The Legal 500 United States 2023 edition has recognized Cohen & Gresser’s New York and Washington, D.C. offices for legal excellence in Antitrust Litigation, Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Crime, Commercial Litigation, and Securities Litigation. Partner Mark Cohen received recognition as a Leading Lawyer in Securities Litigation and Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Crime: Advice to Individuals. The 2023 guide also recognized partners Lawrence T. Gresser, Jonathan Abernethy, Jason Brown, S. Gale Dick, Jeffrey Lang, Melissa Maxman, Douglas Pepe, John Roberti, Daniel Tabak, and Ronald Wick as recommended lawyers. This 16th edition of The Legal 500 United States guide involved a detailed assessment of various factors, including work conducted by law firms over the past 12 months and historically; experience and depth of teams; and client feedback. The guide highlights C&G’s “widespread global footprint” as being “crucial on multifaceted disputes work.” It praises the firm’s “ability to handle high-end and top-of-the-line cases” and “strength in bet-the-company litigation, contract disputes, fraud, and the financial services sector.” Founded in 2002, Cohen & Gresser’s New York office serves as the firm’s headquarters. Our New York attorneys are particularly strong in securities litigation and arbitration, international arbitration, regulatory investigations, patent litigation, and M&A transactions. The firm’s Washington, D .C. office handles a range of commercial litigation and regulatory enforcement actions, with a focus on domestic and foreign antitrust issues.

International law firm Cohen & Gresser has been recognized in The Legal 500 United States 2022 guide for “bringing excitement and innovation to the practice of law.” The 2022 guide recognizes more C&G lawyers and practice areas than ever before, including a 58% increase in individual attorney recommendations and new rankings at the practice and “Leading Lawyer” levels.

The guide highlights C&G’s “elite group of practitioners” and use of advanced machine learning techniques and notes that the firm “handle[s] cases that are every bit as complex and challenging as big, national law firms.” Commentators noted that the firm “punches way above its weight” in litigation and investigation matters.

C&G Co-Founder Mark S Cohen is one of only two lawyers in the United States to be recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” in both Securities Litigation: Defense and Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense. Commentary from The Legal 500 recognizes Mark as a “top-tier advocate” who is “at the top of the profession” and “can litigate with the best of them.”

For the first time, C&G’s Antitrust practice has been recognized in Antitrust: Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense for its handling of class action cases concerning allegations of cartel behavior, monopolization, and other exclusionary conducts. The Legal 500 cites the leadership of Melissa H Maxman and the addition of “heavyweight” lawyer John Roberti as key reasons for the practice’s recognition.

C&G is again recognized in the Advice to Individuals and Advice to Corporates categories of the Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense section. The Legal 500 commentary notes that the practice is led by “partners with deep experience who obtain excellent results for clients” and is “well placed to handle transatlantic cases” with offices in New York, Paris, and London, and has “particular expertise in financial crime, antitrust enforcement, public corruption, and tax issues.”

The guide has also recognized C&G once again in the General Commercial Disputes category, praising the practice for showing the “discipline and focus necessary to win a case.” Testimonials from the guide highlight the team’s ability to “handle large and complex matters” with “experienced people, good judgment,” and “better use of technology.”

For the 10th consecutive year, C&G has been recognized in the Securities Litigation: Defense category for the firm’s “expertise in the financial services sector” and “recognized trial expertise” in cross-border and domestic securities litigation and enforcement proceedings. The Legal 500 emphasizes the team’s “strong practitioners” and “attentiveness to clients” in the 2022 guide.

Recognized Practices:

• Antitrust: Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense
• Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Individuals
• Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Corporates
• General Commercial Disputes
• Securities Litigation: Defense

Recognized Individuals:

Antitrust: Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense

• Melissa H Maxman
• John Roberti
• Ronald F Wick

Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense

• Jonathan S Abernethy
• Jason Brown
• Mark S Cohen
• S Gale Dick
• Jeffrey I Lang
• Melissa H Maxman
• Reggie Schafer

General Commercial Disputes

• Mark S Cohen
• S Gale Dick
• Lawrence T Gresser
• Melissa H Maxman
• Daniel H Tabak

Securities Litigation: Defense

• Jonathan S Abernethy
• Mark S Cohen
• S Gale Dick
• Lawrence T Gresser

About The Legal 500:

The Legal 500 analyzes the capabilities of law firms across the world. Its rankings “highlight the practice area teams who are providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel.”

Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that 38 of the firm's New York and Washington D.C.­based attorneys have been named to the 2021 Super Lawyers List across a wide range of practice areas. C&G co­founder Mark S Cohen and partners Jonathan S Abernethy and Daniel H Tabak have also been named to the Super Lawyers list of the top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area, and partner Karen H Bromberg has been recognized as one of the top 50 women lawyers in the New York metropolitan area. Super Lawyers ranks outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only five percent of the lawyers in each state are selected as Super Lawyers, and only 2.5 percent are selected as Rising Stars. Super Lawyers Jonathan S Abernethy: Criminal Defense: White Collar Kwaku Andoh: Mergers & Acquisitions Elizabeth Bernhardt: Business Litigation Thomas E Bezanson: Personal Injury – Products: Defense Colin C Bridge: Criminal Defense: White Collar Karen H Bromberg: Intellectual Property Jason Brown: Criminal Defense: White Collar Damir Cefo: Intellectual Property Litigation Joanna K Chan: Securities Litigation Mark S Cohen: Business Litigation S Gale Dick: Business Litigation Christian R Everdell: Criminal Defense: White Collar Lawrence T Gresser: Business Litigation Oliver S Haker: Business Litigation Johannes Jonas: Mergers & Acquisitions Nicholas J Kaiser: Real Estate Jeffrey I. Lang: Business Litigation Melissa H Maxman: Antitrust Litigation Ellen Paltiel: General Litigation Nathaniel P T Read: Business Litigation Bonnie J Roe: Securities & Corporate Finance Stephen M Sinaiko: Business Litigation C Evan Stewart: Securities Litigation Daniel H Tabak: Business Litigation Scott D Thomson: Business Litigation Alexandra Wald: Business Litigation Ronald F Wick: Antitrust Litigation Rising Stars Luke Appling: Civil Litigation Sharon L Barbour: Criminal Defense: White Collar Drew S Dean: General Litigation William Kalema: Business Litigation Sri Kuehnlenz: Civil Litigation Winnifred A Lewis: Securities Litigation Marvin J Lowenthal: Criminal Defense: White Collar Barbara K Luse: Criminal Defense: White Collar Matthew V Povolny: Business Litigation Benjamin Zhu: Criminal Defense: White Collar

International law firm Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that Jeffrey I Lang, David F Lisner, and Reggie Schafer have been promoted to Partner, and Sri Kuehnlenz and Daniel H Mathias have been promoted to Counsel.

In an article recently published in the New York Law Journal, C&G’s Jeffrey Lang and Luke Appling examine the Department of Justice’s federal civil forfeiture program, an important component of the DOJ’s strategy for disrupting criminal activity, including corporate fraud and other financial crimes, whereby property connected to unlawful activities is subject to seizure. Such forfeiture proceedings pose numerous threats to the property rights of everyone with an interest in the particular property, regardless of culpability. The article presents a focused discussion on the critical issues that property owners and their counsel ought to be aware of at the outset of such an action.

The explosive growth of SPACs (“special purpose acquisition companies”) as a mechanism for taking private companies public is leading to a similar increase in SPAC-related lawsuits. As both trends appear likely to continue, it’s important for SPACs, their sponsors and directors, and their targeted private companies to be aware of and take steps to manage potential litigation risks.

• The specific characteristics of SPACs present unique litigation issues.
• Understanding those issues are crucial to mitigating litigation risk and closing delay.
• There are several affirmative steps that SPACs, sponsors and directors, and advisors should consider to reduce both litigation risk and exposure.

In this client alert, Jeffrey Lang and Luke Appling examine the growing trend of SPAC litigation, the characteristics of SPACs that pose litigation risk, and provide seven affirmative steps SPAC sponsors, directors, and their advisors should take to mitigate litigation risk and potential liability.

This article addresses one aspect of the United States’ multi-faceted campaign to recover income taxes and penalties on undisclosed offshore accounts – the U.S. Department of Justice’sinvestigation and criminal prosecution of foreign banks that are alleged to have opened and maintained accounts for U.S. taxpayers.  The Department of Justice has argued that by enabling U.S taxpayers to open and maintain accounts that the taxpayers did not report to the Internal Revenue Service, the banks participated in efforts to defraud the United States of taxes owed on the accounts.  The authors examine in particular the impact of the Department of Justice’s Program for Swiss Banks, a voluntary disclosure program negotiated with the Swiss government in which about 100 Swiss banks registered to participate, the extraordinary information being collected, and assess other countries that may become the next focus of investigation.