion to withdraw her guilty plea. The response is also strong for Anirudh Bansal, a younger partner who is making a swift ascent. “I think Anirudh is first-rate,” opines a peer. “He was a junior to [celebrated former Cahill partner] David Kelley so he got excellent training and then had big shoes to fill, which he did. He stepped up in a big way, and I expect you’ll see more of him.”
     In the commercial capacity, Tammy Roy is another younger partner making a rapid rise. A client addresses Roy as “a rock star” who “[has] command of facts without getting lost in details. [She has a] bright future.” Roy has taken the lead on several notable engagements as of late. She represents S&P Global in five related actions alleging that S&P made reckless misrepresentations in connection with the rating of a life settlement securitization. In March 2019, several claims were dismissed but others were allowed to proceed and are now in discovery. Roy also represented UBS in connection with a defamation claim filed by a former UBS employee-turned-whistleblower after UBS publicly refuted the plaintiff’s claims, which were published in a book, regarding the details of his role in a tax-evasion scheme allegedly implicitly endorsed by UBS. UBS also denounced the plaintiff and highlighted lapses of credibility in his story. The parties settled the matter in September 2020. Roy also represented UBS Financial Services in a putative class action filed in the Southern District of New York in October 2020.  The named plaintiff sought to represent an alleged class of US citizens living abroad who she claimed had their UBS investment accounts frozen, converted to cash or closed without timely notification. At a pre-motion conference that was filed for in January 2021 in anticipation of UBS’s motion to dismiss, the plaintiff conceded that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction and subsequently filed a stipulation of voluntary dismissal of all claims.
     Cahill has long serviced Credit Suisse in cases straddling an intersection of securities and antitrust issues. Joel Kurtzberg, a recent addition to Benchmark’s litigation stars, has proven his mettle in having taken the lead on several of these matters. “Get Joel on your radar,” advises a peer. “He has earned it.” The team also includes long-time stars Herb Washer and Elai Katz, the latter known primarily for his antitrust acumen and the former frequently pivoting between securities, antitrust and commercial cases. “Elai is an antitrust secret weapon,” confides a peer. “He comes on like a bit of a street fighter, but you can tell by his writing – and he does a lot of it – that he is really studious and geeks out on this stuff.” Washer is said to be able to “do it all, while all the while being one of the more pleasant and well-spoken litigators you’ll encounter.” Others servicing Credit Suisse in various capacities include Sheila Ramesh and future star Jason Hall, as well as David Januszewski, a seasoned partner who receives near-universal acclaim from peers in the market. “David is fantastic, he should get national recognition,” insists a peer. Beyond his work for Credit Suisse, Januszewski also acts for Deutsche Bank. On behalf of this institution, Januszewski led a team (including Ramesh) that litigated a six-day bench trial in Connecticut seeking to enforce a judgment, secured by the bank in a UK court in 2013, against Alexander Vik and his offshore investment entity Sebastian Holdings, seeking to hold Vik liable personally as the Sebastian Holdings’ alter ego in Connecticut. Januszewski also prevailed on behalf of Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, securing a July 2020 dismissal in the Northern District of Illinois for a suit filed in March of that year in which plaintiffs filed their complaint against the bank, asserting claims for negligence, conversion, and contribution in connection with the transfer of securities alleged to have been funneled among various entities as part of a third-party’s long-running Ponzi scheme.

Cahill Gordon & Reindel remains a favorite with its stable of loyal long-time clients, which include global cornerstones of the financial industry, as well as embattled individuals who turn to Cahill practitioners for counsel but probably hope to never see the firm (or any litigator) again. One of Cahill’s clients voices appreciation for the “comprehensive advice, with excellent strategic game plan” that the firm has become known for. Cahill is best known for its concentration in the commercial, securities, antitrust and white-collar crime capacities.
     Operating from both the firm’s New York flagship as well as its DC location, Brad Bondi has become known as a trusted advocate for white-collar and securities enforcement matters. Bondi leads a team that is representing five large hospital funds as plaintiffs in connection with potential claims against Allianz Global Investors arising from the catastrophic implosion of Allianz’s Structured Alpha investment products. The allegations concern violation of federal securities laws and state common law claims. Total losses claimed exceed $10 billion. Bondi also represents former a KPMG senior partner and executive who is charged, along with four others, in a high-profile case with wire fraud and other offenses relating to the misappropriation by the defendants of confidential inspection information from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. “Over the years I have some to know Brad well and have trusted him on several important projects,” testifies a peer. Bondi is not the only partner in this group earning acclaim; Nola Heller represents a former asset manager who is charged for her alleged role in a $63 million scheme to place fraudulent bonds in discretionary client accounts. In March 2020, Heller served as lead trial counsel in a four-day evidentiary hearing regarding the client’s motion to withdraw her guilty plea. The response is also strong for Anirudh Bansal, a younger partner who is making a swift ascent. “I think Anirudh is first-rate,” opines a peer. “He was a junior to [celebrated former Cahill partner] David Kelley so he got excellent training and then had big shoes to fill, which he did. He stepped up in a big way, and I expect you’ll see more of him.”
     In the commercial capacity, Tammy Roy is another younger partner making a rapid rise. A client addresses Roy as “a rock star” who “[has] command of facts without getting lost in details. [She has a] bright future.” Roy has taken the lead on several notable engagements as of late. She represents S&P Global in five related actions alleging that S&P made reckless misrepresentations in connection with the rating of a life settlement securitization. In March 2019, several claims were dismissed but others were allowed to proceed and are now in discovery. Roy also represented UBS in connection with a defamation claim filed by a former UBS employee-turned-whistleblower after UBS publicly refuted the plaintiff’s claims, which were published in a book, regarding the details of his role in a tax-evasion scheme allegedly implicitly endorsed by UBS. UBS also denounced the plaintiff and highlighted lapses of credibility in his story. The parties settled the matter in September 2020. Roy also represented UBS Financial Services in a putative class action filed in the Southern District of New York in October 2020.  The named plaintiff sought to represent an alleged class of US citizens living abroad who she claimed had their UBS investment accounts frozen, converted to cash or closed without timely notification. At a pre-motion conference that was filed for in January 2021 in anticipation of UBS’s motion to dismiss, the plaintiff conceded that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction and subsequently filed a stipulation of voluntary dismissal of all claims.
     Cahill has long serviced Credit Suisse in cases straddling an intersection of securities and antitrust issues. Joel Kurtzberg, a recent addition to Benchmark’s litigation stars, has proven his mettle in having taken the lead on several of these matters. “Get Joel on your radar,” advises a peer. “He has earned it.” The team also includes long-time stars Herb Washer and Elai Katz, the latter known primarily for his antitrust acumen and the former frequently pivoting between securities, antitrust and commercial cases. “Elai is an antitrust secret weapon,” confides a peer. “He comes on like a bit of a street fighter, but you can tell by his writing – and he does a lot of it – that he is really studious and geeks out on this stuff.” Washer is said to be able to “do it all, while all the while being one of the more pleasant and well-spoken litigators you’ll encounter.” Others servicing Credit Suisse in various capacities include Sheila Ramesh and future star Jason Hall, as well as David Januszewski, a seasoned partner who receives near-universal acclaim from peers in the market. “David is fantastic, he should get national recognition,” insists a peer. Beyond his work for Credit Suisse, Januszewski also acts for Deutsche Bank. On behalf of this institution, Januszewski led a team (including Ramesh) that litigated a six-day bench trial in Connecticut seeking to enforce a judgment, secured by the bank in a UK court in 2013, against Alexander Vik and his offshore investment entity Sebastian Holdings, seeking to hold Vik liable personally as the Sebastian Holdings’ alter ego in Connecticut. Januszewski also prevailed on behalf of Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, securing a July 2020 dismissal in the Northern District of Illinois for a suit filed in March of that year in which plaintiffs filed their complaint against the bank, asserting claims for negligence, conversion, and contribution in connection with the transfer of securities alleged to have been funneled among various entities as part of a third-party’s long-running Ponzi scheme.

