White Collar Defense
Attorneys in the Chambers and Legal 500-ranked White Collar Defense group represent corporations and individuals in connection with federal and state regulatory investigations, proceedings before self-regulatory organizations, corporate internal investigations, and white collar criminal cases. Staffed by highly experienced former federal and state prosecutors and defense counsel, this group handles our clients' most sensitive, complex, and time-sensitive regulatory, investigative, and criminal defense matters.
Our attorneys have represented clients in many of the major investigations of recent years. We have defended institutions and senior executives in proceedings involving the United States Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York State Attorney General, the NYSE, FINRA, the FSA, and the Federal Reserve, as well as in proceedings before the French financial market authority (AMF - Autorité des marchés financiers), the French banking authority (ACPR – Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution), and the French financial prosecutor (PNF – Parquet national financier). We have also handled major corporate internal investigations.
Our engagements have involved virtually every major industry, including securities and banking (including U.S., French, and foreign broker-dealers, mutual funds, hedge funds, investment banks, and commercial banks), accounting, aviation, insurance, pharmaceuticals, construction and real estate, e-commerce, energy, hospitality and travel services, and technology.
Litigation and Arbitration
The firm handles major cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts, before government agencies, and in a wide variety of domestic and international arbitration settings. Our experience in civil litigation covers a number of substantive areas, including antitrust and unfair competition, bankruptcy litigation and counseling, class action defense, commercial disputes, directors and officers litigation, employment, healthcare litigation, partnership disputes, products liability, real estate litigation, and securities litigation.
Our attorneys have significant experience handling appeals before federal and state appellate courts across the country and regularly represent organizations as amicus curiae in appellate matters presenting legal questions with broad policy implications. The firm has successfully handled appeals in cases where we represented a party in the lower court and in cases where we have specifically been brought in for our appellate proficiency. Our attorneys have clerked for judges on numerous federal district and appellate courts.
With every dispute, in any forum, we offer thoughtful counseling before a decision is made to litigate, and we have substantial experience in negotiating favorable pre-litigation settlements for our clients where appropriate.
If a pre-litigation settlement is not feasible or advisable, we are skilled at using the pretrial process to put our cases in the best posture for disposition by motion, settlement, or trial. Our litigators are first-rate trial lawyers: we have successfully handled hundreds of trials, arbitration hearings, and administrative procedures in state and federal courts across the country and in every major type of arbitration forum. We have an outstanding record in high-stakes, high-profile litigation, including cases involving claimed damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Our trial experience helps us manage the discovery process efficiently and cost-effectively by keeping the focus on the facts that will advance our claims or defenses at trial. And that same focus — along with our intensity, creativity, and negotiating skill — helps us settle cases on excellent terms.
Our litigation and arbitration team has been recognized in leading rankings publications. Legal 500 described the firm’s strong commitment to client service and praised us as “one of the best mid-sized firms.” It also noted that the firm “differentiates itself by the creativity and flexibility it brings to its work, enabling it to handle disputes across an incredibly wide number of subject areas.” Chambers recognized the firm’s strong financial litigation practice, and noted that our attorneys “put themselves in their clients' shoes and use litigation as a tool to advance their clients' causes or solve their problems in a creative, efficient and cost-effective manner.”
Commercial Litigation
Our Chambers and Legal 500-recognized Commercial Litigation group represents clients in a broad range of complex commercial, business, and financial disputes in districts throughout the United States and in the international arena. We represent clients in lawsuits involving contract disputes, derivatives claims, breach of contract, shareholder disputes, fraud, tortious interference complaints, professional malpractice claims, unfair business practices, and private equity transactions. Our clients span multiple industries, including finance, software and technology, hospitality, and real estate.
Our attorneys employ their extensive trial experience to bring a strategic approach to each claim. We offer thoughtful counseling, and we scrupulously research each matter and are prepared to effectively and vigorously defend our clients at trial. We have successfully handled numerous trials, arbitration hearings, and administrative procedures in state and federal courts across the country and in every major type of arbitration forum. We have an outstanding record in high-stakes, high-profile litigation, including cases involving claimed damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Securities Litigation
The firm has extensive expertise in all aspects of securities, shareholder, and derivative litigation. We have a deep understanding of complex financial products and the operations of the financial services sector, and we frequently represent broker-dealers, investment advisors, hedge funds, and private equity funds in securities litigation and FINRA arbitrations. Our Chambers and Legal 500-recognized Securities Litigation group has successfully represented clients in connection with the prosecution and defense of claims brought under the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, myriad SEC and FINRA regulations, and various state securities laws.
Our recent engagements include the defense of billion-dollar mortgage-backed securities class actions, the successful representation of a major broker dealer in multiple FINRA arbitrations related to the sales and marketing of auction rate securities, the representation of issuers and their senior executives in connection with claims of improper disclosure and securities fraud, and the representation of clients in litigation related to bond offerings. The firm is equipped to effectively handle the most complex securities cases in a manner that provides superior and cost-efficient results for our clients.
In addition to representing clients in over one hundred securities arbitrations, we recently authored a FINRA Arbitration and Enforcement treatise for Bloomberg BNA. It examines proceedings involving FINRA in its dual capacities as a forum for dispute resolution and as a securities industry regulator.
