A&O Shearman is the newly combined entity composed of US-based Shearman & Sterling and UK-headquartered Allen & Overy, both of which were individually global powerhouses even prior to the merger, giving the new arrangement a massive global footprint. Within the States, the firm is called upon most often for its experience and acumen with matters of the securities and white-collar and enforcement variety and is quickly developing a leading profile in the antitrust space as well. A&O Shearman’s domestic operations showcase litigation star power in its offices in New York, DC and increasingly Texas.
New York’s Adam Hakki has long been a perennial peer favorite and remains one, with glowing reviews offered on a unanimous basis. Hakki’s practice is largely focused on, but not limited to, the securities, antitrust and governance fields, with experience in both the criminal and civil capacities. “Adam is very, very good, especially for the underwriters,” testifies a peer. Another contemporary remarks, “Adam just seems to be in everything, and is very involved all the time. He doesn’t just pop in and out on a surface level, he gets in the trenches.” Hakki secured a complete victory on behalf of Barclays in a class action litigation arising out of the mining operations of Brazilian mining giant Vale’s “Iron Quadrangle,” which has one of the largest concentrations of iron ore deposits in the world. The plaintiffs, Brazilian homeowners and municipalities, alleged that US banks, including Barclays were strictly liable for various environmental damage caused by Vale’s mining activity by providing over $17 billion in financing to Vale despite their alleged awareness of the environmental risks. The complaints exclusively brought claims arising pursuant to Brazilian law. In September 2024, the Southern District of New York granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint on forum non conveniens grounds, concluding that these cases must be litigated in Brazil. Hakki, along with
Agnès Dunogué and Lyle Roberts, obtained a significant victory on behalf of PayPal Holdings in a putative securities class action alleging that PayPal made material misstatements and omissions related to a metric the company uses to track net increases to the number of active PayPal accounts, which, through incentive campaigns, allegedly gave rise to fraud and led to the creation of illegitimate accounts, causing the company’s stock to trade at artificially inflated prices. In January 2025, the court dismissed all of the claims. “Agnes is terrific, I see her a lot,” confirms a peer. Hakki, along with Richard Schwed and DC-based star Todd Stenerson, also represented PayPal in an antitrust capacity in a case in which plaintiffs allege that PayPal uses illegally restrictive merchant contracts that insulate its high transaction fees from competition and inflate online retail prices for consumers. “Todd is a fantastic antitrust lawyer,” declares one peer of Stenerson’s. “He’s creative and he's a trial lawyer! You don’t always have trial lawyers in antitrust cases – so many of them
settle!” White-collar-focused John Nathanson led a team that represented crypto exchange KuCoin in a DoJ criminal indictment and CFTC and NYAG civil enforcement matters, all of which claim that the client and its two China-based founders failed to implement anti-money laundering protocols and thus allowing suspicious transactions associated with substantial sums to flow through its trading platform. A team composed of Hakki, Dunogué and
Thad Behrens obtained a significant victory representing the underwriters of seven note offerings for Norfolk Southern. The plaintiffs alleged that the offering materials for these note offerings failed to disclose alleged material facts and trends related to safety risks that eventually materialized with train derailments in February and March 2023, after which the prices of these dropped significantly. In July 2024, that defendants obtained a partial motion to dismiss. Behrens, based in Texas, is called “just a brilliant lawyer” by a peer, who testifies, “and he can try anything. He is building out that [A&O] office in Dallas.”
Axinn, strongly established in the Northeast with offices in New York, Hartford, and Washington, DC, also has a location in San Francisco. The firm has carved out a niche by specializing in the overlap of intellectual property and antitrust litigation. Not limited by these specialties, Axinn is also proficient in complex commercial litigation. Clients routinely point out the diversity of the firm’s teams as well as its casework.
While the firm has expanded beyond its Connecticut roots, the Hartford headquarters continues to be a dominant force in litigation. The Hartford office has one of the firm’s top intellectual property litigators,
Matt Becker who represents Norwich Pharmaceuticals in a patent-
infringement action filed by Salix Pharmaceuticals. Norwich is seeking approval to market rifaximin, a generic version of the Salix product Xifaxan, for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). A trial was held, and the District of Delaware issued an opinion allowing rifaximin to be marketed for IBS treatment but upheld the claims on HE. The case is currently on appeal. Another important member of the team is
Aziz Burgy. He is one of the top life-sciences litigators from the Washington, DC office.
The firm’s DC office features antitrust specialist Rachel Adcox. Adcox represents Alvogen in an antitrust case. She has led the team in defending the company against allegations that it participated in an industry-wide conspiracy to raise the prices of generic medications. The case is ongoing. Bradley Justus is a rising star in the DC office. Focusing on antitrust litigation, he is on the team defending Tyson Foods in a multitude of class actions alleging industry-wide price manipulation. Also, on the team representing Tyson Foods is Tiffany Rider. She heads the firm’s antitrust investigations and cartels practice and has represented companies in domestic and cross-border antitrust matters before the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.
Adcox joined the New York antitrust litigator Denise Plunkett as a lead counsel defending Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) in a lawsuit alleging a conspiracy to prevent the plaintiff, Pharmacychecker.com, from accessing platforms to promote the importation of pharmaceuticals outside the US. Adcox and Plunkett secured early summary judgment in favor of ASOP. Plunkett teamed up with fellow New York litigator Craig Reiser in a high-profile case representing World Chess Champion and grandmaster Magnus Carlsen in an antitrust lawsuit. The pair successfully defended Carlsen against claims brought by another grandmaster, Hans Niemann, who filed defamation claims and violations of the Sherman Act.
With 16 offices (15 throughout the US and one in Shanghai, China,) the practitioners of Blank Rome are revered most notably for their activity in the insurance recovery space. The crown jewel of the firm, the insurance team takes on cutting-edge matters on behalf of leading corporations and institutions, distinguishing itself from its peers by providing counsel exclusively to policyholders. Members of the insurance group are acclaimed by clients for the laudable breadth of their expertise in, among other matters, complex insurance litigation and disputes arising from manuscript policies, and are additionally recognized as “responsive and providing sound advice.” Clients go on to praise Blank Rome’s insurance specialists for being “abreast of the latest commercial developments.” While policyholder-side insurance work may be what the firm is most celebrated for, it is making strides in other areas as well;
Anthony Haller, a labor and employment litigator in the Philadelphia office, is cheered by a client as “an astute listener who provides thoughtful and thorough counsel.” Also based in Philadelphia, general commercial trial lawyer
Andrew Fletcher is praised by a client as “very strategic, detail-oriented, [who] can work through a complicated legal and factual matter quickly and efficiently, [while providing] business-oriented legal advice.” A Keystone State peer insists, “Look closer at Blank Rome, especially in Philly – they are great! They don’t just do insurance!”
Insurance DC-based co-chair James Murray garners praise for the deep insurance knowledge that he makes available to leaders in the corporate space, government entities, and religious institutions, among others, in their most sensitive and critical matters, often pertaining to sexual abuse liability and COVID-related coverage claims. Murray delivered a critical argument that led to a milestone win in September 2025 for Catholic diocese when the Supreme Court of the State of New York reached a favorable decision that doubles the amount of coverage available under particular policies that the London market sold to Catholic dioceses in the 1970s. Separately, Murray has served as the court-appointed Special Insurance Counsel to the debtor in the long-running Diocese of Rochester bankruptcy, related to its ongoing defense of decades long sex abuse claims. After six years, Murray helped secure nearly $200 million in coverage for the client to help pay victims. Another DC-based insurance specialist,
John Gibbons led the team that secured a victory for Nooter, a construction engineering and maintenance contractor, in long-running asbestos insurance litigation. The appeals panel affirmed a trial court decision preventing Evanston Insurance from making arguments in Missouri federal court regarding the payment of more than $60 million for asbestos litigation. The Court ruled that Evanston had been contesting the same issue with Nooter in state court for years, thus barring them from pursuing the federal case. Omid Safa, also an insurance specialist based in DC, receives a client testimonial of, “Omid is a great listener and is extremely knowledgeable. He supports us in every way. Whatever we need he is there to help and problem solve.”
Cahill Gordon & Reindel remains a favorite with its stable of loyal long-time clients, which include global cornerstones of the financial industry, as well as embattled individuals who turn to Cahill practitioners for counsel but probably hope to never see the firm (or any litigator) again. One of Cahill’s clients voices appreciation for the “comprehensive advice, with excellent strategic game plan” that the firm has become known for. Cahill is best known for its concentration in the commercial, securities, antitrust and white-collar crime capacities.