Cohen Milstein covers the Eastern seaboard with offices in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Palm Beach Gardens and Raleigh, and services the Midwest through a Chicago office. Peers on both the defense and plaintiff sides of the “V” have voiced appreciation for the firm’s zealous approach. “I have always regarded them highly,” declares one plaintiff peer. “They have been mainly regarded as an antitrust firm, but they also so some work in securities and appear to be doing more of this. We happen to have a case where we are co-lead with them. They are smart lawyers.” The firm also has a noted employment, civil rights and ERISA practice. The firm made news in 2019 when a federal judge in Illinois to co-lead shareholder litigation against money transfer entity MoneyGram International, who, in November 2018,  agreed to pay $125 million to resolve allegations that it failed to crack down on fraudulent money transfers.
     The majority of Cohen Milstein’s star power is concentrated in its DC home base. Managing partner Steven Toll is a celebrated figure among the plaintiffs bar and a “feared but respected adversary” of defense lawyers. Toll has been at the helm of several recent milestone wins, including securing a ruling from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that reinstated a suit against electronics maker Harman International Industries. A $28.25 million settlement was achieved in this action in 2017. Toll was also co-lead counsel in the BP Securities class action securities fraud lawsuit that arose from the Deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the certification of the class of investors alleged to have been injured by BP’s misrepresenting the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, and thus minimizing the extent of the cost and financial impact to BP of the cleanup and resulting damages. In February 2017, the court granted final approval to a $175 million settlement reached between BP and lead plaintiffs for the “post-explosion” class. Julie Reiser attends to a practice that straddles antitrust, securities and ERISA matters. Reiser has led litigation teams in several major class actions and has secured landmark settlements, including a $500 million settlement related to Countrywide’s issuance of mortgage-backed securities and a shareholder derivative suit against Wynn Resorts, with a net settlement value of $90 million. More recently, Reiser made news in September 2020 as co-lead counsel in negotiating a settlement with Google parent company Alphabet regarding credible claims of a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination within the company. Reiser's efforts precipitated a $310 million settlement that Alphabet pledged to commit to diversity efforts.
     While the DC partners are some of the firm’s most established, partners in other offices, particularly on the younger end of the spectrum, are also moving to the fore and garnering peer attention. Lauren Posner in the New York office is tipped by peers as a future star. “I’m sure she’ll be put in charge of many of their high-end cases,” forecasts a peer.

