District of Columbia

Firm overview

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

Firm overview

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP provides the highest quality legal advice and representation to clients around the world. The results the firm achieves have set it apart for more than 140 years and have become a model for the modern practice of law. Today, S&C is a leader in each of its core practice areas and in each of its geographic markets. The firm advises a diverse range of clients on major domestic and cross-border M&A and corporate finance transactions, high-stakes litigation and corporate investigations and complex regulatory, tax and estate planning matters. Headquartered in New York, S&C comprises more than 875 lawyers who serve clients around the world through a network of 13 offices, located in leading financial centers in Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States.

Main Areas of Practice:

Antitrust: Sullivan & Cromwell represents clients across a broad array of industries and in multiple jurisdictions in merger clearances, criminal antitrust investigations and civil litigation. The firm handles merger clearances for some of the largest and most complex M&A transactions in the world. 

Capital Markets: S&C leads global rankings in both volume and value of offerings and on its ability to structure novel and effective transactions in the representation of issuers, underwriters, selling and controlling shareholders, and other market participants globally.

Corporate Governance: S&C’s corporate governance practice draws from across the firm’s preeminent practice areas for a thorough understanding of evolving corporate governance requirements and practices. 

Estates & Personal: S&C provides comprehensive and customized service to individuals, families, trustees and charitable institutions on a range of sensitive business and personal affairs. The practice includes all aspects of non-US and US transactional matters, and cross-border trusts and estates litigation.

Executive Compensation/ERISA: S&C advises on a full range of corporate, securities, tax and employment law matters. The firm’s lawyers represent many of the largest global companies on employment arrangements, corporate governance, succession matters and incentive compensation plan design, as well as senior executives in negotiations.

Financial Services: S&C remains the leading global law firm on transactional, regulatory, enforcement and other matters affecting financial institutions. The firm’s expertise extends to clients in the banking; broker-dealer; commodities; futures and derivatives; insurance; and investment management sectors. 

Intellectual Property & Technology: S&C assists clients globally with the full spectrum of intellectual property and technology issues, including in significant M&A transactions, complex patent and other IP disputes, as well as in licensing matters.

Investment Management: S&C combines a traditional investment management and an alternative investment management practice to provide expertise in transactional, structuring, trading, advisory and regulatory matters. 

Litigation: S&C’s litigators take a global, multidisciplinary approach to every aspect of litigation and regulatory matters, making it the go-to firm for cross-border litigation, a practice strengthened by S&C’s stellar reputation as a corporate, financial and transactional firm.

Mergers & Acquisitions: S&C mobilizes teams of lawyers worldwide for clients
on their largest and most important domestic and cross-border M&A transactions.
A perennial leader in M&A, S&C ranks first by value among law firms over the last 20 years, having acted in over $9 trillion in announced transactions worldwide.

Private Equity: S&C’s private equity practice draws upon the integrated resources and efforts of S&C offices around the world, taking advantage of the firm’s preeminent global capabilities to advise private equity firms, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and other investors of private capital on their most important and complex acquisitions, strategic investments and exits, across a broad range of industries.

Project Development & Finance; Infrastructure: S&C is a leader in project and infrastructure development and finance. The firm has advised on many of the most transformative and complex projects and financings in both developed and emerging markets, including advising clients in joint venture arrangements, M&A, restructurings and public-private partnerships.

Real Estate: S&C’s real estate group combines public/private market expertise and innovative deal-making skills to assist clients in purchasing, selling, developing and financing real estate companies and assets worldwide, and represents clients in restructuring real estate and other assets to facilitate generational transition and/or resolve disputes. 

Restructuring & Bankruptcy: S&C is unique in its ability to handle all elements of a corporate restructuring—whether or not an insolvency proceeding is used as a tool.

Tax: S&C’s tax group has a global reputation for innovative tax planning, the successful resolution of tax controversies and providing pivotal tax advice on corporate transactions.