Operating from both the firm’s New York flagship as well as its DC location, Brad Bondi has become known as a trusted advocate for white-collar and securities enforcement matters. Bondi leads a team that is representing five large hospital funds as plaintiffs in connection with potential claims against Allianz Global Investors arising from the catastrophic implosion of Allianz’s Structured Alpha investment products. The allegations concern violation of federal securities laws and state common law claims. Total losses claimed exceed $10 billion. Bondi also represents former a KPMG senior partner and executive who is charged, along with four others, in a high-profile case with wire fraud and other offenses relating to the misappropriation by the defendants of confidential inspection information from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. “Over the years I have some to know Brad well and have trusted him on several important projects,” testifies a peer. Bondi is not the only partner in this group earning acclaim; Nola Heller represents a former asset manager who is charged for her alleged role in a $63 million scheme to place fraudulent bonds in discretionary client accounts. In March 2020, Heller served as lead trial counsel in a four-day evidentiary hearing regarding the client’s motion to withdraw her guilty plea. The response is also strong for Anirudh Bansal, a younger partner who is making a swift ascent. “I think Anirudh is first-rate,” opines a peer. “He was a junior to [celebrated former Cahill partner] David Kelley so he got excellent training and then had big shoes to fill, which he did. He stepped up in a big way, and I expect you’ll see more of him.”
In the commercial capacity, Tammy Roy is another younger partner making a rapid rise. A client addresses Roy as “a rock star” who “[has] command of facts without getting lost in details. [She has a] bright future.” Roy has taken the lead on several notable engagements as of late. She represents S&P Global in five related actions alleging that S&P made reckless misrepresentations in connection with the rating of a life settlement securitization. In March 2019, several claims were dismissed but others were allowed to proceed and are now in discovery. Roy also represented UBS in connection with a defamation claim filed by a former UBS employee-turned-whistleblower after UBS publicly refuted the plaintiff’s claims, which were published in a book, regarding the details of his role in a tax-evasion scheme allegedly implicitly endorsed by UBS. UBS also denounced the plaintiff and highlighted lapses of credibility in his story. The parties settled the matter in September 2020. Roy also represented UBS Financial Services in a putative class action filed in the Southern District of New York in October 2020. The named plaintiff sought to represent an alleged class of US citizens living abroad who she claimed had their UBS investment accounts frozen, converted to cash or closed without timely notification. At a pre-motion conference that was filed for in January 2021 in anticipation of UBS’s motion to dismiss, the plaintiff conceded that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction and subsequently filed a stipulation of voluntary dismissal of all claims.
Cahill has long serviced Credit Suisse in cases straddling an intersection of securities and antitrust issues. Joel Kurtzberg, a recent addition to Benchmark’s litigation stars, has proven his mettle in having taken the lead on several of these matters. “Get Joel on your radar,” advises a peer. “He has earned it.” The team also includes long-time stars Herb Washer and Elai Katz, the latter known primarily for his antitrust acumen and the former frequently pivoting between securities, antitrust and commercial cases. “Elai is an antitrust secret weapon,” confides a peer. “He comes on like a bit of a street fighter, but you can tell by his writing – and he does a lot of it – that he is really studious and geeks out on this stuff.” Washer is said to be able to “do it all, while all the while being one of the more pleasant and well-spoken litigators you’ll encounter.” Others servicing Credit Suisse in various capacities include Sheila Ramesh and future star Jason Hall, as well as David Januszewski, a seasoned partner who receives near-universal acclaim from peers in the market. “David is fantastic, he should get national recognition,” insists a peer. Beyond his work for Credit Suisse, Januszewski also acts for Deutsche Bank. On behalf of this institution, Januszewski led a team (including Ramesh) that litigated a six-day bench trial in Connecticut seeking to enforce a judgment, secured by the bank in a UK court in 2013, against Alexander Vik and his offshore investment entity Sebastian Holdings, seeking to hold Vik liable personally as the Sebastian Holdings’ alter ego in Connecticut. Januszewski also prevailed on behalf of Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, securing a July 2020 dismissal in the Northern District of Illinois for a suit filed in March of that year in which plaintiffs filed their complaint against the bank, asserting claims for negligence, conversion, and contribution in connection with the transfer of securities alleged to have been funneled among various entities as part of a third-party’s long-running Ponzi scheme.
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton stands out for its impressive global footprint – one of the most expansive in “big law,” with more offices located outside the US than within. Proudly bold in its international aspirations, its domestic-domiciled practitioners in New York, DC and San Francisco routinely attend to matters that cross borders. The firm excels in antitrust, white-collar and investigations work, securities, bankruptcy, commercial and even some intellectual property, and, unsurprisingly, it is also known as being one of the dominant forces in the international arbitration arena. “Cleary is so good,” exclaims one peer. “I’ve thought of them as more ‘transactional good’ but they also have fantastic litigation.” A client cheers the “analysis, writing and litigation strategy” of the firm’s partners.
Antitrust is one capacity in which Cleary commands a particularly towering presence, with a dominant position in agency and contested-merger work. “Aside from knowing the antitrust laws backward and forwards, the attorneys at Cleary know how to take an extremely complex set of laws and facts and describe them simply and persuasively,” testifies a client.
In the firm’s DC office, Leah Brannon has emerged as a peer and client favorite. “Leah is extremely smart, a very good writer, and a great antitrust thinker,” confirms one client. Another calls her a “great communicator” who “thinks creatively and outside the box and is very responsive to client requests.” For the better part of a decade, Brannon has been representing coffee entity Keurig in a massive multidistrict monopolization litigation in the Southern District of New York. In July and August 2021, two new opt out complaints were filed in the Eastern District of New York, and subsequently transferred into the pending multidistrict litigation. The actions already in the MDL include suits by two competitors to Keurig, a purported class of direct purchasers, and one individual purchaser. Another DC-based partner,
Jeremy Calsyn, represented Change Healthcare in defeating a federal lawsuit filed by the DoJ and two states seeking to enjoin its $13 billion merger with United Healthcare. The plaintiffs alleged that United’s acquisition of Change’s electronic data interchange network would harm competition in certain health insurance markets, and also alleged the merger would create a monopoly in first-pass claims-editing software. Following trial in August, in September 2022, the merger to merger was allowed to proceed. Based in the firm’s San Francisco office, Heather Nyong’o
represents Varsity Brands and several subsidiaries, as well as its private equity owners, in litigation brought by purported classes of indirect purchasers of Varsity’s cheerleading competition, apparel, and camp products and services.
Cleary is also known for its bankruptcy capacity and is known as one of the few to actually litigate this work. “It drives me crazy when restructuring lawyers can’t handle the court work. Like, what are you doing? Your name is on the brief but you have to turn to someone else to do the litigation? That’s not the case at Cleary!” In particular,
Lisa Schweitzer and Luke Barefoot are noted leaders in this area. This duo, independently and in tandem, has been at the forefront of some of hotly contested bankruptcy work for major players in the Latin American airline industry, dovetailing seamlessly with Cleary’s stronghold in this region of the world.
“Nobody can touch Cleary in that market,” concedes one peer. “They have such a deep concentration there, and they have relatively young partners who are also fluent Spanish speakers.” New York’s Lisa Vicens is frequently referred to as an example. “Lisa has developed a fabulous South American practice,” confirms one competitor. “She is a homegrown talent, an unusual person in that respect.” Vicens, a white-collar and investigations-oriented practitioner who also has grasp of rudimentary Portuguese, is representing Brazilian mining entity Vale in connection with investigations of allegations that the company failed to conduct appropriate diligence in advance of a strategic transaction with an entity that subsequently was discovered to have engaged in corrupt payments. Ari MacKinnon is another New York-based partner who exemplifies the firm’s dedication to this region; he is also a bilingual investigations and international arbitration specialist and is noted for “cultivating that market at an early age.” MacKinnon
acted as counsel to several Latin American entities relating to non-payment for invoices for 10 shipments of liquefied natural gas under a gas-sales agreement. Another international arbitration specialist,
Jeffrey Rosenthal, a senior figure in this area, is representing Sysco in an LCIA arbitration and related federal court litigation against affiliates of litigation funder Burford Capital. Sysco is a plaintiff in several antitrust litigations against protein suppliers pending in US federal courts. Burford invested in Sysco’s claims. In 2022, Sysco proposed settlements of certain claims against defendants in the antitrust cases, and Burford objected to the settlements and initiated an arbitration asserting a contractual right to block them. The arbitral tribunal granted a temporary restraining order and later a preliminary injunction that Burford requested. Sysco has now filed a petition to vacate the arbitral award.
Cleary is also celebrated for its white-collar and enforcement capabilities and bench strength. A high-level peer in this practice testifies, “If I were to refer a big case to a firm, Cleary would be it. If the case is of high-stakes nature, I need depth and breadth, not just a one-star system. Cleary has that in spades.” Another peer concurs, “I work a lot with the Cleary team – particularly
Victor Hou, Jonathan Kolodner and
Joon Kim – and they get very nice results for their clients and we work very well together.” Civil securities-focused
Roger Cooper and Jared Gerber represent Allergan and several of its former officers and directors in a class-action alleging that the company made misstatements and omissions concerning the health risks associated with certain breast-implant products. The action was filed after the company announced that certain breast-implant products were being withdrawn from the European market. In December 2022, the court granted the summary judgment motion that Cleary filed on behalf of defendants and dismissed the action in its entirety.