Cohen Milstein covers the Eastern seaboard with offices in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Palm Beach Gardens and Raleigh, and services the Midwest through a Chicago office. Peers on both the defense and plaintiff sides of the “V” have voiced appreciation for the firm’s zealous approach. “I have always regarded them highly,” declares one plaintiff peer. “They have been mainly regarded as an antitrust firm, but they also so some work in securities and appear to be doing more of this. We happen to have a case where we are co-lead with them. They are smart lawyers.” The firm also has a noted employment, civil rights and ERISA practice. The firm made news in 2019 when a federal judge in Illinois to co-lead shareholder litigation against money transfer entity MoneyGram International, who, in November 2018,  agreed to pay $125 million to resolve allegations that it failed to crack down on fraudulent money transfers.
     The majority of Cohen Milstein’s star power is concentrated in its DC home base. Managing partner Steven Toll is a celebrated figure among the plaintiffs bar and a “feared but respected adversary” of defense lawyers. Toll has been at the helm of several recent milestone wins, including securing a ruling from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that reinstated a suit against electronics maker Harman International Industries. A $28.25 million settlement was achieved in this action in 2017. Toll was also co-lead counsel in the BP Securities class action securities fraud lawsuit that arose from the Deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the certification of the class of investors alleged to have been injured by BP’s misrepresenting the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, and thus minimizing the extent of the cost and financial impact to BP of the cleanup and resulting damages. In February 2017, the court granted final approval to a $175 million settlement reached between BP and lead plaintiffs for the “post-explosion” class. Julie Reiser attends to a practice that straddles antitrust, securities and ERISA matters. Reiser has led litigation teams in several major class actions and has secured landmark settlements, including a $500 million settlement related to Countrywide’s issuance of mortgage-backed securities and a shareholder derivative suit against Wynn Resorts, with a net settlement value of $90 million. More recently, Reiser made news in September 2020 as co-lead counsel in negotiating a settlement with Google parent company Alphabet regarding credible claims of a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination within the company. Reiser's efforts precipitated a $310 million settlement that Alphabet pledged to commit to diversity efforts.
     While the DC partners are some of the firm’s most established, partners in other offices, particularly on the younger end of the spectrum, are also moving to the fore and garnering peer attention. Lauren Posner in the New York office is tipped by peers as a future star. “I’m sure she’ll be put in charge of many of their high-end cases,” forecasts a peer.

Cohen Milstein covers the Eastern seaboard with offices in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Palm Beach Gardens and Raleigh, and services the Midwest through a Chicago office. Peers on both the defense and plaintiff sides of the “V” have voiced appreciation for the firm’s zealous approach. “I have always regarded them highly,” declares one plaintiff peer. “They have been mainly regarded as an antitrust firm, but they also so some work in securities and appear to be doing more of this. We happen to have a case where we are co-lead with them. They are smart lawyers.” The firm also has a noted employment, civil rights and ERISA practice. The firm made news in 2019 when a federal judge in Illinois to co-lead shareholder litigation against money transfer entity MoneyGram International, who, in November 2018,  agreed to pay $125 million to resolve allegations that it failed to crack down on fraudulent money transfers.
     The majority of Cohen Milstein’s star power is concentrated in its DC home base. Managing partner Steven Toll is a celebrated figure among the plaintiffs bar and a “feared but respected adversary” of defense lawyers. Toll has been at the helm of several recent milestone wins, including securing a ruling from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that reinstated a suit against electronics maker Harman International Industries. A $28.25 million settlement was achieved in this action in 2017. Toll was also co-lead counsel in the BP Securities class action securities fraud lawsuit that arose from the Deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the certification of the class of investors alleged to have been injured by BP’s misrepresenting the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, and thus minimizing the extent of the cost and financial impact to BP of the cleanup and resulting damages. In February 2017, the court granted final approval to a $175 million settlement reached between BP and lead plaintiffs for the “post-explosion” class. Julie Reiser attends to a practice that straddles antitrust, securities and ERISA matters. Reiser has led litigation teams in several major class actions and has secured landmark settlements, including a $500 million settlement related to Countrywide’s issuance of mortgage-backed securities and a shareholder derivative suit against Wynn Resorts, with a net settlement value of $90 million. More recently, Reiser made news in September 2020 as co-lead counsel in negotiating a settlement with Google parent company Alphabet regarding credible claims of a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination within the company. Reiser's efforts precipitated a $310 million settlement that Alphabet pledged to commit to diversity efforts.
     While the DC partners are some of the firm’s most established, partners in other offices, particularly on the younger end of the spectrum, are also moving to the fore and garnering peer attention. Lauren Posner in the New York office is tipped by peers as a future star. “I’m sure she’ll be put in charge of many of their high-end cases,” forecasts a peer.

