Melissa H. Maxman and Ronald F. Wick have been recognized in the inaugural edition of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Global Antitrust & Competition Lawyers” guide, which features “lawyers and firms leading the way in antitrust and competition.”

This prestigious recognition highlights their exceptional expertise and commitment to excellence in navigating the complex antitrust and competition landscape.

Melissa and Ron were also recognized in the 2025 Lawdragon “500 Leading Litigators in America” guide, which was released in September.

Congratulations to Melissa and Ron on this well-deserved honor.

 

Lawdragon has recognized six Cohen & Gresser partners in its 2025 "500 Leading Litigators in America" guide:

• Mark S. Cohen – Commercial Litigation, including Real Estate, Antitrust, and White Collar
• Lawrence T. Gresser – Complex Commercial Litigation
• Melissa H. Maxman – Litigation, including White Collar and Antitrust
• Douglas J. Pepe – Complex Litigation, Law Firm Malpractice, Blockchain
• John Roberti – Antitrust & Competition Law, including Litigation
• Ronald F. Wick – Antitrust & Competition Litigation

This year’s Lawdragon guide highlights "the best litigators the U.S. has to offer" across various categories, following an extensive review of a record number of submissions. The guide focuses on lawyers who have made a significant impact, particularly in recent high-profile matters. The selection process includes in-depth analysis of major litigation and the attorneys consistently sought for key cases.

On July 8, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit delivered a significant win to Cohen & Gresser client, Eddystone Rail Co., by reversing a Southern District of New York decision that denied Eddystone’s motion to amend its complaint to assert subsequent transfer claims against lenders to Ferrellgas, the former corporate owner of Bridger Transfer Services, LLC (“BTS”), a contractual counterparty of Eddystone.

With the financial assurance of a multi-year take-or-pay contract that obligated BTS to make minimum monthly payments regardless of the services it used, Eddystone spent about $170 million to build a transloading facility that transferred oil from railcars to boats. Soon after the Eddystone transloading facility went into operation, BTS and many of its corporate affiliates were sold to Ferrellgas. At the time, BTS’s value was well over $200 million. Within months, though, the transloading arrangement became uneconomical for BTS’s corporate affiliates, so Ferrellgas stripped all of BTS’s assets and sold BTS for $10, causing BTS to default on its remaining obligations to pay Eddystone about $140 million. Eddystone brought an action in Philadelphia in 2017 to recover the fraudulent transfers involved in stripping BTS’s assets.

While the Philadelphia initial transfer action was pending, C&G filed an action for Eddystone in the Southern District of New York in 2019 alleging that Ferrellgas used former BTS assets to pay two groups of lenders, making the lenders subsequent transferees of the fraudulently transferred assets. Significantly, a protective order in the Philadelphia action barred Eddystone from using documents produced in that action in drafting its initial complaint against the lenders.

The Southern District granted the lenders’ initial motions to dismiss the complaint, finding that the complaint did not sufficiently demonstrate that the assets used to pay the lenders derived from former BTS assets. However, the court also rejected all of the lenders’ many additional arguments that the complaint was legally insufficient.

Following the dismissal of the initial complaint in September 2021, Eddystone overcame hard-fought opposition to get the protective order in the Philadelphia action modified in March 2022 to permit it to use discovery from that action to amend its Southern District complaint against the lenders. Eddystone then prepared a proposed amended complaint in April 2022 with charts showing specific cash transfers from BTS to one set of lenders through Ferrellgas and its subsidiaries. The proposed amended complaint also detailed how other specific BTS assets were assigned to corporate affiliates for no consideration at all and how the proceeds from later sales of those assets were transferred to another set of Ferrellgas lenders.

The Southern District nevertheless denied Eddystone leave to file the proposed amended complaint, finding that it would be futile because the factual allegations were still insufficient to show that assets from BTS reached the lenders. The court also found that the three years between Eddystone’s filing of its initial complaint and its request to amend was an undue delay that prejudiced the lenders.

Following oral argument that Judge Gerard Lynch of the Second Circuit called “great,” the Second Circuit reversed the District Court on both of its bases for denying Eddystone’s request to file an amended complaint. First, the Second Circuit found that Eddystone had alleged sufficient details to show that it was plausible that BTS’s assets were later transferred to the lenders. Then, the Second Circuit ruled that the District Court had exceeded its discretion in finding that undue delay and prejudice barred Eddystone’s effort to amend its complaint, finding that the District Court had not identified any prejudice to the lenders and that “Eddystone cannot be penalized for waiting until it received the District Court’s decision granting the motions to dismiss before determining what it needed to do to amend its Complaint, including modifying the protective order in the Pennsylvania litigation.”