Updated September 2024

Firm overview

Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler is an elite boutique with thirty attorneys, seven of whom are ranked by Benchmark Litigation as Litigation Stars, and seven of whom are ranked as Rising Stars.

Small by design, the firm was founded in 2009 with a singular end in mind: to produce superior results for its clients in an open and modern manner. We represent clients in the full spectrum of employment matters; criminal, regulatory and internal investigations; and commercial litigation and arbitration.

Employment: HSW has a first-tier national employment practice, and is best known for representing individual founders, partners, C-Suite executives, top producers, and practice leaders. In addition, the firm has a meaningful roster of company clients. Our practice includes litigation and arbitration, negotiation of employment agreements and separations, discreetly handling internal investigations, co-founder disputes, restrictive covenant disputes, and employment counseling. HSW is also known for its high-profile successes in FINRA arbitrations, having secured two of the six largest-ever FINRA awards. We advise clients on hundreds of millions of dollars of agreements, separations and disputes annually, and represent clients across a broad range of industries, including financial services, technology, real estate, media, health, travel, fashion, law, and entertainment. 

White Collar: HSW’s White Collar department defends individuals and companies charged in sophisticated federal criminal, state and other governmental and internal investigations, typically involving financial crimes, public corruption or national security. We represent clients in cases and investigations brought by U.S. Attorney’s offices, the SEC, the US Department of Justice, the Federal Reserve, and state and local prosecutors, among other agencies. These matters span a wide range of allegations, including insider trading, criminal antitrust, public corruption, crypto and NFTs related conduct, asset forfeiture, and other investigations. Because of our firm’s elite Employment Practice, we also specialize in representing senior executives in connection with internal, regulatory, and criminal investigations stemming from their employment.

Civil Litigation and Arbitration: HSW leverages its proven skill and reputation as a first-seat trial firm to achieve results — through trial or resolution—for plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation and arbitration, including employment matters, founder’s disputes, breach of contract and business torts, securities and intellectual property cases. The firm specializes in matters demanding a high level of financial and commercial know-how. HSW tries cases in state and federal court, and in all major arbitral forums. 

Updated Sep 2024

Firm overview

Ifrah Law’s practice focuses on government investigations and complex litigation on behalf of companies operating at the intersection of business and the cutting edge of online and mobile technology. The firm represents companies and their senior executives in criminal and civil matters throughout the United States, and also serves as a trusted business advisor to emerging industry clients exclusively conducting business online or through mobile technology. When online entities are faced with government enforcement actions by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice (DOJ) and others, they turn to Ifrah Law to defend their products and practices, and, wherever possible, negotiate positive settlements which allow companies to pursue their innovative lines of business, and individuals to resume their lives.

Online Gaming and Gambling: Ifrah Law has formed symbiotic partnerships that transcend traditional legal support, resulting in game-changing collaborations, groundbreaking agreements, and alliances that drive innovation. The firm has represented online gaming clients since the inception of the industry and has been instrumental in the creation of the legislative and regulatory frameworks in many states which currently permit or are considering legalizing online gaming and sports betting and has longstanding relationships with legislative and regulatory bodies that govern the industry. The firm now represents many of the largest iGaming companies and industry associations around the world including online casino operators, sports betting operators, poker and fantasy sports sites, and payment processors in class action lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions, licensing, vendor and supplier issues, government investigations, and criminal matters.

Federal Agency Investigations: The business and public relations fallout from a government investigation can be fatal. Ifrah Law helps clients manage and conclude inquiries by federal and state agencies so that they can resume business. We assist in responding to investigations, requests for information, and government subpoenas from federal agencies, as well as U.S. Attorney’s Offices, District Attorney’s Offices, state attorneys general, and state regulatory agencies, on matters ranging from AML/KYC to data privacy to tax disputes, to name a few. Our attorneys’ backgrounds in government, private practice, and academia have yielded established relationships and credibility with federal prosecutors and investigators across all the main federal agencies. 