Cravath Swaine & Moore continues to set the standard for other major business law firms. Its elite status as one of the “white-shoe” firms is acknowledged by contemporaries on a coast-to-coast basis and always with tones of reverence. “The Cravath style” has been used as a descriptor for firms aspiring to the same level of pedigree. The firm also draws acclaim from several of its blue-ribbon roster of clients. “They provide excellent strategic advice and written work product. They also prepare for trial/hearing in a very thorough manner,” confirms one such client.
     For decades, Cravath managed to elicit this remarkable level of national prestige from its one office in Manhattan in New York. That changed last year. While Cravath’s reputation remains as unassailable as ever, it has finally expanded its operations to a DC office, a bold gambit that immediately caused a buzz in the nation’s capital and beyond. “Like everything Cravath does, this was not just some kind of desperate expansion for expansion’s sake,” declares one peer. “They saw an opportunity and exploited it quickly, netting themselves some great recruits in that office.” These strategic hires include Jennifer Leete, a former associate director in the SEC’s enforcement division who handles regulatory and investigations work, and Noah Phillips, an antitrust practitioner and former FTC commissioner. “They are still getting established here,” surmises one DC-based peer, “but between the talent they attract and the allure of the Cravath brand, I’ve no doubts they’ll do well in no time.”
     While the firm’s inroads into DC are not going unnoticed, the hub of Cravath’s major litigation activity remains its New York office, which has been a lodestar for generalist trial lawyers. While longtime icon Evan Chesler has officially retired, Dan Slifkin upholds Cravath’s trial pedigree at the senior level. Slifkin is representing certain directors designated by companies within the TotalEnergies group, a set of global multi-energy companies, to SunPower Corporation’s board of directors in a stockholder-derivative action filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery alleging defendants breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the sale of SunPower’s commercial and industrial business to a subsidiary of TotalEnergies. Helam Gebremariam, a younger star who juggles antitrust, securities and commercial work is acting with Slifkin on this matter. “I got to see Helam cross-examining witnesses and it was really a tour de force,” testifies a peer. Kevin Orsini continues to hold firm to his growing reputation as another all-purpose trial powerhouse. “Kevin can do it all – antitrust, ‘event-driven litigation’ – and he never stays in one place,” commends a peer.“He’s doing antitrust one day and wildfire cases the next!” David Marriott’s profile continues to elevate on the strength of his prodigious trial aplomb. Marriott, the recipient of Benchmark’s coveted “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award for 2024, demonstrates courtroom acuity across a number of areas; most recently, his antitrust actions have generated widespread acclaim. He led a team (which also included Timothy Cameron, Rachel Skaistis and Margaret Segall) that represented biopharma entity Amgen in successfully defending an FTC challenge to Amgen’s $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics—securing a consent order in September 2023 that ended all litigation and cleared the path for the transaction to close. This win comes hot on the heels of similar triumphs in the previous year for Illumina, again against the FTC, and Louis Dreyfus/Imperial Sugar against the DoJ. The managing partner of the firm’s litigation group, Karen DeMasi, is championed by a peer as “the ultimate consummate professional.” DeMasi is yet another partner known for her diverse practice portfolio. DeMasi, along with future star Lauren Rosenberg, scored big for First Solar, winning back-to-back dismissals in January and June 2023 to defeat putative class action securities litigation filed against the company and certain of its senior executives in Arizona federal court.  Plaintiffs, two pension funds that purchased First Solar stock, alleged defendants made false and misleading statements regarding the company’s solar module and its project development business. 
     While Cravath’s dedication to breeding versatile trial lawyers is proven, the firm does also boast a roster of specialists, with the aforementioned antitrust being the most prominent. “Antitrust is kind of the beating heart of Cravath,” notes a peer. Cravath has led Epic Games – the creator of the wildly popular Fortnite game, to multiple victories in its high-profile antitrust actions against Google and Apple challenging core aspects of the companies’ app store policies. As lead trial counsel, a Cravath team led by Gary Bornsteinand also including Yonatan Even and Lauren Moskowitz, won a unanimous jury verdict against Google on all counts in December 2023.
    Omid Nasab led West Coast utility entity PG&E in its successful defense against a massive putative class action seeking $2.5 billion in damages for emergency power shutoffs conducted by PG&E in 2019—first securing dismissal of the action in the bankruptcy court, then affirmance in the district court and, ultimately, winning a decision from the California Supreme Court shielding PG&E from liability. “I want to shout out Omid,” testifies a DC-based peer. “He stepped in and played a big role in an insider trading case we had for [dating app] Bumble! He’s on the younger side but already getting some more first-chair roles.” A white-collar/enforcement team composed of Benjamin Gruenstein, John Buretta and Evan Norris represented British American Tobacco (BAT) in reaching a global settlement, announced in April 2023, with the DoJ and OFAC to resolve sanctions breaches arising from historical business activities in North Korea between 2007 and 2017 in violation of the bank fraud statute and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In a matter straddling the intersection of fraud and intellectual property, Gruenstein acts with IP specialist Keith Hummel in representing cardiovascular-focused medical device entity Abiomed as the plaintiff in a trade-secret and breach-of-contract action against a German medical device company, and its founder, alleging that the defendants entered into consulting agreements concerning Abiomed’s compressible heart pump. In September 2023, the Cravath duo defeated defendants’ motion to dismiss, which had sought dismissal on jurisdictional grounds. 