The victorious C&G team includes Dan Tabak, Steve Sinaiko, Marvin Lowenthal, Ben Zhu, and Camille Delgado. Melissa Maxman was also part of the team that obtained the modification of the Pennsylvania protective order.

The Legal 500 United States 2024 edition has recognized Cohen & Gresser’s New York and Washington, D.C. offices for excellence across multiple categories, including Antitrust Litigation, Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Crime, Commercial Litigation, and Securities Litigation. Testimonials included in the guide praise the firm for being a “litigation powerhouse” and for its “devotion to the needs of the clients, its creativity, and its perseverance.”

Mark Cohen is once again recognized as a Leading Partner in both Securities Litigation and Corporate Investigations & White-Collar Crime: Advice to Individuals.

The 2024 guide also recognizes Lawrence T. Gresser, Jonathan Abernethy, Jason Brown, S. Gale Dick, Christian Everdell, Jeffrey Lang, Alisa Lu, Melissa Maxman, Douglas Pepe, John Roberti, Daniel Tabak, and Ronald Wick as recommended lawyers.

This 17th edition of The Legal 500 United States guide, which identifies the “true superstars of the profession,” 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.

Founded in 2002, Cohen & Gresser’s New York office serves as the firm’s headquarters. Our New York attorneys are particularly strong in complex litigation, investigations, and 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.

Cohen & Gresser earned multiple practice area and individual lawyer rankings in the 2024 edition of Chambers USA, receiving high praise for having an “incredible collection of brilliant, hard-working lawyers” who are “focused on providing clear and easy to understand guidance and advice."

The firm’s White Collar Defense & Regulation practice is once again ranked in the guide, maintaining its position as one of the “Elite” firms in the Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations category. Chambers recognized the firm’s “strong regulatory investigations and enforcement practice,” specifically highlighting its “expert financial services practice which offers particular strengths in FINRA and SEC proceedings.” Client feedback praises the team for its “strong expertise with the DOJ and with prosecutors.”

The Commercial Litigation practice is also ranked in the Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded category, receiving high praise from clients for having a “strong understanding of the client’s needs” and for being “smart, creative and willing to try difficult strategies and aggressive approaches.”

The firm’s Antitrust & Competition practice is ranked in the Antitrust category, with Chambers noting that “Cohen & Gresser houses a strong practice across a range of antitrust disputes [including] sophisticated litigation.” Client feedback praises the team for being “creative and responsive” and having “strong knowledge of antitrust class actions.”

Partners throughout Cohen & Gresser’s US practices also earned individual rankings in the following categories:

Antitrust: Litigation Specialists (DC)                                  

Melissa H Maxman

John Roberti

Litigation: General Commercial (NY)

Lawrence T Gresser

Litigation: Securities (NY)

Mark S Cohen

Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (NY)

Jonathan S Abernethy

Jason Brown

Mark S Cohen

Christian R Everdell

Chambers is the world’s leading legal data and analytics provider, highlighting the top lawyers and law firms across the USA based on in-depth research that includes reference feedback, client satisfaction, reputation in the market, peer knowledge, and other discreet independent market sources.

Cohen & Gresser's Washington, D.C. lawyers have been recognized in the 2024 Super Lawyers guide.

Each year, Super Lawyers identifies outstanding lawyers nationwide and regionally who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only 5 percent of lawyers are selected as Super Lawyers, and only 2.5 percent are selected as Rising Stars. This latest guide recognizes 100 percent of our D.C. partners and associates.

The C&G lawyers recognized as Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers are:

• Melissa H. Maxman – Antitrust Litigation
• John Roberti – Antitrust Litigation
• Ronald F. Wick – Antitrust Litigation

The C&G lawyers recognized as Washington, D.C. Rising Stars are:

• Derek Jackson – Business Litigation
• Alisa Lu – Business Litigation

Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that Mark S. Cohen, Melissa H. Maxman, John Roberti, and Ronald F. Wick are included in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America guide. Selection for the guide is based on extensive independent research focused on which lawyers and law practices have had a significant impact, with an emphasis on recent matters handled.

Recognized Lawyers

• Mark S. Cohen – Commercial Litigation, including Real Estate, Antitrust, and White Collar

• Melissa H. Maxman – Litigation, including White Collar and Antitrust

• John Roberti – Antitrust & Competition Law, including Litigation

• Ronald F. Wick – Antitrust & Competition Litigation

Lawdragon is a legal media company providing news content and editorial features, including guides to the nation’s leading lawyers. This is Lawdragon’s second edition of the guide, assessing America’s top talent among those principally representing corporations and other organizations litigating claims involving antitrust, financial and securities litigation, intellectual property, commercial, M&A, cybersecurity and data privacy, and white collar and investigations.

