Kasowitz Benson Torres is a maverick litigation shop that has built its reputation as a formidable force, largely due to its trial-ready strategy for litigation. Leading up to trial, clients witness the team’s approach in action. “Their services were excellent with respect to understanding the issues involved in the case and worked to ensure the best outcome,” extols one. Another addresses the firm as “extremely commercial, risk based and pragmatic. [They have a ] Strong sense of where to put energy and focus. They are very legally sound and strategic. They offer practical solutions to their clients, both on legal and non-legal aspects.” Although, as one peer stresses, “Kasowitz does a lot of high-risk plaintiff work,” the firm offers a comprehensive array of litigation services on the plaintiff and defense sides of the “V.” While the firm is certainly not a conventional “big-law” firm, it is not a boutique either – indeed, the firm’s footprint is densely concentrated throughout the country through 10 offices, strategically located in New York, Washington, DC, Miami, Atlanta, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Newark, NJ.
While the firm’s bench is expansive in terms of practice areas and generational headroom, few would dispute the firm’s center of gravity being founding partner
Marc Kasowitz, a New York-based generalist commercial trial lawyer with an unflinching approach to litigation and a history of representing a colorful and diverse roster of clients. “Marc had the grit and vision to forge that firm,” declares a peer. “If you work there, you have to be willing to work at ‘his’ firm – it’s a benevolent dictatorship, and he is very clear about this, to be fair. But he’s a great businessman – great in the boardroom and great in the courtroom. He has a reputation for being more aggressive than he really is – he’s very smart and knows when to be aggressive and when to pull back.” Kasowitz has been representing Pilgrim’s Pride in a criminal price-fixing investigation by the DoJ– Antitrust Division relating to the sales of broiler chicken products, after the then-current CEO of Pilgrim’s and another former Pilgrim’s employee were indicted for alleged price-fixing. Kasowitz continues to represent Pilgrim’s in cooperating with DoJ’s ongoing criminal investigations into the poultry industry. Kasowitz also works with Mark Ressler and antitrust authority Sheron Korpus are representing Teva Pharmaceuticals in its three separate actions involving antitrust, securities and white-collar crime. Korpus is also representing Byju’s, an Indian-based educational technology giant, in a battle over control of a US affiliate of Byju’s after a lender accused the affiliate of defaulting on a $1.2 billion debt and shuffling hundreds of millions of dollars out of the business.
Stephen Tountas, a securities specialist, operates in both the prosecutorial and defense capacities. As a plaintiff, Tountas filed five separate direct securities fraud actions on behalf of Public Employees’ Retirement System of the State of Mississippi, Catalyst Mutual Funds, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, Privet Capital and Boeing Company Employee Retirement Plans against Valeant Pharmaceuticals. He is also defending the former CFO of Eros Int’l, in connection with a putative securities class action arising from a series of alleged misrepresentations between July 2017 and August 2021 regarding Eros’s financial condition, the accuracy of its public financial statements, and the integrity of its accounting practices.
Younger team members of Kasowitz have generated healthy levels of acclaim as well.
Ronald Rossi is called “responsive and knowledgeable” by a client, who goes on to elaborate, “Ron is an extremely experienced litigator. His sense of how to value claims gives invaluable perspective for clients.”
Jason Shortis praised by a client as ”extremely intelligent and knowledgeable. He maintains a firm grasp of the matter (internal alleged money-laundering case involving 1MDB) for over eight years and is very clear in coordinating the services of counsel overseas.” An appreciative client testifies on behalf of Christine Montenegro’s counsel services: “She was extremely knowledgeable and communicative. As a result of her work on the issues that we had, we had a very favorable outcome.” White-collar-focused star Jonathan Algor is cheered by a client for his “great communication and helpful explanations.”
While the bulk of the firm’s firepower is domiciled in New York, Kasowitz’s California presence has been steadily building as well.
Dan Saunders, a white-collar, commercial and employment practitioner with a particular emphasis on the entertainment industry, is called “great in arbitration and litigation in general,” according to a client. “He gives very strong opening and closing arguments, well researched and prepared examination. He has incredible presence, very engaging and gives very well-presented arguments.”