Cravath Swaine & Moore continues to set the standard for other major business law firms. Its elite status as one of the “white-shoe” firms is acknowledged by contemporaries on a coast-to-coast basis and always with tones of reverence. “The Cravath style” has been used as a descriptor for firms aspiring to the same level of pedigree. The firm also draws acclaim from several of its blue-ribbon roster of clients. “They provide excellent strategic advice and written work product. They also prepare for trial/hearing in a very thorough manner,” confirms one such client.
     For decades, Cravath managed to elicit this remarkable level of national prestige from its one office in Manhattan in New York. That changed last year. While Cravath’s reputation remains as unassailable as ever, it has finally expanded its operations to a DC office, a bold gambit that immediately caused a buzz in the nation’s capital and beyond. “Like everything Cravath does, this was not just some kind of desperate expansion for expansion’s sake,” declares one peer. “They saw an opportunity and exploited it quickly, netting themselves some great recruits in that office.” These strategic hires include Jennifer Leete, a former associate director in the SEC’s enforcement division who handles regulatory and investigations work, and Noah Phillips, an antitrust practitioner and former FTC commissioner. “They are still getting established here,” surmises one DC-based peer, “but between the talent they attract and the allure of the Cravath brand, I’ve no doubts they’ll do well in no time.”
     While the firm’s inroads into DC are not going unnoticed, the hub of Cravath’s major litigation activity remains its New York office, which has been a lodestar for generalist trial lawyers. While longtime icon Evan Chesler has officially retired, Dan Slifkin upholds Cravath’s trial pedigree at the senior level. Slifkin is representing certain directors designated by companies within the TotalEnergies group, a set of global multi-energy companies, to SunPower Corporation’s board of directors in a stockholder-derivative action filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery alleging defendants breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the sale of SunPower’s commercial and industrial business to a subsidiary of TotalEnergies. Helam Gebremariam, a younger star who juggles antitrust, securities and commercial work is acting with Slifkin on this matter. “I got to see Helam cross-examining witnesses and it was really a tour de force,” testifies a peer. Kevin Orsini continues to hold firm to his growing reputation as another all-purpose trial powerhouse. “Kevin can do it all – antitrust, ‘event-driven litigation’ – and he never stays in one place,” commends a peer.“He’s doing antitrust one day and wildfire cases the next!” David Marriott’s profile continues to elevate on the strength of his prodigious trial aplomb. Marriott, the recipient of Benchmark’s coveted “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award for 2024, demonstrates courtroom acuity across a number of areas; most recently, his antitrust actions have generated widespread acclaim. He led a team (which also included Timothy Cameron, Rachel Skaistis and Margaret Segall) that represented biopharma entity Amgen in successfully defending an FTC challenge to Amgen’s $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics—securing a consent order in September 2023 that ended all litigation and cleared the path for the transaction to close. This win comes hot on the heels of similar triumphs in the previous year for Illumina, again against the FTC, and Louis Dreyfus/Imperial Sugar against the DoJ. The managing partner of the firm’s litigation group, Karen DeMasi, is championed by a peer as “the ultimate consummate professional.” DeMasi is yet another partner known for her diverse practice portfolio. DeMasi, along with future star Lauren Rosenberg, scored big for First Solar, winning back-to-back dismissals in January and June 2023 to defeat putative class action securities litigation filed against the company and certain of its senior executives in Arizona federal court.  Plaintiffs, two pension funds that purchased First Solar stock, alleged defendants made false and misleading statements regarding the company’s solar module and its project development business. 
     While Cravath’s dedication to breeding versatile trial lawyers is proven, the firm does also boast a roster of specialists, with the aforementioned antitrust being the most prominent. “Antitrust is kind of the beating heart of Cravath,” notes a peer. Cravath has led Epic Games – the creator of the wildly popular Fortnite game, to multiple victories in its high-profile antitrust actions against Google and Apple challenging core aspects of the companies’ app store policies. As lead trial counsel, a Cravath team led by Gary Bornsteinand also including Yonatan Even and Lauren Moskowitz, won a unanimous jury verdict against Google on all counts in December 2023.
    Omid Nasab led West Coast utility entity PG&E in its successful defense against a massive putative class action seeking $2.5 billion in damages for emergency power shutoffs conducted by PG&E in 2019—first securing dismissal of the action in the bankruptcy court, then affirmance in the district court and, ultimately, winning a decision from the California Supreme Court shielding PG&E from liability. “I want to shout out Omid,” testifies a DC-based peer. “He stepped in and played a big role in an insider trading case we had for [dating app] Bumble! He’s on the younger side but already getting some more first-chair roles.” A white-collar/enforcement team composed of Benjamin Gruenstein, John Buretta and Evan Norris represented British American Tobacco (BAT) in reaching a global settlement, announced in April 2023, with the DoJ and OFAC to resolve sanctions breaches arising from historical business activities in North Korea between 2007 and 2017 in violation of the bank fraud statute and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In a matter straddling the intersection of fraud and intellectual property, Gruenstein acts with IP specialist Keith Hummel in representing cardiovascular-focused medical device entity Abiomed as the plaintiff in a trade-secret and breach-of-contract action against a German medical device company, and its founder, alleging that the defendants entered into consulting agreements concerning Abiomed’s compressible heart pump. In September 2023, the Cravath duo defeated defendants’ motion to dismiss, which had sought dismissal on jurisdictional grounds. 

Cravath Swaine & Moore continues to set the standard for other major business law firms. Its elite status as one of the “white-shoe” firms is acknowledged by contemporaries on a coast-to-coast basis and always with tones of reverence. “The Cravath style” has been used as a descriptor for firms aspiring to the same level of pedigree. The firm also draws acclaim from several of its blue-ribbon roster of clients. “They provide excellent strategic advice and written work product. They also prepare for trial/hearing in a very thorough manner,” confirms one such client.
     For decades, Cravath managed to elicit this remarkable level of national prestige from its one office in Manhattan in New York. That changed last year. While Cravath’s reputation remains as unassailable as ever, it has finally expanded its operations to a DC office, a bold gambit that immediately caused a buzz in the nation’s capital and beyond. “Like everything Cravath does, this was not just some kind of desperate expansion for expansion’s sake,” declares one peer. “They saw an opportunity and exploited it quickly, netting themselves some great recruits in that office.” These strategic hires include Jennifer Leete, a former associate director in the SEC’s enforcement division who handles regulatory and investigations work, and Noah Phillips, an antitrust practitioner and former FTC commissioner. “They are still getting established here,” surmises one DC-based peer, “but between the talent they attract and the allure of the Cravath brand, I’ve no doubts they’ll do well in no time.”
     While the firm’s inroads into DC are not going unnoticed, the hub of Cravath’s major litigation activity remains its New York office, which has been a lodestar for generalist trial lawyers. While longtime icon Evan Chesler has officially retired, Dan Slifkin upholds Cravath’s trial pedigree at the senior level. Slifkin is representing certain directors designated by companies within the TotalEnergies group, a set of global multi-energy companies, to SunPower Corporation’s board of directors in a stockholder-derivative action filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery alleging defendants breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the sale of SunPower’s commercial and industrial business to a subsidiary of TotalEnergies. Helam Gebremariam, a younger star who juggles antitrust, securities and commercial work is acting with Slifkin on this matter. “I got to see Helam cross-examining witnesses and it was really a tour de force,” testifies a peer. Kevin Orsini continues to hold firm to his growing reputation as another all-purpose trial powerhouse. “Kevin can do it all – antitrust, ‘event-driven litigation’ – and he never stays in one place,” commends a peer.“He’s doing antitrust one day and wildfire cases the next!” David Marriott’s profile continues to elevate on the strength of his prodigious trial aplomb. Marriott, the recipient of Benchmark’s coveted “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award for 2024, demonstrates courtroom acuity across a number of areas; most recently, his antitrust actions have generated widespread acclaim. He led a team (which also included Timothy Cameron, Rachel Skaistis and Margaret Segall) that represented biopharma entity Amgen in successfully defending an FTC challenge to Amgen’s $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics—securing a consent order in September 2023 that ended all litigation and cleared the path for the transaction to close. This win comes hot on the heels of similar triumphs in the previous year for Illumina, again against the FTC, and Louis Dreyfus/Imperial Sugar against the DoJ. The managing partner of the firm’s litigation group, Karen DeMasi, is championed by a peer as “the ultimate consummate professional.” DeMasi is yet another partner known for her diverse practice portfolio. DeMasi, along with future star Lauren Rosenberg, scored big for First Solar, winning back-to-back dismissals in January and June 2023 to defeat putative class action securities litigation filed against the company and certain of its senior executives in Arizona federal court.  Plaintiffs, two pension funds that purchased First Solar stock, alleged defendants made false and misleading statements regarding the company’s solar module and its project development business. 
     While Cravath’s dedication to breeding versatile trial lawyers is proven, the firm does also boast a roster of specialists, with the aforementioned antitrust being the most prominent. “Antitrust is kind of the beating heart of Cravath,” notes a peer. Cravath has led Epic Games – the creator of the wildly popular Fortnite game, to multiple victories in its high-profile antitrust actions against Google and Apple challenging core aspects of the companies’ app store policies. As lead trial counsel, a Cravath team led by Gary Bornsteinand also including Yonatan Even and Lauren Moskowitz, won a unanimous jury verdict against Google on all counts in December 2023.
    Omid Nasab led West Coast utility entity PG&E in its successful defense against a massive putative class action seeking $2.5 billion in damages for emergency power shutoffs conducted by PG&E in 2019—first securing dismissal of the action in the bankruptcy court, then affirmance in the district court and, ultimately, winning a decision from the California Supreme Court shielding PG&E from liability. “I want to shout out Omid,” testifies a DC-based peer. “He stepped in and played a big role in an insider trading case we had for [dating app] Bumble! He’s on the younger side but already getting some more first-chair roles.” A white-collar/enforcement team composed of Benjamin Gruenstein, John Buretta and Evan Norris represented British American Tobacco (BAT) in reaching a global settlement, announced in April 2023, with the DoJ and OFAC to resolve sanctions breaches arising from historical business activities in North Korea between 2007 and 2017 in violation of the bank fraud statute and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In a matter straddling the intersection of fraud and intellectual property, Gruenstein acts with IP specialist Keith Hummel in representing cardiovascular-focused medical device entity Abiomed as the plaintiff in a trade-secret and breach-of-contract action against a German medical device company, and its founder, alleging that the defendants entered into consulting agreements concerning Abiomed’s compressible heart pump. In September 2023, the Cravath duo defeated defendants’ motion to dismiss, which had sought dismissal on jurisdictional grounds. 