Cohen Milstein covers the Eastern seaboard with offices in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Palm Beach Gardens and Raleigh, and services the Midwest through a Chicago office. Peers on both the defense and plaintiff sides of the “V” have voiced appreciation for the firm’s zealous approach. “I have always regarded them highly,” declares one plaintiff peer. “They have been mainly regarded as an antitrust firm, but they also so some work in securities and appear to be doing more of this. We happen to have a case where we are co-lead with them. They are smart lawyers.” The firm also has a noted employment, civil rights and ERISA practice. The firm made news in 2019 when a federal judge in Illinois to co-lead shareholder litigation against money transfer entity MoneyGram International, who, in November 2018, agreed to pay $125 million to resolve allegations that it failed to crack down on fraudulent money transfers.
The majority of Cohen Milstein’s star power is concentrated in its DC home base. Managing partner
Steven Toll is a celebrated figure among the plaintiffs bar and a “feared but respected adversary” of defense lawyers. Toll has been at the helm of several recent milestone wins, including securing a ruling from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that reinstated a suit against electronics maker Harman International Industries. A $28.25 million settlement was achieved in this action in 2017. Toll was also co-lead counsel in the BP Securities class action securities fraud lawsuit that arose from the Deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the certification of the class of investors alleged to have been injured by BP’s misrepresenting the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, and thus minimizing the extent of the cost and financial impact to BP of the cleanup and resulting damages. In February 2017, the court granted final approval to a $175 million settlement reached between BP and lead plaintiffs for the “post-explosion” class. Julie Reiser attends to a practice that straddles antitrust, securities and ERISA matters. Reiser has led litigation teams in several major class actions and has secured landmark settlements, including a $500 million settlement related to Countrywide’s issuance of mortgage-backed securities and a shareholder derivative suit against Wynn Resorts, with a net settlement value of $90 million.
While the DC partners are some of the firm’s most established, partners in other offices, particularly on the younger end of the spectrum, are also moving to the fore and garnering peer attention.
Lauren Posner in the New York office is tipped by peers as a future star. “I’m sure she’ll be put in charge of many of their high-end cases,” forecasts a peer.
Founded in May 2025, Dunn Isaacson Rhee is the collective entity forged upon the three DC-based star trial lawyers –
Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson and Jeannie Rhee – decamping from Paul Weiss to launch their own agenda-driven venture dedicated to thorny, contentious disputes, investigations and crisis management. The firm’s appearance on the scene, described by one observer as “a pretty seismic event” immediately grabbed headlines and generated buzz among the legal community, which continues. “All eyes are on them, you cannot ignore it if you tried. Everyone’s talking about it,” testifies one peer. Additionally, it’s noted that “They are growing, like gangbusters! They went from just recently even getting an office in DC to expanding into New York and even California – they also added [another Paul Weiss alumnus, based in San Francisco]
Meredith Dearborn!” Adding further to its Paul Weiss pedigree, DC’s
Jessica Phillips also joined. One peer quips humorously, “They seem to be adding associates left and right, and I’m paranoid they’re going to come after some of mine next. I’m getting to the point where I’m taking my associates out for lunch regularly and saying, ‘So…please tell me you’re not sending resumes to Dunn Isaacson.” The firm’s inexorable and rapid growth, usually seen at larger and more established firms, has been equally a subject of speculation. “Normally, if I see that kind of growth right away, I say ‘Whoa, Nellie! You’re taking on big bites pretty quickly, there – is that sustainable?’ But these people seem to be doing it the right way. They’ve been around ‘Big Law’ so they’ve learned the pitfalls and the parts of the system that are broken and avoided them. I think they have too much talent and too much rainmaking potential there not to succeed.” Indeed, the firm’s three name partners alone boast a healthy log of newsworthy trial wins – in both the plaintiff and defense capacities – that collectively span the spectrum from commercial to antitrust to social justice. Dunn and Rhee have appeared regularly on Benchmark’s Top 250 Women in Litigation list, both making another showing in 2025. Dunn is an all-purpose generalist trial lawyer. “Karen Dunn needs no introduction,” quips a peer. “Just read the news.” Rhee lays claim to a white-collar and investigations background. Isaacson has been a nationally ranked star in the antitrust category since 2015. “He is one the top antitrust minds out there,” declares a contemporary, “and he’s not someone you would only call if you wanted to surrender and make a sweet deal with the government. He can try a case!”
Dedicated entirely to intellectual property, Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner is one of the go-to law firms for litigation involving patents, trademarks, and copyrights. The firm remains a leader in handling disputes before the PTAB and has also maintained a significant reputation in the life sciences sphere. Finnegan’s offices span the East Coast, centering its power in the District of Columbia and Virginia area.
In DC, William Raich leads the biotechnology and pharmaceutical practice group and with a background in cellular and molecular biology, he is a top choice for patent-related cases. He and nationally recognized litigator Charles Lipsey of the Reston, Virginia office are defending Sarepta Therapeutics in a lawsuit filed by Nippon Shinyaku which alleges that the client’s product Vyondys 53® infringes seven patents held by the plaintiff. Lipsey and Raich are currently active in fact discovery, and the trial is scheduled for May 2024.
The DC office also features James Monroe and Paul Browning, both of whom are trial lawyers with an extensive record of cases before district and appellate courts nationwide. The duo was among the lead lawyers on the team representing Otsuka and Lundbeck in a series of ANDA cases filed in the District of Delaware. Eighteen generic drug manufacturers sought to create generic versions of the client’s drug Rexulti. Monroe, Browning, and the rest of the Finnegan team settled all eighteen cases favorably for the client, with the last settling on the eve of trial. The settlements protected the company’s multibillion-dollar drug franchise from infringing sales. Robert Yoches splits his time between District of Columbia and Taipei, representing clients in both the US and China. Yoches represents Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company before the ITC in a Section 337 investigation. The plaintiff, Daedalus Prime, alleged that the client’s semiconductor chips infringe its patents. Gerald Ivey is an established trial lawyer focusing on patent matters involving computer software and hardware. He is recognized for both his district court and PTAB appearances. Ivey recently defended Samsung in multiple inter partes reviews in connection with patents concerning the display of multiple displays on smartphones.
On the trademark side, Douglas Rettew remains the go-to litigator to handle cases nationwide. As first-chair trial lawyer, Rettew obtained a jury verdict in favor of Armadillo Distribution Enterprises and Concordia Investment Partners on his core affirmative defenses and on the plaintiff’s claims for damages. Gibson Brands had filed a lawsuit alleging serial infringement and counterfeiting of six registered trademarks against the clients, demanding over $7 million at trial. In addition to trial expertise and experience, Rettew is also an established name before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, representing multiple clients, including A&H Sportswear, in enforcement matters.
John Livingstone of the Atlanta office also leads the charge litigating on behalf of clients in the life sciences industry. He represents Novartis Pharmaceuticals in a series of Hatch-Waxman Act patent cases filed in the District of Delaware against generic pharmaceutical companies looking to market versions of Kisqali, a treatment for certain metastatic breast cancers marketed by Novartis. The case has the potential to provide nine years of exclusivity. Separately, Livingstone defends Novartis Gene Therapies against patent infringement allegations asserted by Genzyme. The patents include recombinant adeno-associated virus sector technology, which Novartis uses in its breakthrough gene therapy Zolgensma. Livingstone is also an established litigator representing life sciences clients before the International Trade Commission. His recent victory for Ajinomoto involved a biotech investigation and subsequent evidentiary hearing at the ITC, which in its final determination found that the defendant, CheilJedang, infringed Ajinomoto’s patents, and therefore also issued a limited exclusion and cease-and-desist orders, barring the defendant from importing the infringing products. Fellow Atlanta partner and celebrated multidisciplinary intellectual property litigator Virginia Carron successfully defended Nestlé in a business-critical patent infringement case in the Western District of New York. Steuben Foods sued the client alleging numerous claims related to five patents and claiming $500 million in damages. As lead partner on the case, Carron took a multifaceted defense strategy that challenged the validity of the patents before the PTAB and filed a series of motions for summary judgment in district court. She successfully narrowed the case to three patents and the district court further agreed with her claim construction position. Her aggressive strategy and briefing garnered a significant settlement agreement.
Headquartered in the UK, global powerhouse Freshfields has achieved remarkable success in establishing a US presence; indeed, it can be argued that it has entrenched itself in this market to a broader and deeper extent than any of its “Magic Circle” contemporaries. This is especially true with regard to litigation, with Freshfields boasting an ever-expanding team in the securities and commercial litigation capacities, in addition to an established international arbitration and white-collar bench.