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 is pleased to announce that Mark S. Cohen, Melissa H. Maxman, John Roberti, and Ronald F. Wick have been recognized in Lawdragon’s inaugural 500 Leading Litigators in America 2023 guide. Selection for the guide is based on independent research focused on recent cases and verdicts or settlements, as well as attorney excellence in trials.

Recognized Lawyers

• Mark S. Cohen – Commercial Litigation, including Real Estate, Antitrust, and White Collar

• Melissa H. Maxman – Litigation, including White Collar and Antitrust

• John Roberti – Antitrust & Competition Law, including Litigation

• Ronald F. Wick – Antitrust & Competition Litigation

Lawdragon is a legal media company providing news content and editorial features, including guides to the nation’s leading lawyers. This is Lawdragon’s first guide dedicated to attorneys principally representing corporations and other organizations in litigating claims involving Antitrust, Securities, Financial, M&A, Intellectual Property and Patents, Product Liability, Mass Tort, White Collar, Government Investigations, and Energy disputes.

International law firm Cohen & Gresser received high praise in the Chambers USA 2022 guide for its “best-in-class service” and “first class work.” Chambers highlights the firm’s responsiveness, reliability, and trial capabilities as key drivers of its success. Clients note that the firm is “highly responsive,” “incredibly easy to work with,” and “always delivers outstanding results.”

C&G’s Commercial Litigation practice is once again ranked in Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded. The practice is recognized for being “regularly sought after by individuals and corporates for representation in securities class actions and derivative matters, as well as various shareholder and product litigation.” Clients note that the team is comprised of “litigators that you don’t want to mess with” and is one that “you can rely on.”

C&G’s White Collar Defense & Regulation practice is ranked in Chambers USA for the ninth consecutive year. The practice maintains its position as one of the “Elite” firms in Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations. Chambers highlights the practice’s “talented pool of litigators with a wealth of government experience” and its “international presence” as key reasons for its continued ranking. Commentary from the guide notes that the practice is “a substantial player in the New York white-collar world” that has “burst onto the scene with strong former prosecutors” and “good results for their clients.”

Ranked Departments:

• Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded
• Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations: The Elite

Ranked Lawyers:

District of Columbia

Antitrust: Litigation Specialists

• Melissa H Maxman
• John Roberti

New York

Litigation: General Commercial

• Lawrence T Gresser

Litigation: Securities

• Mark S Cohen

Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations

• Jonathan S Abernethy
• Mark S Cohen
• Christian R Everdell

 

Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that 37 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 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.

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

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 achieved a significant pro bono victory before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on behalf of the National Women's Law Center ("NWLC") as an amicus in the case of Dr. Rachel Tudor, a professor in the English, Humanities, and Languages Department, of the Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Dr. Tudor is transgender and was explicitly denied tenure and fired by the University when she transitioned from male to female. The appeals court ordered the district court to reinstate her to a tenure position and correctly recalculate her front pay damages award.

While Dr. Tudor had won at trial, she was denied reinstatement by the district judge.  The Tenth Circuit embraced the arguments made in NWLC's amicus brief and found that the district court improperly concluded reinstatement would not be possible due to alleged hostility between Dr. Tudor and Southeastern. Instead, because of the legal presumption in favor of reinstatement and the particularly low risk of extreme hostility between the parties here, the court reversed and ordered that Dr. Tudor be reinstated at the University with tenure.

The Tenth Circuit also rejected Southeastern's cross-appeal in its entirety, relying heavily on the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, No. 17-1618, 590 U.S. ___ (2020), which overruled previous Tenth Circuit precedent and held that discrimination against transgender employees is sex discrimination under Title VII. Notably, Cohen & Gresser also represented the NWLC and dozens of other non-profit organizations in drafting and filing their Supreme Court amicus brief in Bostock.

Melissa Maxman led a team from Cohen & Gresser’s Washington D.C. office in advising the NWLC.

International law firm Cohen & Gresser has been once again recognized in The Legal 500 United States. The 2021 guide highlights C&G for its financial services strength – emphasizing the firm’s “understanding of complex financial products and the operations of the financial services sector” – and its “extensive experience in jury and bench trials at the federal and state level.”

Client commentary highlights C&G as “a cut above” and “very effective at knowing their audience, staying on message, and telling a persuasive and winning story.”

The Legal 500 has recognized C&G in both the Advice to Individuals category and Advice to Corporates category of the Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense section. The guide notes the practice’s deep bench that “includes former federal and state prosecutors, and former in-house attorneys, many of whom are active litigators, and have unique experience of federal enforcement bodies.”