Davis Polk & Wardwell is a consistent leader in litigation, earning its place as one of the top-tier firms in antitrust, securities, and white-collar crime especially. The firm’s growth over recent years has strategically established its presence in the New York, Washington DC and California markets. The accomplishments of its bench across practice areas have further driven the firm’s acclaim in high-profile litigation. A peer addresses Davis Polk partners as “outstanding financial litigators, very sharp across the board." Another insists, "They deserve their reputations for being really good lawyers."
     Davis Polk New York office continues to be revered as one of New York’s elite firms and is equipped with numerous respected lawyers. Greg Andres serves as the firm’s co-chair of the white-collar crime and investigation group and is one of the leading lawyers in the practice area, enjoying a spot on the Top 100 Trial Lawyers list since its inception. Andres led JPMorgan Chase to a March 2024 triumph when the DoJ moved to dismiss with prejudice a two-count criminal information filed against the financial institution in 2020 in connection with a 2020 deferred prosecution agreement, which arose out of spoofing activity in the precious metals and treasuries futures markets by traders on the bank’s precious metals and US.Treasuries desks between 2008 and 2016. This agreement compelled the bank to cooperate with numerous detailed conditions of the DoJ’s prosecutions. The court granted the government’s motion on the same day, holding that the bank “fully complied with all of [its] obligations under the agreement.” Andres also, along with Dana Seshens and lead partner James Rouhandeh, led Morgan Stanley to victory in a matter, stemming from 2012, common law fraud claims brought by a German bank arising from the sale of residential mortgage-backed securities between 2005 and 2007. The Davis Polk team obtained partial summary judgment in 2023, but the court still permitted the plaintiff bank to proceed to trial on two other purported misrepresentations alleged in the complaint. The court heard oral argument in August 2024. Seshens and Martine Beamon scored for Attorney General Letitia James in February 2025, securing dismissal of harassment claims filed by a plaintiff alleging that James’s former Chief of Staff (who is separately represented in the action) sexually assaulted her at an event in November 2021 and that James and her Office were liable for his alleged conduct.

     Andrew Ditchfield has emerged as another one of the firm’s most prominent players. “Andrew is a complete rockstar and we’re seeing him more and more,” confirms a peer. “He’s suddenly everywhere, and it’s kind of out of nowhere!” Ditchfield  obtained a May 2024 victory for Exxon Mobil in a breach-of-contract action brought in New York State Supreme Court. The plaintiffs were former shareholders of InterOil Corporation, a Canadian oil-and-gas company that was acquired by ExxonMobil in 2017. The plaintiffs sued ExxonMobil four years after the transaction closed, alleging that it breached its contractual obligations by failing to pay the full amount of post-closing contingent consideration due to them under a Contingent Resource Payment agreement that was executed in connection with the acquisition. In April 2022, Ditchfield moved to dismiss the complaint, arguing that plaintiffs lacked standing to pursue their claims because the agreement barred individual shareholders or small ad hoc groups (like plaintiffs) from instituting any action to enforce the agreement. The court agreed and dismissed the complaint. The plaintiffs appealed to the Appellate Division, First Department, which affirmed the dismissal in a 3-2 decision in March 2023. The plaintiffs then appealed to the Court of Appeals, which unanimously affirmed the dismissal of the complaint. Ditchfield also represents Novo Nordisk in connection with three lawsuits filed in Delaware Chancery Court relating to its acquisition of Emisphere Technologies. Bankruptcy star Elliott Moskowitz won an appellate victory in the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department in December 2024 for a group of lenders that participated in an October 2022 financing transaction undertaken by a major Canadian telecommunications provider. Following the 2022 transaction, the participating lenders were sued, in the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of New York, by other lenders that did not participate in the 2022 financing. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs challenged liens securing more than $850 million in debt owed to the participating lenders and sought money damages on the basis that the restructuring transaction allegedly violated the terms of preexisting credit agreements, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, among other claims. Paul Spagnoletti has carved out a premier spot in the professional liability capacity, generating particular acclaim for his defense of law firms. One peer testifies, “I witnessed Paul do a terrific job. He was effectively in the lead of a very complicated dispute with multiple law firms and billions at stake.”