Many credit the firm’s relatively recent spike in the securities area to
Meredith Kotler and Mary Eaton, both of whom operate from the New York office. “They are both very strong individually, and together, they make a formidable duo,” states one peer. Kotler is cheered by a client as a “quick learner, good communicator and a strategic thinker,” and a peer testifies, “I look for different styles when I’m referring a securities case to someone, and if I have a case that needed a ‘fire-breathing dragon,’ it’s Meredith Kotler. She is a former prosecutor and brings that energy.” The duo of Kotler and Eaton successfully represented global pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and two of its executives in a stockholder class action in Delaware’s Court of Chancery, challenging Viela’s US $3 billion sale to Horizon Therapeutics. The complaint alleged that AstraZeneca – which held 26% of Viela’s stock – controlled Viela as a result of the support agreements and coerced Viela’s Board to sell the company to Horizon for an unfair price. In December 2023, Kotler argued for motion to dismiss, which was granted in July 2024. David Livshiz and Jennifer Loeb are representing Rio Tinto in a US federal climate change class action in Puerto Rico. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants’ production, promotion, refining, marketing and sale of fossil-fuel-based consumer product caused losses, deaths and destruction of property resulting from severe storms in Puerto Rico in September 2017. Livshiz is championed by a client as “incredibly responsive, exceptionally bright and able to synthesize extensive information in a short period of time. He is extremely knowledgeable about our business and able to provide strategic and pragmatic solutions.” Loeb is also cheered as “clear, proactive and thoughtful.” Freshfields’ amplification of its securities practice has been no less successful on the West Coast, where the team is bookended by
Boris Feldman and Doru Gavril. Feldman is a seasoned local luminary whose “name drops a lot of weight in this [Bay] area” and who, despite his senior status, remains firmly on the cutting edge, specializing in the tech space, the dominant Bay Area industry. A peer opines, “I think Boris would be bored with just basic securities work! Give him tech-related cases, and that’s where he shines. It seems to me that’s really where he wants to be, and he’s got the chops and vocabulary for it.” Feldman and Gavril have been representing gaming platform Roblox in every shareholder lawsuit it has had since its public listing. Feldman also worked with Livishiz for AI juggernaut Palantir and several of its officers and directors in parallel securities class-action and derivative litigation. The team achieved complete dismissals with prejudice at the pleading stage in both federal and state courts.
Freshfields has also doubled down on its commercial litigation area, having lured New York star
Gayle Klein to its bench two years ago. Klein leads a team representing Tesla in four putative class actions relating to a company data incident involving the misappropriation of company data by former employees. Plaintiffs allege that Tesla failed to protect the personal information of over 75,000 current and former employees that was exposed in the incident.
A national powerhouse, Gibson Dunn’s scope of services extends beyond litigation, but in this disputes capacity, it has consistently displayed its prowess in almost every sub-practice area. The firm has extended well beyond its California roots and has gone on to claim a dominant position in every US locale in which it operates. “They are obviously smart litigators with a well deserved great reputation. We see them a lot,” testifies one peer. Another extols, “They are professional, zealous advocates. They handle DEI and employment issues deftly — they’ve got strong depth, especially in DC." Even in smaller jurisdictions, it is noted that Gibson Dunn goes all in. One example is Colorado, where a local peer confirms, “Out of all the national firms here, Gibson Dunn has invested the most in staying in Denver. It’s mostly labor and employment and investigations, but it’s still a strong and visible group.”
Perhaps nowhere is this demonstrated greater than the firm’s move into Texas, which it has implemented with aplomb, establishing itself as one of the top shops in both the Houston and Dallas markets. “Gibson Dunn does what they do,” sums up a local peer, “and they are very selective. They take only a few cases, and they work the hell out of them.” Another goes so far as to address them as “perhaps the strongest shop in Dallas right now, and they did it fast! There are a lot of great firms here that have been here much longer.” A multi-city Texas team of trial team composed of Trey Cox,
Colin Cox and Gregg Costa secured a resounding victory for Energy Transfer in a case that held that First Amendment rights did not extend to violent and destructive behavior. After more than three weeks of trial in North Dakota, a state court jury awarded over $660 million in damages against Greenpeace and its affiliates. Energy Transfer had argued that Greenpeace had facilitated trespass, nuisance, and civil conspiracy in relation to demonstrations held against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Costa and Trey Cox reside in Dallas, while Colin Cox sits in Houston. “Colin Cox is excellent,” insists a peer. “He was at a local firm, and candidly it was assumed by all that he would be the heir apparent for a more senior partner. When that didn’t happen, Colin left and went to Gibson Dunn to help build their Houston office, which he’s doing a great job with. He’s going to get more opportunities to shine there.” Dallas-based appellate star
Allyson Ho scored big in June 2024 when the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled to reverse the contrary decisions of three lower courts, handing client Truck Insurance Exchange a resounding victory in a case concerning allegations of widespread fraud among claimants seeking insurance recovery from a bankruptcy trust for asbestos injuries.
The firm continues to dominate in its native California. Los Angeles’
Theane Evangelis, whose practice traverses appellate, employment, media and entertainment, and class actions, won a victory on behalf of the City of Grants Pass, Oregon in a landmark case addressing whether the Eighth Amendment bars local governments from enforcing public-camping regulations after the Ninth Circuit held that it would be cruel and unusual to impose any punishment, no matter how small, for sleeping on public property if a person has no access to alternative shelter. Antitrust and class-action partner Sam Liversidge also receives peer plaudits. “My first time working with him on was [on a case regarding] HP but he was very good. He takes a bold position in trial.”
Brian Lutz in the San Francisco office is representing Meta (Facebook) in a high-profile securities class action and shareholder-derivative action arising out of misuse of user data by Cambridge Analytica, and Facebook’s $5 billion resolution of allegations by the FTC that Facebook violated a consent decree. After three orders dismissing the action, the Ninth Circuit reversed, with a dissent. Lutz convinced the US Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit’s opinion. “We work with Brian Lutz on this Meta stuff,” confirms a co-counsel. “He is fantastic and a true pleasure to work with.”
Gibson Dunn’s New York office is home to two of its “next-generation” stars in the intellectual property capacity.
Dr. Jane Love is noted by patent-focused peers as having “done a lot of work on the bio side,” and
Brian Rosenthal is noted for his work with in the tech space. “Brian represents Apple, and he’s fantastic.”
Hausfeld has emerged as a plaintiff-side firm to be reckoned with in several categories. Unlike many other companies of its ilk, however, the firm has not opted for taking the “boutique” route and has instead embedded itself globally, with litigators practicing in 11 offices throughout the US and in Europe. Primarily in the antitrust capacity, Hausfeld is an undisputed trailblazer, identified as a ubiquitous presence by peers on both the plaintiff and defense sides of the “V.” One major defense peer confirms, “Hausfeld is who we almost always see on the plaintiff side if there is antitrust class action. Even if it’s not exclusively them, they are always somewhere in the mix.” Another frequent opponent notes, “They have a wide scope regarding antitrust actions, and they are also huge in sports. I do a great deal of this work, and it’s nearly always against Hausfeld, at least in the biggest and best cases.” Still another sums up the firm’s stature by saying, “Many firms try to do what they do, but Hausfeld is one of the few that gets it right and one of the ones we take the most seriously.” Over the past several years alone, the firm has landed national headlines for its dogged pursuit of antitrust and sports claims. The firm was chosen by the DC Attorney General’s office in May 2021 to spearhead its efforts in a massive antitrust case against online retail juggernaut Amazon. More recently, Hausfeld scored big as co-lead counsel in a major case alleging that more than 30 Blue Cross/Blue Shield entities across the country have entered into agreements not to compete with each other for customers of health insurance. The litigation sought damages on behalf of a proposed class of more than 100 million subscribers, along with injunctive relief that would increase competition in the market for health insurance. After eight years in litigation, the plaintiffs scored a $2.67 billion settlement in October 2020. In addition to monetary relief, the settlement proposes systemic injunctive relief that will change the landscape for competition in healthcare. This settlement was approved in August 2022 – Judge Proctor approved the $2.67 billion settlement on behalf of employers and individuals.
While the DC office – where firm founder and former name partner Michael Hausfeld is based – has long been viewed as the firm’s center of gravity, with his transition to a “chairman emeritus” position, several California-based partners are taking bigger roles. “It’s more about the team now,” observes one peer. Megan Jones in the San Francisco office has been identified by several peers as “a leader at Hausfeld now,” with one peer testifying, “I have been very impressed with her, she has been leading quite a few cases.”
Melinda Coolidge, based in the DC office, serves as managing partner for the firm as well as attending to her own litigation matters that have earned her a debut as a future star in this edition. In July 2022, Coolidge led a team that reached a $90 million settlement in a ground-breaking case on behalf of app developers nationwide challenging Google’s 30% revenue share imposed on apps and in-app products sold on the Google Play Store. Coolidge is also part of a team is at the forefront of antitrust litigation over allegations that the nation’s four largest freight railroads – Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, and Norfolk Southern – colluded on fuel surcharges and overcharged customers by billions of dollars collectively.
Haynes and Boone is a multi-discipline outfit that emerged as a regional player in the Southeast and South Central US. The firm maintains a network of 17 offices with 40 practice areas spreading across its locations. Historically a revered legal brand in its native Texas, the firm has more recently expanded into markets like Washington, DC, largely on the strength of a rapidly burgeoning insurance coverage practice. The firm has won the praise of multiple peers; one testifies, “We are very often in the same sandbox as them, we see them often.” Another peer, based in Houston, extols, “They are really in the mix now, great people. [They have] Quite a bit of action in Dallas, too.” Clients voice their appreciation for the firm’s approach and prowess. One describes Haynes and Boone’s litigators as “aggressive and thoughtful, with an excellent understanding of the law,” and states that they are “good at keeping client focused, thoughtful with billing and credits, excellent at strategy, trustworthy and empathetic.”