C&G has also been recognized in the General Commercial Disputes category. The practice stands out for its capacity to handle “a diverse range of commercial disputes across numerous industries, including finance, software, technology and healthcare” and its ability to “handle complex, sophisticated matters in a cost-effective manner.”

For the ninth consecutive year, C&G has been recognized by The Legal 500 in the Securities Litigation: Defense category for its “work on the defense of broker-dealers, investment advisors, hedge funds, and private equity funds in securities litigation and FINRA arbitrations.”

In addition, Mark S Cohen is once again ranked as a “Leading Lawyer” for Securities Litigation: Defense. One client describes Mark as “one of the best trial lawyers I have seen” and goes on to recognize him for his professionalism, responsiveness, excellent judgment, and high-quality work.

Recognized Practices:

• 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:

Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense

• Jonathan S Abernethy
• Jason Brown
• Mark S Cohen
• S Gale Dick
• Miriam González Durántez
• Melissa H Maxman

General Commercial Disputes

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

Securities Litigation: Defense

• Mark S Cohen
• S Gale Dick
• Lawrence T Gresser
• Nathaniel P T Read

Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce that Melissa H Maxman, Erica Lai, and Andrew J Pecoraro have been named to the 2020 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll for their pro bono contributions during the last calendar year. The Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll is an annual report published by the D.C. Courts, in partnership with the D.C. Access to Justice Commission and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, and recognizes “attorneys who have contributed 50 hours or more of pro bono work to those who cannot afford legal counsel.” Erica Lai and Andrew J Pecoraro were recognized with “high honors” for performing over 100 hours of pro bono work in 2020.

Cohen & Gresser partnered with the National Women’s Law Center in pursuing sex and disability discrimination EEOC charges against the Shelby County Division of Corrections on behalf of “Ms. N.” and other female prison guards that resulted in a favorable monetary settlement for Ms. N and the prison’s adoption of substantially bolstered sexual harassment and disability accommodation policies and protections.

Melissa H Maxman is featured in The Athletic, in which she discusses the NCAA’s argument to exempt its amateurism rules from federal antitrust scrutiny. “The NCAA is going to try to backdoor into an antitrust exemption the same way baseball did,” Melissa said. “The baseball exemption came to be accidentally through a Supreme Court ruling, and it’s just gone on and on. It is bad law. That is what I fear here.” (Subscription required.)

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.

A D.C.-based C&G team comprised of Melissa H Maxman, Ronald F Wick, and Erica Lai helped secure a victory in the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that all workers are protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

The Legal 500 has once again recognized Cohen & Gresser in its United States guide. The firm is recognized for its excellence in the following categories:

• 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

Mark S Cohen is ranked as a “Leading Lawyer” for Securities Litigation: Defense and is described as “an outstanding trial lawyer and strategist who has excellent judgment.” The Legal 500 also notes that “[t]he Cohen & Gresser team does extremely high quality work” and that C&G is “a go-to firm for managing complex disputes.”

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.

The Legal 500 has once again recognized Cohen & Gresser in its United States guide. The firm is recognized for its excellence in the following categories:

• Corporate Investigations/White Collar
• Corporate Investigations/White Collar – Advice to Individuals
• General Commercial Disputes
• Securities Litigation Defense

The Legal 500 notes that C&G has “impressive cross border capabilities and is often retained by clients in multijurisdictional disputes” and that our disputes team members are “true litigators, focused, and thoughtful - no stone is left unturned.”

C&G helped secure a victory in a case alleging that President Trump violated the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution by accepting benefits from foreign governments without seeking and obtaining congressional consent. C&G represents five legal historians who filed an amicus brief citing extensive historical sources demonstrating that the Founding Fathers shared the plaintiffs’ definition of emoluments. Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in denying Trump’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, expressly stated that “[t]he Court appreciates the illuminating analysis provided by the amici,” and that “Amici Legal Historians soundly reject the President’s narrow definition of Emolument as inaccurate, unrepresentative, and misleading.”

The National Law Journal published a piece about the importance of our clients’ amicus brief, mentioning Cohen & Gresser’s role, and quoting Washington, D.C. Managing Partner, Melissa Maxman, linked here.

This is the second time a district judge has relied in large part upon our legal historian clients’ brief in construing the Emoluments Clause.

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.

