Simpson Thacher & Bartlett boasts a long history as one of the country’s most esteemed full-service legal brands. “Where the big corporate work is, litigation often follows,” explains one peer, “and since Simpson gets the top-class corporate work, they did a fantastic job in installing top-class litigators to handle it when that occurs.” Another peer attests, “We see Simpson Thacher, but only on something of a higher (dollar) amount – the premium work.” This alluded-to “premium work” covers a large span of practice areas, most of them connected to large, regulated institutions.
Simpson Thacher’s antitrust team has seen a remarkable rise in profile as of late, particularly through its DC office.
Sara Razi in particular got a rare opportunity to display her trial prowess as well as her antitrust acumen when she represented Change Healthcare in the DoJ’s challenge to its $13.8 billion acquisition by UnitedHealth Group. A federal judge rejected the DoJ’s claims in September 2022. The DoJ filed a notice of appeal with the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in November 2022 and subsequently abandoned the appeal in March 2023. Fresh off of this win, Razi further demonstrated her acuity with health-oriented merger-clearance actions with when she provided counsel to HCA Healthcare in antitrust cases surrounding its sale of three hospitals to Louisiana Children’s Medical. The cases concern claims that the two parties to the transaction proceeded with it prior to properly reporting details to regulators. More recently, Razi and
Preston Miller triumphed over the FTC when, in January 2025, a Texas court denied the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block Mattress Firm’s acquisition by Tempur Sealy International. “That’s a big deal as a win,” explains a peer, “but it’s also a big deal in illustrating Sara’s growing versatility. I knew her as being pretty much dedicated to the health care industry before, but this [representation] shows she is not exclusive to that [sector.]”
Simpson Thacher’s blue-ribbon securities team in New York has kept equally busy. Arguably the most active and visible star in this capacity,
Jonathan Youngwood also serves as the firm’s head of litigation and is described as “brilliant, practical and efficient.” Among his many appointments, Youngwood is representing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) in connection with a lawsuit filed in July 2023 in New York federal court by Banco San Juan Internacional Inc. (BSJI), a Puerto Rico-based international banking entity. BSJI is seeking an emergency injunction to prevent FRBNY and the Federal Reserve Board from closing its “Master Account” and terminating its access to FRBNY services, claiming that there is no basis for FRBNY’s decision to do so and that the Administrative Procedures Act requires FRBNY and the Board of Governors to provide services, including access to a “Master Account,” on a non-discretionary basis. Lynn Neunercontinues to be a perennial favorite with peers and clients and has the distinct honor of being both one of Benchmark’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers and one of its Top 250 Women in Litigation (in fact, one of the Top 10) – honors she has claimed since 2015. “Lynn is knowledgeable and communicates well,” testifies one client. “She possessed the technical knowledge and was articulate in presenting the case.” Another client refers to Neuner as “one of the most responsive lawyers I know, and also one of the most strategic and savvy; she knows how to get things done.” Still another extols, “Lynn brings top legal acumen and excellent presentation skills orally and in writing. [She] Excels in relationship building with courts, mediators and opposing counsel and also provides excellent client service. She focuses in on the key issues and provides clear judgment and direction.” Neuner’s practice seamlessly straddles commercial and insurance work as well; in an example of the latter practice (in which Simpson Thacher has long been considered one of the country’s strongest), she and
William Russell, a bankruptcy partner, have been retained by Travelers with respect to insurance claims and inquiries arising from thousands of talc-related tort claims brought against Johnson & Johnson the wake of its infamous “Texas Two-Step” – a controversial maneuver of forming a subsidiary to absorb its talc liabilities and then plunging this subsidiary into bankruptcy. In December 2024, the New Jersey Superior Court granted summary judgment to Travelers, holding that Travelers had no duty to indemnify an approximately $2.2 billion jury verdict against J&J in an underlying talc-related tort litigation because the jury’s verdict was based on findings that J&J expected or intended the injuries suffered by the plaintiffs. In another example, a team composed of Neuner, insurance-specific star Bryce Friedman and Los Angeles’
Chet Kronenberg acted for Chubb in connection with an aviation coverage matter, litigating and then negotiating a resolution of two cases filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York by aircraft lessors seeking coverage under certain aviation insurance policies for alleged losses stemming from events in Russia and Ukraine. The third lawsuit is pending in the Superior Court of the State of California. The three cases involve 23 planes and over $1 billion in claims.
The firm’s white-collar/enforcement and investigations practice has also continued to build, with relatively recent recruit Marc Berger drawing accolades. A peer states, “Marc cycled through several government positions and brings really savvy with him. He really complements [fellow Simpson enforcement star] Nick Goldin, who is also really excellent and could actually try a case, in addition to his strategic advisory work.” A client champions Goldin as a “brilliant and creative strategist.” The trio of Berger, Goldin and Michael Osnato guided JPMorgan through a headline-grabbing investigation ending with the SEC’s first settlement with a major bank applying a decades-old regulation regarding preservation of business records to modern use of text messages. According to the SEC, employees discussed bank business over text and personal email without JPMorgan retaining the messages. Jeff Knox, a former prosecutor based in the firm’s DC office, is cheered by a client as “someone who has really adapted very quickly to the defense side and is very creative and thoughtful.” An impressed peer sums up Knox’s acuity in this field as “just breathtaking.”