Commercial Litigation: Ifrah Law has successfully represented clients in commercial litigation matters, including class actions and multidistrict litigation, on issues ranging from breach of contract, copyright and trademark, data security and cybersecurity, employment law and licensing, corporate governance disputes, commercial fraud and alter ego. The firm has tried federal cases across key federal agencies as well as numerous U.S. Attorney’s Offices, District Attorney’s Offices, and state regulatory agencies throughout the country.

White Collar Defense: Clients turn to Ifrah Law because of the attorneys’ ability to successfully manage, navigate, and negotiate high profile federal investigations. The firm stands by clients when they face investigations, information requests, and subpoenas from federal and state agencies and attorneys general. Ifrah Law attorneys have established relationships and credibility with federal prosecutors and investigators in agencies such as the Justice Department, the FTC, SEC, and DOD, among others. The firm’s White Collar Defense team includes a former Chief of the Organized Crime Section at the Department of Justice and a former assistant U.S. Attorney, and a former special assistant U.S. Attorney; their collective experience includes the litigation and resolution of disputes across a broad array of industries on issues ranging from cybersecurity and computer fraud to money laundering and asset forfeiture.

iGaming Litigation: As companies seek wider markets for their products and services by offering them online, they become increasingly vulnerable to claims that challenge the integrity of their processes and endanger their business. Federal or state allegations of illegal gambling, false advertising, deceptive loan practices, or data breaches can be devastating to the revenue, growth prospects, and brand reputation of established companies and startups. Rooted firmly in the nation’s Capital with strong relationships and credibility across many branches of government. With a niche focus on representing clients at the cutting edge of internet business, finance, and technology, we have a strong track record of success defending clients against claims by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Finance and M&A: Ifrah Law offers clients both legal and strategic advice regarding relevant opportunities, risks, and ways to mitigate those risks. Our lawyers negotiate and close complex transactions with an eye on industry-specific considerations, like antitrust issues, cross-border implications, representations and warranties, talent and founder acquisition and retention, and SEC compliance. For clients seeking to develop expansion and exit strategies, Ifrah Law can provide a realistic assessment of business operations and cost-benefit analysis, along with evaluating potential partnerships and investor options. Furthermore, our attorneys can provide regular updates on evolving regulation and legislation and review policies with an eye toward compliance. 

Licensing and Compliance: Ifrah Law has successfully helped numerous companies enter the online gaming market in each state where online betting and/or fantasy sports are currently legal, and has prepared many companies to launch in jurisdictions where legalization is imminent. We also have extensive experience assisting foreign clients in navigating their initial entry into the U.S. gaming market. We work diligently to ensure the application process goes smoothly and prepare for any challenges that may arise. Once a license has been secured, we continue to safeguard our clients’ interests by offering ongoing counsel on compliance with licensing requirements and foreign, federal, and state laws so that they may continue to operate and scale. 

Data Privacy and Cybersecurity: With extensive experience in data privacy and cybersecurity law, Ifrah attorneys regularly advise organizations on developing industry-appropriate protocols, preparing for and responding to data breaches, and drafting privacy policies. Our team also provides counsel to businesses and individuals on information storage, along with rights of retrieval and deletion. Our clients span numerous industries, including gaming, fintech, healthcare, non-profit organizations, and social media influencers. We help these businesses ensure that their practices comply with evolving privacy and data security requirements, including substantial new state regulations.

Internet Advertising and Marketing: Ifrah Law represents online advertisers, affiliate networks, publishers, advertising agencies, payment processors, and other marketing solution providers in state and federal investigations, enforcement actions, private litigation instituted by self-regulatory agencies, consumer class actions, contract negotiations, and compliance matters regarding all legal facets of internet and mobile marketing, eCommerce, telemarketing, electronic payment processing, and interactive gaming.