The DC office in particular features trial lawyer Barry Buchman who is a leading policyholder insurance litigator with a specialty in complex insurance coverage, general liability coverage disputes and other cutting-edge insurance coverage matters. “Barry and his team are active in the sexual abuse coverage disputes area,” notes one insurance-focused peer. “When people ask for referrals, he’s always 1, 2 or 3 on the list.” Additionally, Buchman’s practice also touches on commercial disputes that include business torts and representing private equity firms and automotive companies especially. Most recently, Buchman served as lead litigation counsel representing Lionsgate and Starz in a Directors & Officers insurance coverage case that arose out of Lionsgate’s acquisition of Starz and a subsequent shareholder class action that was filed by Starz shareholders. They alleged they were underpaid for their shares compared to the price Lionsgate paid for the shares of another group of shareholders. The insurers for Lionsgate and Starz denied coverage, claiming the “Bump-Up Exclusion” clause in the policies, and after the class action settled for $92.5 million, the clients filed a lawsuit against the insurers for their denial of coverage. One of the insurers for Starz filed a motion for summary judgment arguing that the client improperly compromised the insurer’s subrogation rights against a Starz shareholder, John Malone, who allegedly played a significant and improper part in the Lionsgate’s acquisition. The matter became an issue of first impression regarding whether Malone was considered an “insured person” as he was not a director or officer of Starz. Buchman successfully persuaded the court to consider Malone an “insured person” and the court ruled in the client’s favor based on the policies that prevent insurers from asserting subrogation rights against an insured.
Haynes and Boone is also a noted powerhouse in the specialty area of appeals. “In appellate work, they are a premier firm,” raves a peer. “Nina Cortell [now Senior Counsel status] is still active but her protégé
Anne Johnson is just tremendous. I would love to hire either of them away but I doubt we could ever get them!” Johnson, domiciled in the firm’s Dallas office, has indeed emerged as a star in this space. She made headlines with her representation of BBVA, on behalf of whom she persuaded a Texas appellate court to overturn a $110 million fraud verdict against the client. The suit was brought against BBVA by a borrower who claimed that a BBVA employee made misrepresentations during loan renewal negotiations. The plaintiff alleged that, at the time the employee represented that his loans were not being sold, the bank was in the process of selling them—an action permitted by the loan documents. The plaintiff claimed that the employee’s representation caused him to lose out on various business opportunities. Johnson and her team were called into action after an unfavorable verdict in 2017. In December 2020, a three-justice panel of the appellate court unanimously reversed the judgment and ruled that the plaintiff take nothing on his claim. Johnson is also lead counsel on appeal for Toyota North America in an appeal stemming from a $242 million verdict against the manufacturer in August 2018. Johnson makes her debut appearance as one of Benchmark’s Top 250 Women in Litigation in this edition. Houston’s Mark Trachtenberg also notched an appellate win when he persuaded the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm a summary judgment in favor of client Caterpillar. In the suit, AIG Europe asserted negligence and product liability claims against Caterpillar, which manufactured an engine used in pumping units at an oil-and-gas well site in Texas. A 2016 fire at the site led to millions of dollars in damages, which AIG sought to recover from Caterpillar and another defendant. Haynes and Boone was retained after a judge in the Eastern District of Texas denied AIG’s motion for partial summary judgment and granted Caterpillar’s motion for summary judgment on each of AIG’s claims.
Celebrated boutique Hecker Fink has earned itself a pride of place in the crowded New York litigation market. Peers and clients stand united in their reverence for the firm and appreciation for its structure and operations. “They’re a firm that’s at the tip of our tongues if there’s a trial that it wouldn’t make sense for us to do,” testifies a peer. “If they cand handle it, it goes to them. I know a lot of people who are coming out of the government are excited about the prospect of working there.” The firm is also noted for keeping its eye on cultivating the future levels of talent. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the momentum behind
David Gopstein, who made his debut as a future star in the last edition of Benchmark and has already made a swift ascent to litigation star only a year later on the strength of plaudits from various corners of the market. One peer insists, “David is definitely someone you need to look into!” A client raves, “David is an elite writer, a gifted oralist, and a better person. He is especially skilled at trials and in oral arguments before US Courts of Appeals.” Another extols, “David is smart, creative and responsive. His approach is client centered, and he seeks to provide the best results for the situation.”
Shawn Crowley makes her debut in this edition on the strength of client praise. “Shawn is exceptionally intelligent and great with clients. She also has a great way with people generally.” The firm also benefited from the addition of
Damaris Hernández, a young star formerly with Cravath.
Michael Ferarra and Sean Hecker are two stars of the white-collar bar. “Mike Ferrara and Sean Hecker are two people that I would call if I was in the crosshairs,” declares a peer, going on to quip, “Who doesn’t love Sean Hecker?” A client calls Hecker “a amart, responsive, creative lawyer,” and addresses Ferrara as “a strategic thinker with excellent legal and advocacy skills.” One peer also insist, “Everyone knows Sean but you have to give more notice to
Jenna Dabbs – she’s also terrific.” Dabbs, along with debut future star
Kate Doniger, represents Amentum, formerly known as AECOM Government Services, in a False Claims Act lawsuit, alleging false labor billing on a contract AECOM and related entities performed for the US Government in Afghanistan. Following a 2020 motion to dismiss and appeal, the Second Circuit subsequently affirmed the dismissal of most of the claims, and the parties engaged in fact and expert discovery on the remaining claim. In the fall of 2024, the Court converted the motion to dismiss to one for summary judgment and, after motion practice, granted summary judgment in AECOM’s favor. Dabbs also acted with DC-based
Joshua Matz representing a plaintiff in his suit against the President and other Administration officials challenging as unlawful his purported removal from office as the Special Counsel of the US Office of the Special Counsel. While the plaintiff ultimately lost this case, the firm was able to secure him a month in office after the President purported to fire him. During that month, the obtained reinstatement for nearly 6000 unlawfully terminated federal employees. Dellinger’s restoration to office after the President purported to remove him was groundbreaking, and the case was the first against the Administration to reach the Supreme Court in the President’s second term. Matz is cheered by a client as “outstanding, brilliant, hard working and compassionate.”
While Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel has been a mainstay of the New York legal community since its inception, it has, in recent years, expanded in a modest and measured fashion, starting with an office in Silicon Valley, and moving full steam in to the DC market by storm with its auspicious acquisition of prized local shop Robbins Russell, incorporating a deep team of celebrated practitioners across several practice areas. “That’s a big deal,” sums up one local peer, voicing the general consensus. “Robbins Russell was a classic DC firm and now the platform has given both sides many new opportunities.” Key among these new recruits is appellate “dynamo” Roy Englert, a frequent visitor to the Supreme Court and an authority in the practice. Englert is “all appeals, all the time,” and respected by a vocal percentage of the leading figures in the DC appellate community. “Roy is fantastic,” testifies one peer. “He brought an amicus in a case we are working on, and we were very impressed.” Gary Orseck is another recruit with fluency in appeals, as well as a broad-based commercial, securities and white-collar practitioner. “Gary is a tremendous lawyer,” extols a peer. “He has a really good sense of judgment and is a great writer.” Orseck’s achievements exemplify these ringing endorsements; he defended United Health Services’ officers and directors in a derivative suit alleging securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and other claims, relating to alleged improper patient-admission practices at the client’s affiliated behavioral-health facilities throughout the country. The claims were dismissed in 2019 but went to appeal In December 2021, at which point the parties resolved the matter, originally valued at more than $1.5 billion, on the basis of non-monetary reforms regarding corporate compliance. In a similar matter, Orseck leads a team defending Community Health Systems and certain of its affiliates and former officers against fraudulent transfer, breach of contract, illegal dividend, and related claims brought by the Litigation Trustee for the QHC Litigation Trust. The Litigation Trustee seeks to avoid, among other things, a $1.2 billion transfer from QHC to CHS in connection with a 2016 spinoff transaction. The DC group comes with some youth factor to balance out the senior talent; future star William Trunk is part of Orseck’s team on the aforementioned Community Health matter, and Ariel Lavinbuk comes equipped with a practice that encompasses commercial litigation as well as a bankruptcy element, an area for which Kramer Levin, through its New York office, has historically been seen as Tier 1.