Davis Polk & Wardwell is a consistent leader in litigation, earning its place as one of the top-tier firms in antitrust, securities, and white-collar crime especially. The firm’s growth over recent years has strategically established its presence in the New York, Washington DC and California markets. The accomplishments of its bench across practice areas have further driven the firm’s acclaim in high-profile litigation.

     Davis Polk remains one of New York’s elite firms and is equipped with numerous respected lawyers. Greg Andres serves as the firm’s co-chair of the white-collar crime and investigation group and is one of the leading lawyers in the practice area, enjoying a spot on the Top 100 Trial Lawyers list since its inception. An all-star bench including Andres, Jarrett Arp, and Tatiana Martins, who makes her debut as a litigation star this year, handled the criminal charges in a broiler chicken-related antitrust lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division against Jason McGuire, an executive in the industry. The team succeeded in the day-long James hearing regarding the admissibility of 294 statements and secured a dismissal of the criminal charges against the client after the court rendered the government’s evidence inadmissible. Based out of DC, Arp is one of the firm’s leading antitrust litigators whose practice is especially sought after for high-stakes and sensitive matters. Uzo Asonye, also of the DC office and debuting as a litigation star, specializes in white-collar crime defense, having joined the firm in 2020 after serving as the acting chief of the Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit in the Eastern District of Virginia. Asonye has joined forces with Andres in representing a Fiat Chrysler engineer who was charged with conspiracy to manipulate emissions tests. The duo have obtained favorable pre-trial rulings, including a successful motion for production of Brady and Rule 16 materials. The team initially obtained a dismissal of wire fraud conspiracy counts, and while the Sixth Circuit reversed on appeal, it also shared its skepticism as to whether the government would be able to prove its case during the trial.

     Head of the litigation group James Rouhandeh is also an established leader of the securities bar, known especially for being the “go-to” for financial institutions, particularly Morgan Stanley, for which he continues to handle cases related to residential mortgage-backed securities arising from the 2007 financial crisis. He defends the major financial institution against fraud claims filed by IKB Deutsche Industriebank in a case which has involved discovery across three countries. The team secured a pre-trial victory in defeating IKB’s motion to amend its complaint. While Rouhandeh continues to be a force for established institutions like Morgan Stanley, he is also at the forefront of securities litigation involving cryptocurrency platforms such as industry leader Binance. Last year, Rouhandeh obtained a complete dismissal of a securities class action alleging that the company unlawfully operated an unregistered exchange and an unregistered broker-dealer, unlawfully sold unregistered securities based on the sale of unregistered tokens, and another 149 violations of state blue sky laws. The court dismissed the case, agreeing with his arguments that the claims were not within the statute of limitations and that the company is not a “domestic exchange”, therefore neither federal nor state laws would apply extraterritorially. Another New York litigator who stands out in the market is Andrew Ditchfield. A peer at another top-tier firm praises Ditchfield’s capabilities in litigation, commenting, “It’s really fun to litigate against people outside of our firm that I think are at our level.” A commercial and civil litigator with a specialty in M&A-related litigation, Ditchfield recently scored a victory representing Brookfield in a shareholder dispute related to the company’s $8.3 billion acquisition of CDK Global. The complaint alleged violations of the Illinois Securities Act and sought to delay the tender offer by way of preliminary injunction, which was denied at the circuit court. The court agreed with Ditchfield’s arguments and subsequently found that the plaintiff could not show likelihood of success on the merits and thus they[WC(1]  voluntarily dismissed their case.

     New York litigator James McClammy makes his debut as a litigation star this year. Alongside long-time star Edmund Polubinski, McClammy represented two of the large lender syndicates in the case of Twitter v. Elon R. Musk in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The case arises from Musk’s attempt to terminate the merger agreement, for which the clients had committed to providing financing in the amount of $25.5 billion. McClammy and Polubinski were leading subpoenas over a 10-week period in the expedited and closely watched case, which was dismissed after the acquisition closed. In another case involving Elon Musk, litigator and arbitrator Frances Bivens represents JP Morgan against Tesla, alleging that the company breached certain agreements governing warrants that the client purchased. The case arose from Musk’s tweet to take Tesla private and, in turn, JP Morgan adjusted the strike price pursuant to the agreement. Bivens has filed a motion on the pleadings, and also defends the bank against counterclaims and damages from Tesla. Bivens and fellow international arbitration specialist Antonio Perez-Marques handled an 11-day arbitration as lead counsel defending Albemarle, one of the largest lithium suppliers, against alleged fraud, breach of contract and other claims filed by competing chemicals company, Huntsman. The co-head of the civil litigation practice, Paul Spagnoletti, recently obtained a critical win in a federal RICO lawsuit which garnered praise from the legal industry. On behalf of Apollo co-founder Josh Harris, Spagnoletti secured a dismissal of federal RICO claims filed by co-founder and former CEO Leon Black, who alleged that there was a fraudulent scheme to force him to resign by leveraging sexual abuse allegations against him.