Cohen & Gresser helped achieve a precedent-setting ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Jerry Reeves v. Fayette SCI, et al. (No. 17-1043), that clears the way for wrongfully convicted defendants to seek federal habeas relief where their trial counsel failed to present credible evidence of their actual innocence. There is a split among federal circuit courts over what type of “new evidence” of actual innocence is required before courts can consider the merits of untimely habeas corpus petitions that allege constitutional violations.  Some circuits consider evidence only if it is newly discovered after trial, while others permit evidence available at the time of the trial that defense counsel failed to present. The Third Circuit had not weighed in on the issue. Cohen & Gresser filed a pro bono amici curiae brief on behalf of the Innocence Network and the Innocence Project of Pennsylvania urging the Third Circuit to adopt the broader newly presented standard, because the narrower newly discovered evidence standard would cut off a pathway to exoneration for innocent individuals whose attorneys failed to present exculpatory evidence at trial. In a precedential decision on July 23, 2018, the Third Circuit agreed, vacating the denial of Mr. Reeves’ habeas petition and instructing the district court on remand to consider his newly presented exculpatory evidence.

The Legal 500 has once again recognized Cohen & Gresser in its United States guide. The firm is recognized for its achievements in the following categories:

• Corporate Investigations/White Collar – Advice to Corporates
• Corporate Investigations/White Collar – Advice to Individuals
• General Commercial Disputes
• Securities Litigation Defense

The Legal 500 notes that C&G has “an excellent group of sophisticated lawyers” and "has the ability to explain complex structures in plain English.” Nine C&G partners were individually recognized in the guide.

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.

Melissa H Maxman was quoted in a Bloomberg article regarding Google’s internet dominance and the effects on internet searches, noting that “bringing plaintiff cases in the U.S. will be challenging, especially after the Federal Trade Commission closed its investigation of Google in 2013.”

See Politico’s coverage of the event here.

Chambers USA and The Legal 500's United States guides have recognized Cohen & Gresser and a number of the firm's lawyers for outstanding achievements during the past year in the categories of Commercial Litigation, Securities Litigation, Patents, and Corporate Investigations and White Collar Defense.

The Capitol Forum Interview Series features a discussion with Melissa H Maxman, Managing Partner of C&G's Washington, D.C. office. 

View the interview here. 

Twenty-two of our New York and Washington, D.C.-based attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers this year across a wide range of practice areas. Super Lawyers also named C&G co-founding partners Mark S Cohen and Lawrence T Gresser to its list of the top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area, and partner Karen H Bromberg to both its list of top 50 women lawyers and top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area.

Cohen & Gresser is pleased to announce the opening of its fourth office in Washington, D.C. The Washington office will be led by partner Melissa H Maxman, and will handle a range of commercial litigation and regulatory enforcement matters, with a focus on U.S. antitrust issues, criminal and civil litigation, and compliance and regulatory disputes in the federal agencies.

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The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) last week announced the formation of a new task force to guide its enforcement strategy and policy approach to health care, with an apparent focus on industry consolidation and collusive behavior.

According to the DOJ announcement released on May 9, 2024, the Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion (“HCMC”) will consider “widespread competition concerns shared by patients, health care professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs.” Issues to be addressed include payer-provider consolidation, serial acquisitions, labor and quality of care, medical billing, health care information technology services, and access to and use of health care data. The task force will include both civil and criminal enforcement attorneys, as well as economists, industry experts, technologists, data scientists, investigators, and policy advisors from across the Antitrust Division’s sections and offices.

The announcement of the HCMC is unsurprising in many respects. The health care industry has long been a major target of antitrust enforcement, and the Biden DOJ has previously signaled its continued focus on health care competition. In December 2022, the Antitrust Division entered into a formal collaboration with the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services aimed at preventing collusion and promoting competition in health care markets. And just last month, the Antitrust Division launched an online portal for the public to report potentially anticompetitive health care practices.

Moreover, there is precedent for efforts to consolidate antitrust enforcement expertise in complex industries. Last week’s announcement is reminiscent of the Federal Trade Commission’s 2019 formation of a task force focused on competition in technology markets. Notably, like that task force, the HCMC appears to be drawing on the agency’s current resources rather than hiring additional staff, suggesting that the Antitrust Division’s focus is on more efficient, and not necessarily broader, enforcement.

In a National Law Journal article about the HCMC, Melissa H. Maxman, Washington, D.C. Office Managing Partner, was quoted as noting that there are smaller health care companies that will be relieved to be examined under an enforcement approach that is targeted at their specific factual situations. “Task forces sometimes can be inefficient,” she added, “[b]ut if ever there were a need for one, it would be in health care competition.” While the impact of the HCMC remains to be seen, the Antitrust Division’s approach has the potential to facilitate a better informed and more comprehensive analysis of a market that poses unique regulatory and enforcement challenges.

The Cohen & Gresser antitrust team has extensive experience representing businesses in the health care industry, including physicians, pharmacies, and manufacturers. If you have any questions about potential areas of focus for the HCMC, please contact either of the authors of this article.