The bankruptcy practice has earned plaudits from fellow leaders in the area. “It is run by Ken Eckstein and Tom Mayer, who are great in court, great at deals, and just great at bankruptcy everywhere,” declares one peer, who further attests, “I see them all the time and they give me and anyone else a run for the money.” Eckstein leads a team that, for the past three years, has served as lead bankruptcy counsel to represent the Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) of 10 state attorneys general, six municipalities, and the Plaintiffs Executive Committee in the multidistrict litigation and a federally recognized Native American Tribe in the ongoing bankruptcy saga of embattled opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma. White-collar crime is another field in which Kramer Levin boasts an unanimously lauded roster. “The Kramer Levin team actually does trials! That’s rare in the white-collar world, and these are actually for some very high-profile individuals,” marvels one peer. Barry Berke is an undisputed leading presence. He was recently thrust into the limelight when he was called into service as special counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives in connection with its investigation and impeachment proceedings of Donald Trump, and as of February 2020, Berke returned to Kramer Levin with newly burnished credentials. Not that he needed them; even before this engagement, Berke has been routinely identified by peers as “absolutely one of the best,” with one elaborating, “Especially at his age point, he has some of the best experience you could ask for and credibility beyond question.” Clients agree; one calls Berke “a counselor, a litigator, and a strategist,” and goes on to assert, “No one is better.” While Berke’s profile in the community is undisputed, others in this group are making their mark. Dani James acted with Berke in representing Theodore Huber, a partner and analyst at Deerfield Management, in parallel actions brought by the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York and the Securities and Exchange Commission arising from Huber’s trading based on purportedly confidential government information relating to Medicare reimbursement for healthcare services. Both celebrated white-collar stars Berke and James represented biotech giant Amgen in a commercial litigation capacity in the client’s dispute with Novartis over the latter’s alleged breach of contract and tortious conduct arising out of the parties’ collaboration agreement to commercialize a migraine drug. On a counterclaim, Amgen alleged that Novartis breached the contract when it allowed its subsidiary to manufacture a competing migraine drug, and then actively concealed this from Amgen. The Kramer Levin team on this matter also included
Norman Simon, who typically deals with cases involving the Lanham Act and false-advertising claims, niche areas in which Kramer Levin has been noted as being one of the few major players.
The firm has recently developed a more “hard IP” practice, spearheaded by Dr. Irena Royzman, who is noted by peers to “occupy a definite presence in the pharma patent space.” Royzman has historically represented Janssen, and on behalf of this client sued several generic manufacturers under the Hatch-Waxman Act for infringement of patents protecting Symtuza, a treatment for HIV/AIDS. The action is in active fact discovery and claim-construction proceedings, and a bench trial is scheduled for October 2023. The IP area is bookended on the West Coast by Lisa Kobialka in the Silicon Valley office (opened in 2011). Kobialka, whose practice is primarily devoted to the tech space, brought patent infringement actions against Xerox and Ricoh relating to systems and methods covering various aspects of printers and/or copiers as well as their processes, performance and maintenance, and workflow management.
The firm upholds its dedication to labor and employment litigation, regularly representing high-profile clients in a variety of respects, particularly emphasizing – though not limiting itself to – highly sensitive and complex single-plaintiff employment disputes. No stranger to the public eye, employment law chair Kevin Leblang of New York is regularly active at the forefront of the most highly exposed disputes in employment litigation. Leblang currently defends Stifel in a sexual harassment lawsuit that has gained significant market attention. In 2022, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFAA) passed, leading the court to reverse its initial order to compel arbitration. Leblang has since appealed the decision to the Second Circuit. Leblang is routinely prepraing for trial. He is also active in discovery and pre-trial practice, defending Société Général in a sexual orientation and harassment lawsuit. Eliza Kaiser, also of the firm’s New York office, represents leaders across a variety of industries in disputes and investigations. Kaiser represented Facebook against a Department of Justice action that alleged that the company engaged in discriminatory hiring practices in the US in relation to its immigration policies. She negotiated a settlement with the DOJ as well as a parallel matter with the Department of Labor. Leblang and Kaiser’s fellow partner Robert Holtzman was recently engaged in three separate arbitrations on behalf of Natixis, all of which were successfully resolved.
Recognized in jurisdictions around the country for its overall talent in litigation, Hunton Andrews Kurth is praised for its ability to provide clients with exceptional service across a litany of practice areas. Clients make note of the variety of issues for which they turn to the firm: “Class actions, regulatory advice, cybersecurity litigation, and arbitration.” One additionally shares, “Hunton Andrews Kurth has provided a variety of legal services to us recently. Hunton has provided advice and counsel on commercial contracts, litigation, class action litigation, employment issues and franchising.” In the same vein, the client comments on the firm’s service, adding, “Hunton brings a level of service that is above and beyond what we experience with other firms. They understand the client and provide counsel in a timely manner.”
Hunton’s range of excellence across practice areas is equal to its bench strength spanning a strategic network of offices. In the southeast, Sam Dannon is recognized by peers in the Miami market. “Sam Dannon is a great lawyer,” one comments. “He’s excellent. He did a great job with the grass fertilizer cases. I think if you’re talking about individuals – Sam has a big name. It’s a well-deserved name.” Richmond-based litigator Elbert Lin receives the same recognition with a praising mention: “Elbert Lin – He's the man!” Lin serves as lead defense counsel to automobile parts manufacturers and distributors facing enforcement proceedings from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board. The companies also selected Lin and the team to represent them before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Lin seeks to challenge the EPA’s reinterpretation of the Clean Air Act, alleging it was illegal and acted without following proper rulemaking procedures pursuant to the act. The lower court had found in Lin’s favor, allowing the clients to challenge the interpretation in each enforcement action. Fellow Richmond partner Ali Cunningham makes her debut as a Litigation Star this year, covering the mass tort, product liability and environmental litigation and serving as the co-head of the firm’s litigation group. She is the lead lawyer representing French subsidiary of Alfa Laval, Alfa Laval Packinox, in an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration commenced by Drivetrain, serving as the litigation trustee for the bankrupt subsidiaries of a now-defunct infrastructure and energy company, Abengoa. Cunningham and the Hunton team were sought out as lead counsel after Drivetrain increased its damages request substantially. In response and as newly appointed counsel, Cunningham overhauled the defense strategy and resolved the case successfully and on terms favorable to the client.
Richmond’s George “Trey” Sibley’s practice emphasizes matters of environmental permitting, while in D.C., environmental practice head Deidre Duncan focuses on disputes related to compliance in addition to permitting. The two are often active in these regards on high-stakes proceedings with the potential to markedly reshape the landscape of EPA regulation. Recently, Sibley and Duncan were before the Ninth Circuit in a matter challenging the scope of the court’s discretion to vacate federal agency action. The District of Columbia office also features Torsten Kracht whose commercial practice has involved class actions and arbitrations nationwide. One of Kracht’s clients voices their deep appreciation for his representation, client relationship, as well as his disposition. “Torsten listens first and provides counsel second,” the client reflects. “He is a consummate professional who is client focused and results driven. I have worked with hundreds of attorneys over the course of my in-house career and have not met another attorney that rises to his level.”
In Texas, Houston’s Kelly Sandill is an active, multidisciplined litigator with a history of casework ranging from government relations to First Amendment. Sandill has been lead counsel to the Houston Police Officer Union in its challenge to voter-approved city charter amendment, Proposition B, which tied firefighter pay to policy pay. She led an all-female trial team that initiated the underlying challenge in 2018, and after years of litigation, months of briefing, oral arguments and post-submission filings, the Texas Supreme Court reinstated the team’s trial win. Not only did the Supreme Court find in favor of the HPOU, affirming the client’s right to collectively bargain for its members and ensure it remains a competitive police force, the high court’s opinion is likely to become authoritative on preemption in Texas.
Making a first appearance as a Litigation Star this year, New York partner Shawn Regan has an industry-focused approach, handling all practice areas touching on issues related to the financial, energy, and consumer-retail sectors. He received a shout out from a peer who worked with him on a national case. Los Angeles-based partner Ann Marie Mortimer is the head of commercial litigation at the firm and stands at the forefront of cybersecurity litigation. Her talent is noted by clients who commend her work. One of whom shares, “Ann Marie is great at client communication and shows creativity in her legal arguments.” Spearheading cybersecurity cases as a thought-leader and litigator, Mortimer has maintained an exceptionally active practice over the last year involving technology-breach, California Consumer Privacy Act violations, and a variety of multidistrict litigation cases. Mortimer obtained dismissal for Bath & Body Works facing a CCPA class action alleging violations although the named retailers were not involved in a data breach. She is also lead counsel for Meta Platforms, handling a multitude of cases across jurisdictions in an effort to curb abusive users and hold them accountable as the company has come under scrutiny over its responsibilities. Mortimer has secured a series of wins over the last year, including motions to dismiss counterclaims and affirmative defenses brought by the defendant in a case. In the cybersecurity space, Mortimer thwarted a putative data breach class action with a success motion to dismiss in favor of OneMain Holdings and OneMain Financial Group after it announced that a vendor shared reports of credit card transactions which contained privileged information.
The DC-based boutique outfit of Ifrah Law, under the guidance of its namesake and central leader Jeff Ifrah, deals in white-collar criminal defense, commercial litigation, class-action defense, and federal agency litigation. The most unique of the firm’s features, however, is its online gaming & sports betting practice. Indeed, Ifrah and the firm’s involvement in this regard has propelled the team to considerable renown in this burgeoning practice area, wherein the team also attends to such cutting-edge matters as cryptocurrency disputes and issues arising in connection with social media.
Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick is a mid-sized trial and appellate powerhouse firm headquartered in downtown DC. Aaron Panner is an antitrust authority who frequently appears before the US Supreme Court and appellate courts around the country. Peers celebrate Panner’s courtroom efforts, stating, “One guy who is just amazing is Aaron Panner at Kellogg Huber. He specializes in antitrust. [He] Clerked on the [Supreme Court]” adding, “He is truly one of the most amazing litigators I’ve come across. His mind is unbelievable. He would be on the top of my list. I refer him to my own clients and they’re always happy. That guy, boy, just a dynamo!” Seasoned litigator and name partner Mark Hansen obtained some of the largest judgments in antitrust and unfair trade practice cases in recent history. Hansen continued his success when a federal judge threw out the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against client Facebook in June 2021. The case is pending after the FTC opted to try again its antitrust lawsuit with an amended complaint. Competitors also sing Hansen’s praises, declaring “He is low-key and humble so, it’s hard to even see him as the big dog that he is. He is one of the Top 5 trial lawyers in the US.” Founding and managing partner Michael Kellogg has built a reputable practice dedicated to appellate, regulatory, and antitrust issues. He has briefed and argued numerous cases before the United States Supreme Court. Steven Benz represents corporations as plaintiffs in antitrust, unfair competition, class action, and complex commercial cases. Benz is active as a member of the lead counsel team representing software supplier Veeva, which stands accused of stealing medical data belonging to IQVIA. Trial lawyer Andrew Shen has successfully represented clients at the trial and appellate levels in a range of areas and industries. Clients include anywhere from Fortune 200 companies and institutional investors to whistleblowers. Shen filed a notice of appearance on behalf of the Saudi Crown Prince before the District of DC in March 2021 in a federal lawsuit initiated by the pro-democracy group of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Appellate authority David Frederick is active in defense of Royal Dutch Shell against climate liability lawsuits. Frederick is also renowned for his advocacy in suits against the NFL on behalf of former players who suffered concussions and their families, as well as for his success last year in an antitrust case that allowed iPhone owners to sue Apple.
Kirkland & Ellis has steadily risen from its roots in Chicago (where it remains a dominant brand) to become an international powerhouse. “Kirkland is a very formidable firm – [they have] a lot of talent. They have a lot of really solid people. There’s just something ‘cool and tough’ about them that you just can’t touch.” One of the larger and more comprehensive litigation capacities, Kirkland stands out as a firm that that boasts bench strength and high-level appointments in virtually every area of practice it offers, which include (but are not limited to) securities, antitrust, product liability, appeals, intellectual property, white-collar and investigations, commercial litigation, and bankruptcy, with the last being an area in which the firm is particularly dominant. “In bankruptcy, it’s Kirkland every day – they have to be at the top,” insists one peer, himself a leader in this practice. “I would specifically point to Mike Slade as a leader here – he takes some of the hardest bankruptcy cases around.”
Kirkland is also noted for housing several leaders in the trial law specialty. To that end, perhaps the biggest news is the 2023 return to Kirkland of James Hurst, a famed and prolific Chicago-based trial luminary noted for prodigious courtroom acumen who took a multi-year hiatus. Hurst represented Abbott Laboratories and its affiliate, Abbott Molecular., in a lawsuit alleging gender and race discrimination brought by an African-American female and former employee of Abbott. Hurst prevailed on the clients’ behalf in September 2023. Another of the firm’s marquis trial lawyers, DC’s Mike Brock(who has been consistently ranked as one of Benchmark’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers since its inception in 2014) led a team along with Chicago’s Leslie Smith and Anne Sidrys representing 3M Company and its subsidiary Aearo Technologies in product liability litigation concerning 3M’s allegedly defective dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs. In 2021, the Kirkland team secured a complete defense verdict in the second and fifth bellwether trials in this massive and headline-grabbing litigation. Operating from the firm’s Los Angeles and San Francisco offices, all-purpose commercial litigator Mark Holscher is another of the firm’s trial stars – one who makes his debut on the Top 100 list this year. A local candidate on this list testifies, “Mark is terrific. He’s now on the plaintiff’s side and become a thorn in the side of entertainment studios.” Holscher is representing Stable Road Acquisition in a purported consolidated securities class action arising from a merger, as well as an SEC action involving the CEO and founder of the merger candidate entity.
Domestically, Kirkland has exhibited a remarkable level of growth in its New York office in particular. Kirkland came into this market and started knocking over furniture and not asking permission, just taking it,” quips one contemporary, summing up the firm’s explosive growth in the city. “We do a lot of work with them, and they send us work. They can’t be adverse to most of the private-equity firms that matter, but they have become an utter juggernaut in the New York market. More than anyone, they are responsible for the cultural shift in New York firms – there is a poaching war going on between them and some ‘white-shoe’ firms that I’m sure are historically not used to having their dominance challenged!” Many credit Sandra Goldstein, a litigation powerhouse and “straight shooter,” for this phenomenon. “Sandra has not only a terrific reputation but a sizeable book of business,” states one peer. “She has a carousel of securities and Delaware-related litigation on the go. But she also benefits from having the Kirkland machine and a great team that is coming under her and, at this point, with her – people like Stefan Atkinson, Rachel Fritzlerand Matthew Solum. They are all junior to Sandra but absolutely critical and playing major roles.” A peer elaborates, “Stefan Atkinson is a young guy that is very strong in Delaware.” The duo of Golstein and Atkinson prevailed in affirming a judgment entered in favor of Constellation Brands in a case in which Mexican beer brand Modelo brought suit against Constellation, the holder of a perpetual license to use the Corona and Modelo trademarks on “Beer” in the US, alleging that Constellation’s new Corona Hard Seltzer and Modelo Ranch Water products fell outside the scope of the license because hard seltzers are not beer. A peer insists, “You’ve got to look at [the New York office of] Kirkland harder for securities work! Just at the moment they’ve got GrubHub. Jeld-Wen. Six Flags. Honeywell…shall I go on?”Solum in particular is identified as “a securities star in the making,” with one peer stating, “We are seeing him everywhere and not just in one specific type of securities case, either. He’s got M&A work, derivative work, class actions, you name it.” Solum represents Avalara and certain of its former directors in putative securities class action arising from Vista Equity Partners’ $8.4 billion take-private acquisition of Avalara. Solum also represents Avalara in a related petition brought by Avalara against dissenting shareholders to determine the fair value of shares. Another New York partner, in the intellectual property space, Dale Cendali represented Take-Two Interactive Software in a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by a tattoo artist related to the depictions of NBA players LeBron James, Danny Green and Tristan Thompson in Take-Two’s popular NBA 2K video game series. Take-Two designs each of the NBA players’ avatars with an eye toward realism, which requires including the players’ real-world tattoos on their virtual avatars in NBA 2K. The plaintiff claimed that the inclusion in NBA 2K of six tattoos he inked on these three NBA players amounted to copyright infringement. At trial, the Cendali and her team argued (among other things) that the inclusion of these nearly imperceptible tattoos in the massive video games is de minimis, a fair use, and covered by a license from LeBron James. In April 2024, the jury returned a verdict of no infringement.
Latham & Watkins has handily transitioned from its image as a California-headquartered focused on corporate work. Although the firm did see its origins in the Golden State and has a coveted corporate practice, Latham has also gained a well earned reputation as an undeniable litigation powerhouse whose footprint has not only reached national levels but boasts litigation heavyweights in nearly every one of its US offices across a diverse spectrum of practice areas. “I see Latham everywhere because they are so big,” confirms a peer, attesting to the firm’s domestic dominance. The “so big” litigation bench got even bigger in August 2025 with the addition of all-purpose trial ace
David Marriott, formerly with Cravath, a significant augmentation to Latham’s trial horsepower; Marriott has been one of Benchmark’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America for three consecutive years. The firm’s New York office also got a boost from the arrival of Margaret Graham, a former prosecutor who attends to white-collar and enforcement work as well as commercial litigation. One peer notes, “She just left the office of the Southern District to join Latham!”
Latham’s antitrust credentials were on display in a decisive victory secured by San Francisco’s
Chris Yates and New York’s Larry Buterman for the athletic governing body US Soccer Federation in a high-profile antitrust action filed in the Eastern District of New York. North American Soccer League (NASL) claimed that US Soccer conspired with the Major League Soccer (MLS) to exclude NASL from Division I and II professional soccer and monopolize these markets through US Soccer’s Professional League Standards. Following a three-week trial, the Latham duo persuaded a 10-person New York jury to unanimously find for US Soccer and MLS. The jury's verdict affirmed that NASL’s market definition was contradicted by pre-litigation business records, and that NASL's failures were self-inflicted. A peer confirms, “Chris Yates is one of the few people cornering that intersection of antitrust and sports!”
Chicago’s Sean Berkowitz, said by peers to “still be crushing it,” chieved dismissal of a shareholder suit filed against Walmart over disclosures related to an investigation concerning opioids, similar to those files against dozens of other entities for their roles in the prescription opioids supply chain. In 2018, Walmart began disclosing these litigations and investigations, warning investors that it could not provide any assurance to the scope or outcome of the investigations—or whether its business, financial condition, or results would be materially and adversely affected. Shareholders brought a securities class action after Walmart’s stock price traded down following Walmart’s lawsuit against the DoJ, seeking a declaration that it had not violated the Controlled Substances Act, and the DoJ then sued Walmart civilly, asserting it had. Berkowitz moved to dismiss the lawsuit explaining that Walmart and its executives timely and accurately disclosed the DoJ investigation and its consequences. The court agreed with and dismissed the plaintiffs’ amended complaint, closing the case.