     Dana Seshens is co-head of the civil litigation group and handles securities class actions and intellectual property litigation with the West Coast team. Seshens and distinguished California litigator Neal Potischman are representing Universal Television, Jimmy Fallon and his product company in a class action alleging violations of the federal securities laws and consumer protection statutes in California. The case is one of many involving celebrity endorsements of non-fungible tokens and related cryptocurrency. Seshens and Potischman have thus far quashed a subpoena and have moved to dismiss the case entirely. The duo has also worked on several other California cases together and on separate occasions served as counsel for underwriters in securities class actions. Seshens leads the team in defending PG&E in a class action arising from the California wildfires. On intellectual property, Seshens partners with Ashok Ramani, the head of the practice group, to handle trade secrets disputes on behalf of industry-leading pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer. The pair are preparing for trial early next year in a fast-paced trade secrets case filed on behalf of Pfizer against Razor Therapeutics, a start-up founded by two former executives who Pfizer allege used trade secrets to establish the company. On the patent side of IP, Ramani scored a trial victory for Magnolia Medical Technologies in its lawsuit against its sole competitor in provision of initial specimen diversion devices, Kurin. Ramani was called in to replace an IP boutique’s team just prior to summary judgment and was head-to-head with another top-tier intellectual property litigator representing Kurin. He obtained a verdict of infringement in the first phase and in the second, a verdict of damages and no invalidity.

Davis Polk & Wardwell is a consistent leader in litigation, earning its place as one of the top-tier firms in antitrust, securities, and white-collar crime especially. The firm’s growth over recent years has strategically established its presence in the New York, Washington DC and California markets. The accomplishments of its bench across practice areas have further driven the firm’s acclaim in high-profile litigation. A peer addresses Davis Polk partners as “outstanding financial litigators, very sharp across the board." Another insists, "They deserve their reputations for being really good lawyers."
     Davis Polk New York office continues to be revered as one of New York’s elite firms and is equipped with numerous respected lawyers. Greg Andres serves as the firm’s co-chair of the white-collar crime and investigation group and is one of the leading lawyers in the practice area, enjoying a spot on the Top 100 Trial Lawyers list since its inception. Andres led JPMorgan Chase to a March 2024 triumph when the DoJ moved to dismiss with prejudice a two-count criminal information filed against the financial institution in 2020 in connection with a 2020 deferred prosecution agreement, which arose out of spoofing activity in the precious metals and treasuries futures markets by traders on the bank’s precious metals and US.Treasuries desks between 2008 and 2016. This agreement compelled the bank to cooperate with numerous detailed conditions of the DoJ’s prosecutions. The court granted the government’s motion on the same day, holding that the bank “fully complied with all of [its] obligations under the agreement.” Andres also, along with Dana Seshens and lead partner James Rouhandeh, led Morgan Stanley to victory in a matter, stemming from 2012, common law fraud claims brought by a German bank arising from the sale of residential mortgage-backed securities between 2005 and 2007. The Davis Polk team obtained partial summary judgment in 2023, but the court still permitted the plaintiff bank to proceed to trial on two other purported misrepresentations alleged in the complaint. The court heard oral argument in August 2024. Seshens and Martine Beamon scored for Attorney General Letitia James in February 2025, securing dismissal of harassment claims filed by a plaintiff alleging that James’s former Chief of Staff (who is separately represented in the action) sexually assaulted her at an event in November 2021 and that James and her Office were liable for his alleged conduct.

     Andrew Ditchfield has emerged as another one of the firm’s most prominent players. “Andrew is a complete rockstar and we’re seeing him more and more,” confirms a peer. “He’s suddenly everywhere, and it’s kind of out of nowhere!” Ditchfield  obtained a May 2024 victory for Exxon Mobil in a breach-of-contract action brought in New York State Supreme Court. The plaintiffs were former shareholders of InterOil Corporation, a Canadian oil-and-gas company that was acquired by ExxonMobil in 2017. The plaintiffs sued ExxonMobil four years after the transaction closed, alleging that it breached its contractual obligations by failing to pay the full amount of post-closing contingent consideration due to them under a Contingent Resource Payment agreement that was executed in connection with the acquisition. In April 2022, Ditchfield moved to dismiss the complaint, arguing that plaintiffs lacked standing to pursue their claims because the agreement barred individual shareholders or small ad hoc groups (like plaintiffs) from instituting any action to enforce the agreement. The court agreed and dismissed the complaint. The plaintiffs appealed to the Appellate Division, First Department, which affirmed the dismissal in a 3-2 decision in March 2023. The plaintiffs then appealed to the Court of Appeals, which unanimously affirmed the dismissal of the complaint. Ditchfield also represents Novo Nordisk in connection with three lawsuits filed in Delaware Chancery Court relating to its acquisition of Emisphere Technologies. Bankruptcy star Elliott Moskowitz won an appellate victory in the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department in December 2024 for a group of lenders that participated in an October 2022 financing transaction undertaken by a major Canadian telecommunications provider. Following the 2022 transaction, the participating lenders were sued, in the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of New York, by other lenders that did not participate in the 2022 financing. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs challenged liens securing more than $850 million in debt owed to the participating lenders and sought money damages on the basis that the restructuring transaction allegedly violated the terms of preexisting credit agreements, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, among other claims. Paul Spagnoletti has carved out a premier spot in the professional liability capacity, generating particular acclaim for his defense of law firms. One peer testifies, “I witnessed Paul do a terrific job. He was effectively in the lead of a very complicated dispute with multiple law firms and billions at stake.”