Sophisticated clients worldwide entrust us with their formidable disputes for a single reason–our remarkable track record. Clients seek our advice on high-stakes litigation and cross-border disputes, as well as government and internal investigations in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Anti-Discrimination and DEI Advisory: Our practice is dedicated to providing comprehensive legal counsel and strategic guidance on matters relating to anti-discrimination laws and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Our areas of focus include workplace investigations, litigation, legal compliance, culture and equity reviews, strategic counseling and training and education.
Antitrust and Trade Regulation: Clients turn to us for our record of success in handling high-stakes antitrust disputes, investigations, and achieving regulatory clearance for the largest and most complicated transactions. We advise clients on internal investigations, enforcement matters, and regulatory issues in connection with the OFAC, the Department of State, and the SEC.
Appellate: Our clients appreciate that Simpson Thacher is a formidable force in the appellate arena. They turn to us for our reputation for procuring against‑the‑odds, law-defining appellate rulings across a wide range of areas, including class actions, commercial, securities litigation, and pro bono.
Bankruptcy: Our comprehensive practice covers all aspects of bankruptcy-related litigation–from disputes over plan confirmation to tender liability and equitable subordination claims to issues arising out of insurance disputes and mass tort-related bankruptcies.
ERISA Litigation: Clients benefit from our coordinated advice in closely aligned areas, including securities, bankruptcy, and government investigations, and our ability to present arguments and evidence in the manner best suited to advance business interests and resolve conflicts with minimal disruption to their operations.
False Advertising Litigation: Companies in a broad range of fields, including pharmaceuticals, financial services, consumer products and food and beverage, turn to us for our significant experience in false advertising litigation, including disputes between competitors and consumer class actions.
Funds, Regulatory and Investigations: Our team includes attorneys with decades of experience in the funds industry, former senior government officials from the SEC, and former U.S. federal prosecutors, who draw upon their deep experience and institutional knowledge to provide sophisticated advice to clients on a broad spectrum of critical regulatory and compliance issues.
Government and Internal Investigations: Large and small companies and their boards, audit and special committees, officers and directors, and other individuals regularly turn to us for advice on a wide range of criminal, regulatory, congressional and other sensitive government inquiries and internal investigations.
Insurance and Reinsurance: Clients benefit from our experience as the leading firm representing the interests of both ceding companies and reinsurers in litigations and arbitrations throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and Bermuda. Major insurance groups, including Travelers, AIG, Berkshire Hathaway, Lloyd’s of London and CNA have trusted us on their most significant matters.
Intellectual Property: Understanding and protecting IP is crucial to the long-term success of many businesses. Clients seek our advice in high-stakes, “make it or break it” disputes and rely on our broad array of substantive experience in both litigation and transactional matters to help them protect their interests.
International Disputes and Arbitration: We handle high-stakes international disputes and commercial crises, where the outcome is uncertain and our clients need the highest quality of service. Our collaborative team operates worldwide from the Firm’s London office. The scope of our practice from the London office reaches across all of North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
International Regulatory and Compliance: With increased activism and cross-border cooperation between enforcement and regulatory agencies, we represent the interests of a wide array of clients operating in multiple jurisdictions and have advised on issues in China, India, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.
Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation: Clients seek our market-leading advice in all aspects of M&A litigation—where we excel at defending challenges to the largest and most complex mergers and acquisitions. They appreciate our extensive experience defeating efforts to enjoin transactions prior to closing; resolving claims through reasonable settlements pre-closing; and litigating claims for damages post-closing.
Privacy and Cybersecurity: Our multidisciplinary Privacy and Cybersecurity team advises global companies facing heightened regulatory, contractual and consumer obligations surrounding the management of data, including personal data and use of AI.
Product Liability and Mass Tort: Since the 1970s, clients have relied on our advice as a leader in the development of product liability and mass tort law in the United States. We have taken countless product liability and mass tort cases to jury trial in state and federal courts over the years, amassing invaluable courtroom experience.
Securities: For decades, clients have relied on our securities litigators in the most complex, high-profile, high-stakes securities matters of the day. The country’s most respected Fortune 500 corporations and financial institutions turn to us to help defend against headline-making allegations.
Whistleblower and False Claims Act: Companies and their boards have relied on us to respond to allegations by whistleblowers and to help them devise and implement corporate whistleblower policies. Clients seek our counsel on whistleblower matters in a broad range of sectors—including defense, healthcare, technology and financial services.
Office Locations: New York • Beijing • Boston • Brussels • Hong Kong • Houston • London • Los Angeles • Palo Alto • São Paulo • Tokyo • Washington, D.C.
Updated Oct 2024
Kasowitz’s core focus is commercial litigation, complemented by our exceptionally strong bankruptcy/restructuring and real estate transactional practices. We are known for our creative, aggressive litigators and willingness to take on tough cases. We outthink and outflank our opponents, and understand how to win for our clients. We have extensive trial experience and are always trial-ready, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in every area of litigation. We are committed to pursuing aggressive and innovative approaches to our clients’ most challenging legal matters. Our lawyers have been recognized by, among others, Chambers USA, Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, Law360 and National Law Journal for excellence in their fields.
Our clients include Fortune 500 companies, private equity and other investment firms across a wide range of industries, including significant experience across financial services (banking, investment management and insurance), technology and real estate.
We have successfully secured billions of dollars in awards and settlements for our clients, who have recently included:
Updated Oct 2024
Willenken LLP is a preeminent litigation boutique without peer in trial experience and strategic acumen. An elite, minority-owned and majority-women law firm, we are equally skilled in the art of taking a hostile witness on cold cross as we are at penning a cogent dispositive motion. We are the go-to firm of Fortune 500 companies for their most challenging, complex business litigation matters. Firm-wide, our attorneys have tried over 200 cases to verdict or judgment. We thrive on providing last-minute trial representation to clients in high-stakes lawsuits.