On June 27, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it is proposing changes to its premerger filing requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. The proposed changes, which would increase the volume of information required from parties submitting an initial HSR filing, have generated a range of reactions regarding their likely impact. In this client alert, Ronald F. Wick, Melissa Maxman, John Roberti, and Alisa Lu examine the FTC’s proposal and its potential effect on the premerger review process.

The United States Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice recently took actions that signal their intent to increase antitrust enforcement, particularly in the private equity sector.

• Last month, the FTC released a new policy statement noting its broadened view of the scope of its power under Section 5 of the FTC Act, signaling that it may find certain private equity rollups violate its interpretation.
• The FTC policy statement came on the heels of a DOJ announcement that it would be increasing the enforcement of Section 8 of the Clayton Act.
• These developments underscore the need for private equity companies to take particular care in observing U.S. competition laws, as there will be greater scrutiny of private equity firms.

In this client alert, Melissa Maxman, Ronald Wick, and Alisa Lu analyze what these actions mean for the future of antitrust enforcement in the private equity sector and provide insight into how PE firms can prepare themselves for continued additional scrutiny.

Twice in the past month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unanimously announced consent decrees that are a strong signal of the current Commission’s intent to investigate private equity transactions aggressively.

• The consent decrees allow the private equity fund JAB Consumer Partners SCA SICAR's National Veterinary Associates to close two recent deals with some divestitures but also impose a series of strict prior notice requirements that are unprecedented in their breadth.
• The announcements come a month after the confirmation of a fifth commissioner that gave the Democrats a 3-2 majority on the FTC.
• As long as Democrats control the majority, private equity firms should be prepared for additional scrutiny and be cognizant of other competition issues that may impact them.

In this client alert, John Roberti, Melissa Maxman, Ronald Wick, David Lisner, and Derek Jackson discuss the potential implications of these rulings for private equity firms and offer insight into how PE firms can be more cognizant of competition and antitrust compliance issues that may pose a potential risk moving forward.  

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division is unlikely to be deterred by last week’s trial setbacks.

• Juries acquitted two sets of defendants of antitrust claims involving labor markets.
• The Antitrust Division will continue to pursue labor cases and has three more trials pending.
• The Division is willing to accept some losses in trials as a cost of taking a more aggressive enforcement position.

In this client alert, the authors summarize the recent setbacks, discuss the Division’s labor initiative, and conclude that more aggressive enforcement is on its way.

Melissa H Maxman co-authored a New York Times OpEd advocating that the U.S. Senate open its upcoming impeachment debate to the public.

In this C&G Client Alert, Melissa H Maxman, Ronald F Wick, Erica Lai, and Danielle Morello discuss the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) announcement that it will now consider crediting companies for “robust” compliance programs at the charging stage of criminal antitrust investigations. This signals a reversal of the DOJ’s longstanding policy of allowing substantial penalty reductions only for “early-in” whistleblowers.

C&G partner Melissa H Maxman discussed alternative dispute resolution in the U.S. for Financier Worldwide’s global Annual Review on the topic.

Melissa H Maxman and Ronald F Wick examine the impact of the Leegin Creative Leather Products Inc. v PSKS Inc. ruling a decade after the decision.

Melissa Maxman led an important discussion on "Section Succession Planning: Teaching the Future" at the American Bar Association's 2025 Antitrust Spring Meeting.

As Session Chair and Moderator, Melissa led a discussion on how adjunct and guest lecturing can enhance antitrust education, inspire future lawyers, and advance the Section’s diversity.

The panel also shared practical insights on:

• Securing adjunct and guest lecturing positions
• Selecting the right casebook and designing an effective syllabus
• Teaching fundamentals and best practices
• Navigating ethical challenges posed by AI and ChatGPT in legal education

Melissa Maxman interviewied Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition, in a fireside discussion at the Y Combinator Little Tech Competition Summit in Washington, D.C.

Ribera drives Europe's Green Deal goals by overseeing the Clean Industrial Deal, advancing clean tech investment, decarbonizing the economy, reducing energy prices, ending fossil fuel dependency, and tackling energy poverty.

Their conversation explored the future of sustainable innovation and the policies shaping a cleaner, more equitable, and competitive global economy.

​The Little Tech Competition Summit is an initiative by Y Combinator, a renowned startup accelerator, aimed at advocating for and supporting emerging technology companies

Press:

EU’s Teresa Ribera Looks to Thread the Trans-Atlantic Needle on the DMA

Partner Melissa Maxman recently co-hosted an episode of the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section’s weekly podcast, Our Curious Amalgam, on the topic of the long-awaited draft Merger Guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission on July 19, 2023.

