Luke Appling

Associate, New York

Luke Appling

Associate, New York

Luke Appling’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and arbitration, including securities litigation, class actions, and appellate litigation. He also has experience with regulatory investigations and white collar matters. Super Lawyers has recognized Luke as a Rising Star each year since 2017. He has also been recognized in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch guide in its commercial and securities litigation categories.

Prior to joining the firm, Luke was an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Pamela Ann Rymer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Luke is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College. At Harvard Law School, he was an Executive Editor of the Harvard Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review.

Luke Appling’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and arbitration, including securities litigation, class actions, and appellate litigation. He also has experience with regulatory…

Education

Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2010); Harvard College (B.A., magna cum laude, 2006).

Bar Admissions

New York State

Best Lawyers in America recognized 14 Cohen & Gresser lawyers in its newly-published 2024 guide. The publication—now in its 30th edition—evaluates and selects lawyers based entirely on peer review. The survey process is “designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.”

Six C&G attorneys are recognized by their peers as “Best Lawyers” in their practice areas:

Eight attorneys are recognized as “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” in their practice areas:

International law firm Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that ten of its New York-based lawyers have been recognized by their peers in the 2023 edition of the Best Lawyers in America. Selection in the 29th edition of the guide “is based entirely on peer review.” The survey process is “designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.”

Six C&G attorneys have been recognized by their peers as a “Best Lawyer” in their practice areas:

Four C&G attorneys have been recognized as “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” in their practice areas:
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
Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that 35 of the firm's New York and Washington D.C.­based attorneys have been named to the 2020 Super Lawyers List across a wide range of practice areas. C&G co-­founder 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.
We are pleased to announce that 33 of our New York and Washington D.C.-based C&G attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers this year across a wide range of practice areas. Super Lawyers also selected C&G co-founder Mark S Cohen and partners Jonathan S Abernethy and Daniel H Tabak to its list of the top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area, and partner Karen H Bromberg to its list of the top 50 women lawyers in the New York metropolitan area.
We are pleased to announce that thirty of our New York and Washington, D.C.-based C&G attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers this year across a wide range of practice areas. Super Lawyers also selected C&G co-founders Mark S Cohen and Lawrence T Gresser to its list of the top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area, and partners Karen H Bromberg and Alexandra Wald as two of its top 50 women lawyers in New York. Super Lawyers ranks outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Fewer than five percent of all lawyers in the U.S. receive this honor.
Twenty-eight of our New York and Washington D.C.-based Cohen & Gresser attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers this year across a wide range of practice areas. Super Lawyers also named C&G co-founding partner Mark S Cohen to its list of the top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area, and partners Karen H Bromberg and Alexandra Wald to its top 50 women lawyers in New York list. Super Lawyers ranks outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Fewer than five percent of all lawyers in the U.S. receive this honor.

C&G welcomes the associates who joined the firm in 2016. "Our new associates are excellent lawyers and wonderful additions to the firm," said Managing Partner Lawrence T Gresser. 

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.
On September 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice announced broad changes to its policies on corporate criminal enforcement that merit serious consideration by in-house and outside counsel who conduct corporate internal investigations.
  • The Revised Policies will place increased pressure on companies and could result in substantial shifts in how companies need to investigate potential employee misconduct.
  • Failure to disclose misconduct early in an investigation could result in companies facing the possibility of a guilty plea or indictment, rather than a deferred or non-prosecution agreement.
  • To receive full cooperation credit, companies will need to assess several new strategic considerations, including the timing of disclosing hot documents and whether to claw back compensation from employees who engaged in misconduct.
In this client alert, Jonathan S Abernethy, Christian R Everdell, and Luke Appling provide a summary of the DOJ’s recent changes to its policies on corporate criminal enforcement, as well as recent statements by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Marshall Miller and offer potential implications for corporate internal investigations moving forward.

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.