We represent both plaintiffs and defendants and focus exclusively on complex commercial litigation, with special emphasis on class action defense, real estate litigation, intellectual property, entertainment litigation, complex contract disputes, product liability litigation, trade secrets, and utility regulatory matters. Willenken is based in Los Angeles and our attorneys handle cases nationwide. True to our roots as trial lawyers, we are guided by one overriding principle: Winning Matters®.
Willenken and its lawyers have been recognized by leading independent legal and business publications, including Best Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, The American Lawyer, Chambers and Partners, Daily Journal, Corporate Counsel, Lawdragon, and Los Angeles Business Journal.
We have achieved notable results for our clients, a sampling is provided below:
As a certified minority-owned law firm, diversity and inclusion are hallmarks of our practice. We staff our cases with a diverse group of partners and associates by virtue of the composition of our firm. Furthermore, we are proud and active members of the California Minority Counsel Program, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity, and the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, among other notable organizations.
Practice Areas:
Updated Sep 2024
The Susman Godfrey Difference
Susman Godfrey is America’s premier litigation boutique. Our talented group of lawyers handle high-stakes litigation for plaintiffs and defendants nationwide. With over 170 trial lawyers in four offices from coast to coast, we handle the most challenging cases throughout the country. We offer a broad range of creative, flexible fee structures which align our and our clients’ interests. Traditional hourly billing accounts for a small percentage of our work. Because we often share risk with our clients, we are committed to their success.
At Susman Godfrey, we approach each case as if it is headed for trial. Everything that we do is designed to prepare our attorneys to persuade a jury. When you are represented by Susman Godfrey, the opposing party will know that you are willing to take the case all the way to a verdict if necessary—this fact alone can make a good settlement possible.
We’re Number 1
Susman Godfrey has a longstanding reputation as one of the premier firms of trial lawyers in the US. We have been named the nation’s best litigation boutique by Vault 13 years in a row (every year since they started ranking). Benchmark Litigation named us Trial Firm of the Year in 2022 and Commercial Litigation Firm of the Year in 2023. The American Lawyer named us Boutique Litigation Firm of the Year in 2019 and 2023. Our lawyers are regularly recognized by legal media and researchers as leaders in their field.
Unique Perspective
Susman Godfrey represents both plaintiffs and defendants. We thrive on variety, flexibility, and creativity. Clients appreciate the insights that our broad experience brings. Our dual perspective informs not just our trial tactics, but also our approach to settlement negotiations and mediation presentations. We are successful in court because we understand our opponent’s case as well as our own.
Unparalleled Talent
Susman Godfrey prides itself on a talent pool as deep as any firm in the country. Clerking for a judge in the federal court system is considered to be the best training for a young trial attorney. Over 96% of our lawyers served in these highly sought-after clerkships after law school. Ten of our trial lawyers have clerked at the highest level—for Justices of the United States Supreme Court.
A Record of Winning
No matter the practice area or side of the courtroom, our lawyers are adept at becoming experts on the relevant subject matter, committing to the client’s ultimate goal, and working tirelessly to exceed expectations. Major victories include:
· Secured historic $787.5 million deal with Fox News Network to resolve defamation claims brought by client, Dominion Voting Systems.
· Secured landmark win for Flutter Entertainment in multi-billion dollar arbitration against Fox Sports Group.
· Achieved a groundbreaking $418 million joint settlement on behalf of a nationwide class of home sellers with the National Association of Realtors that resolveD claims in four antitrust class actions against NAR.
· Secure a first-of-its-kind dismissal of the FTC’s federal and administrative antitrust challenges to client ICE’s proposed $11+ billion acquisition of Black Knight, Inc.
· Won a $341 million jury verdict on behalf of Dutch telecommunications company Koninklijke KPN N.V. (KPN) in a breach of contract dispute with Samsung Electronics.
· Secured a $600 million settlement for residents of Flint, Michigan in the nationally followed Flint Water Crisis litigation.
· Serve as National Trial Counsel for Walmart in many high stakes legal matters.
· Won a $25.25 million jury verdict for client, Steven Lamar, in a contract and IP dispute with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine over the iconic Beats headphones ― this verdict was also included on The National Law Journal’s ‘Top 100 Verdicts of the Year’ list.
· Secured a favorable settlement for defendant, Uber, in its epic battle against Google’s Waymo over self-driving car technology.
· Won a jury verdict valued at $160 million for General Electric in its legal battle against the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority.
· Secured one of the largest settlement awards ever to a single whistleblower in a False Claims Act case ― over $450 million from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, who was accused of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid by illegally paying kickbacks to pharmacies so they would recommend Novartis’s medications to doctors and patients.
· Secured a settlement valued at $100 million for a certified class of plaintiffs in a copyright infringement class action against well-known music streaming service, Spotify.
· Won a defense-side jury verdict on behalf of The Rawlings Company in a certified class action challenging the company’s classification of its employees. After a three-week jury trial in Kentucky state court, the jury decided in favor of the defense.
· Won a $50.3 million federal jury verdict for Green Mountain Glass, in a patent infringement lawsuit against Ardagh Glass. The verdict was #34 on National Law Journal’s “Top 100 Verdicts of 2017” list.
· Secured a $91.25 million settlement for insurance policy owners in 37 Besen Parkway, LLC v. John Hancock Life Insurance Company.
· Secured over $1.2 billion with several international automobile parts suppliers in the In Re Automotive Parts price-fixing class action.
· Recovered $40 million for a class of derivatives investors in a securities class action against Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. The deal is believed to be the largest recovery ever obtained on behalf of derivative investors in history.
Updated Oct 2024