In the episode, the DOJ Antitrust Division’s Deputy Assistant Attorney Generals Andy Forman and Michael Kades speak with Melissa and co-host Anora Wang of Arnold & Porter about the background, guiding principles, and some specific language in the draft Guidelines.

Derek Jackson recently co-hosted a timely conversation as part of the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section's podcast, Our Curious Amalgam.

In recent congressional testimony, FTC Chair Lina Khan definitively declared that there is no ESG antitrust exemption. How can companies avoid violating the antitrust laws while still complying with demands from their shareholders and other constituents to conduct business consistent with policies that are environmentally and socially sensitive, and promote good public policy?

Melissa Maxman participated in the discussion, which addressed the intersection between ESG and the Sherman Act.

Listen to this episode to learn more about whether existing antitrust exemptions, such as Noerr-Pennington, can affect business decisions about ESG.

Melissa H Maxman will speak at the ABA Class Actions 2022 Conference on a CLE panel titled, “Don’t Squat on Your Spurs: Ethical Issues in Class Actions Involving Injury and Experts.” The panel will look at what constitutes injury-in-fact and the ethical, strategic, and policy concerns it creates.

Melissa H Maxman moderates this ABA Business Law Section virtual panel entitled “Protections Against Self-Incrimination – What International Corporations Should Know” that explores the interplay of international white-collar crimes (focusing on antitrust violations in jurisdictions where these are treated as criminal offenses) and the evidentiary right against self-incrimination, for both individuals and corporations in the antitrust context.

The panel discusses the rights against self-incrimination in parallel criminal and civil cases, in a comparative-law approach across five jurisdictions – the US, Canada, UK, Switzerland, and Brazil. Also discussed is a discourse of best practices as to how an international corporation’s board addresses allegations of impropriety in the context of an antitrust case scenario.

Melissa H Maxman will moderate a panel during the ABA Litigation Section’s 2021 Women in Litigation Joint CLE Conference. This empowering conference will include 16 dynamic programs highlighting women leaders,  emotional intelligence, and the gender gap. Melissa’s panel will explore the judiciary’s role in promoting diversity in legal leadership.

Melissa H Maxman will speak on a panel titled “Antitrust and Politics: Are We Entering a New Era?” during the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ 2021 White Collar Practice Seminar.

In an upcoming program for Lawline, Melissa H Maxman and Ronald F Wick explore NCAA v. Alston, the first comprehensive case addressing the NCAA's scope of authority in more than 35 years.

In June 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously held that the National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") has violated the Sherman Act with its rules limiting the amount of education-related compensation colleges and universities can provide to student-athletes. However, the Court did not define what constitutes education-related compensation, and the NCAA still has the ability to define the outer boundaries of that term.

This webinar will consider NCAA v. Alston as it relates to the Sherman Act and the implications the Court's decision will have.

Melissa H Maxman presented in this ABA Antitrust Section webinar where she discussed the rise in private antitrust class actions and outlined clear steps to ensure the best strategies to prevent and defend against different types of anticompetitive allegations.

Earlier this summer, the Group of Seven (G7) held their annual summit to coordinate global policy and devise a plan to help the world build back better from COVID-19. The G7 discussed several priorities and initiatives, including a global minimum tax, international trade agreements, and other spending priorities that might significantly impact business operations across all industries and jurisdictions. So how can you prepare for potential changes to global policy, regulation, and the law?

Join Cohen & Gresser on September 28 for an international webinar that will offer practical solutions and discuss immediate steps businesses can take to develop and shape their global legislative strategy moving forward. C&G’s Miriam González Durántez, Jeffrey Bronheim, and Melissa Maxman will discuss some of the G7’s top priorities and how the individual member nations are implementing them, with a particular focus on the U.S. budget process and spending priorities and global tax and trade regulations.

Date: September 28, 2021 Time: 5 PM BST / 12 PM EST

Topics will include:

• An overview of the G7 summit and top priorities moving forward
• Tax and spending priorities, including:
  • U.S. fiscal policy and the budget process
  • The global minimum tax
  • International investment
• International trade policy, including:
  • Priorities of the European Union
  • The impact of Brexit on global trade policy
  • The U.S. trade agenda
• Steps that companies can take right now to craft and strengthen their legislative/policy strategy.

The Biden Administration has made its picks for antitrust leadership, and they are all members of an intellectual movement to increase antitrust enforcement in big tech and beyond. What broader impacts will these appointments have and what are some of the challenges they will face?

C&G’s Melissa H Maxman co-hosts this episode of the podcast “Our Curious Amalgam,” presented by the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section, where she spoke with Bill Kovacic, Former Chair of the FTC and Director of the Competition Law Center at George Washington University, to discuss how the nearly decade-long debate about antitrust reform may play out in the new administration.

In an on-demand Lawline CLE course, Melissa Maxman and Erica Lai discuss the origins of Section 2 of the Sherman Act, explain its current legal framework and standards, and examine its continued evolution, focusing on Section 2 challenges brought by state and federal governments against Google.

Melissa Maxman joined a conference call hosted by The Capitol Forum to discuss the pending Supreme Court case NCAA v. Alston. During the call, Melissa discussed antitrust exemptions and the O’Bannon case and spoke about the impact these and other issues will have on the pending Alston case.

Melissa H Maxman guest lectured at Fordham Law School’s Global Cartels course on the topic of International Cartel Enforcement and The Globalization of Antitrust.

Melissa H Maxman moderated an American Bar Association panel during the Class Actions National (Virtual) Institute that examined the ethical challenges and boundaries  to class action settlements. The panel explored several themes, including attorney communications with absent class members; potential conflicts of interest between class members; and objectors to class action settlements.

Melissa H Maxman presented a CLE on "Preventing and Defending a Private Civil Class Action Price-Fixing Lawsuit: Best Practices for a New Decade" at a program hosted by Lawline.  She outlined clear steps to ensure the best strategies to prevent and defend against different types of anticompetitive allegations.

Melissa H Maxman appeared on an episode of Our Curious Amalgam’s podcast series, titled “When is Doing Good Bad? Antitrust in Social Responsibility Agreements,” hosted by John Roberti, leader of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association.

Listen to the episode here.

Melissa H Maxman moderated a panel at the 2019 American Bar Association National Institute on Class Actions. The panel, “Collective Actions on a World Stage – A Global Musical,” discussed how other markets might benefit from class or collective actions in an increasingly harmonized world.

Melissa H Maxman spoke on a panel, titled “At The Intersection of Labor and Antitrust: New Trends in Non-Poaching Litigation,” at an Antitrust Economics Workshop at the 46^th Annual Conference on International Antitrust Law and Policy hosted by Fordham University School of Law.

Melissa H Maxman participated in a presentation, titled “The Incoherent Justification for Naked Restraints of Competition: What the Dental Self-Regulation Cases Tell Us about the Cavities in Antitrust Law” at the 19^th Annual Loyola Antitrust Colloquium at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Partner Melissa Maxman spoke at the 22^nd Annual National Institute on Class Actions hosted by the American Bar Association in Chicago. The panel discussion, “Big Price Tags, Big Issues”, explored the proliferation of third-party financing and its challenges.

Partner Melissa Maxman appeared on Legal Talk Network’s podcast series ‘On the Road’ on the ‘Antitrust Exemptions in Sports--& More!’ episode. She joined host Creighton Macy of Baker McKenzie, and panelists Sathya Gosselin of Hausfeld and Kim Scott of Miller Canfield, in a discussion about antitrust exemptions in sports, antitrust careers, and litigating sports cases.

Melissa H Maxman moderated a panel at the 2017 American Bar Association National Institute on Class Actions, titled “Tapping the Collective Consciousness: How Americans Feel About Class Actions and Why.” The panel discussed legislation designed to correct class-action lawyers’ alleged abuse of an inefficient legal system.

Consumer Antitrust Institute in Chicago

ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting Panel, Washington, D.C. 

ABA 20^th Annual National Institute on Class Actions in Las Vegas NV

International Association of Korean Lawyers, IAKL Seoul Conference Program, Washington, D.C.

In-House Counsel Forum, Jeju, Korea

Association of Transportation Law Professionals (“ATLP”)  87th Annual Meeting in New Orleans

Melissa Maxman moderated this event. 

Melissa Maxman was a panel chair for this event. 

Melissa Maxman was a panelist at this event. 

Melissa was a panelist at this event. 

Melissa was a speaker at this event. 

Melissa was a panelist for this event. 

Melissa was a primary commentator at this event. 

Melissa was a speaker at this event. 

Melissa was a panelist at this event. 

Melissa was a panelist at this event. 

Melissa was a panelist at this event. 

Melissa was a speaker at this event. 

Melissa was a speaker at this event. 

Melissa was a speaker at this event. 

• Trial and Evidentiary changes:
  • Economic Analysis: The relevance of traditional market metrics given the new business environment.
  • Proof issues: Groundbreaking opinions in the cases of Zubulake v. UBS Warburg, addressing discovery, trial, and evidentiary issues regarding metadata, data sampling, and related electronic issues and in Pension Comm. of Univ. of Montreal Pension Plan v. Bank of Amer. Secs., further demonstrates that discovery is now firmly in the electronic age.
   

Melissa was a speaker at this event.