Michele Johnson, in the Orange County office, is a frequent presence in the securities litigation capacity, and is recognized as one of the people in this practice to have tried cases. Johnson won a complete dismissal of a $300 million complaint against cardio device entity Edwards Lifesciences in Delaware Court of Chancery, in a decision recently upheld by the Delaware Supreme Court. Edwards acquired Valtech and its Cardioband valve repair device in 2017, with up to $350 million in milestone payments contingent on regulatory and sales achievements over a 10-year period. Dissatisfied with Cardioband's progress, former Valtech shareholders sued Edwards for $300 million, alleging a failure to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop the device. Plaintiffs appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court, and Latham successfully defended the lower court’s decision and reasoning to the Delaware Supreme Court, which affirmed the Court of Chancery’s decision. Johnson also acted with DC intellectual property partner
Michael Morin for Sarepta as trial counsel in a major patent and antitrust dispute in Delaware. After a one-week two-phase trial, a Delaware federal jury invalidated the opposing party's patent, upheld Sarepta’s patent, and awarded Sarepta $116 million in lost-profit damages. Johnson also acted with San Francisco’s
Melanie Blunschi in securing a first-round dismissal with prejudice for Apple, its five named executive officers, and its board of directors in a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York. On the eve of Apple’s 2023 annual shareholder meeting, the plaintiff, a Teamsters union and Apple shareholder since 2005, filed a lawsuit challenging Apple’s 2023 Proxy Statement and asserted a derivative claim, alleging the board breached its fiduciary duties by awarding “excess” compensation. The court dismissed the complaint with prejudice, finding no indication that the plaintiff could cure the deficiencies in the complaint. Jamie Wine in the New York office also is a noted figure in the securities space, with a practice that also encompasses general trial work – Wine is a noted Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. “I continue to be impressed with Jamie,” declares a New York contemporary.
MoloLamken is a rare example of a litigation shop that has entrenched itself in three key geographic venues (New York, Washington, DC and Chicago) while remaining lean and nimble enough to qualify for “boutique” status. The firm’s name partners straddle the axis of trial and appellate counsel and maintain broad and diverse ranges of cases for an equally varied portfolio of clients. A peer offers in summation, “MoloLamken cover a lot of ground,” and further elaborates, “I’m actually seeing them doing a lot more plaintiff work!” Clients also offer glowing reviews. One raves, “Based on my experience, MoloLamken provided a comprehensive legal defense utilizing highly skilled attorneys with extensive experience and knowledge of the subject matter. They are highly professional lawyers who care about their clients and are highly motivated to achieve the best possible results for their clients.”
New York’s Steven Molo, one of the firm’s founders, is considered “a visionary,” by peers, one of whom emphasizes, “He’s a trial lawyer! He goes to court more than many others on [Benchmark’s] list.” Molo and Washington, DC-based Eric Nitz represent plaintiffs in a misappropriation-of-trade-secrets case concerning an aircraft conversion program for the Boeing 777 jumbo jet. “Eric Nitz is extremely passionate about his work and thus his clients,” extols one such appreciative client. “He is extremely intelligent, knowledgeable, creative, and detailed oriented. And of course he is highly persistent to achieve the best possible outcome.” Molo led a team is serving as class trial counsel in a 10b-5 securities fraud stockholder class action against a company that transported oil developed from fracking in North Dakota to the coasts. Shortly before trial, the class reached a settlement with the company’s officers and defendants for $14 million, nearly the entire remaining insurance policy balance. The ensuing jury trial proceeded against one remaining defendant, and a favorable verdict was rendered in June 2022. Other members of this team included New York’s
Sara Margolis and Robert Kry, who works from both the DC and New York offices. “Oh my God, Robert Kry is
so good,” raves a peer. “You must recognize him!” Kry was lead appellate counsel seeking review of the dismissal of a securities fraud shareholder class action against Biogen and three of its executives. The allegations are that the defendants misrepresented the results of their clinical trial data for their Alzheimer’s drug by concealing portions of the data that showed that the drug was not in fact working. Upon the fraud being exposed, an advisory committee voted unanimously against the drug, and the company’s stock price plummeted, causing investors over one billion dollars in damages. In October 2023, the court of appeals reversed an earlier unfavorable decision and reinstated the plaintiffs’ claims in part.
Jeffrey Lamken, in the firm’s DC office, is an appellate specialist. A client cheers his “excellent writing and strong skills in oral presentation.” A DC peer quips, “Jeff is so known for IP appeals cases that I think he’s developed a real niche in that world. God help you if you want a Supreme Court case out of the Federal Circuit because I’m sure Jeff is going to go after it and most likely get it.” Although intellectual property might be a particular substantive area of concentration, Lamken represented The Humane Society of the United States before the Supreme Court in a successful defense of California’s Proposition 12 (drafted by the client in 2018), which forbids the sale within California of pork that comes from pigs housed in certain extreme conditions of confinement, against a constitutional challenge from pork industry groups.
MoloLamken continues to enrich its talent ranks beneath the more senior name partners. New York’s
Justin Ellis earns commendations from his peers, one of whom testifies, “I have partnered with Justin in a series of whistleblower complaints regarding fraudulent commercial mortgage-backed securities. [He’s an] excellent, hard-working attorney with a keen intellect and deep knowledge of the substantive area of work, namely securities litigation.” New York’s
Ben Quarmby balances commercial and IP matters and is similarly championed by contemporaries. “I’m seeing Ben more and more, he’s doing really well in this space,” confirms one peer. A client buttresses this assessment: “Ben Quarmby is very clear and very reactive. He knows his subject perfectly.
Paul Weiss remains a brand name that is synonymous with blue-chip clients, and when these clients face extraordinary circumstances, the firm’s unassailable litigation team is a shortlisted crew in any conversation. “Paul Weiss sure has a whole lot of market share,” observes a peer. “They do great by their clients, and they are great at advising which cases to go all the way with and which cases to settle. The whole team is superb.” The firm’s litigation capabilities extend across virtually all major commercial practices, with star power at all levels within each of these, and the firm shows no signs of slowing in its agenda of recruiting and grooming this talent. Historically an East Coast powerhouse, the firm has since entrenched itself in the California market with the January 2021 addition of a San Francisco office, spearheaded by Melinda Haag and Walter Brown, two leaders in the white-collar area. Paul Weiss then followed with an office in Los Angeles, opened in 2024, with product liability specialist Kim Branscome installed in this outpost. “Kim made her bones on the talc cases for J&J,” testifies a peer. “I never tried a case with her, but I have read a few of her transcripts. She is known and respected in the products world, gets work.” The doubling-down on the West Coast was not the only recent development for the firm; a peer notes, “Paul Weiss is getting more involved in the employment area! [New York partners] Lisa Velasquez and Brette Tannenbaum are two people I would name for this, although Brette does a lot of other varied commercial work as well.”
DC partners Bill Isaacson and trial lawyer
Karen Dunn continue to draw acclaim for their antitrust work. The pair logged a March 2022 dismissal of an antitrust lawsuit filed by the DC Attorney General that challenged Amazon’s “fair-pricing” policy nationwide and then defeated the district’s post-trial motion for reconsideration and its motion to further amend its complaint in August. The case eventually wound up at the DC Court of Appeals, with oral argument taking place in December 2023. Appellate specialist
Kannon Shanmugam is acting in the appeals capacity. “He’s amazing, really professional,” extols a peer on Shanmugam’s behalf. “He does a great job for his client and deserves the reputation he has.” Dunn and Isaacson, along with
Jessica Phillips, also won a major bench trial victory in the District of Nevada on behalf of Oracle in a high-stakes, long-running copyright infringement dispute with Rimini Street. Issuing an extraordinary injunction order in July 2023, the court ordered Rimini to shut down its automated tools and issue and prominently post a 15-point press release in which Rimini discloses its alleged untruths to the public.
New York’s Daniel Kramer and Audra Soloway, both stars in the securities capacity, logged another triumph for Amazon, and several current and former executives, in December 2023, when the Western District of Washington dismissed without prejudice a putative securities class action alleging that the defendants had defrauded investors in connection with statements made about Amazon’s relationship with third-party sellers and about the pace of growth in Amazon’s fulfilment distribution network. “Dan Kramer is really amazing,” raves a peer. “He’s got a great understated touch that is perfect for managing stressful borderline-crisis situations.” Kramer and Soloway also teamed up with Brown and Haag as trial counsel for Apple following the court’s denial of summary judgment in a securities fraud class action relating to a single statement by CEO Tim Cook on a 2018 earnings call concerning Apple’s business in China.
Meredith Dearborn, another star in the firm’s San Francisco office, also was part of team. Dearborn lays claim to her own fan base in the securities community. “I like Meredith a lot,” asserts one peer, who goes on to confirm, “She worked with us on a case for [fintech and crypto entity] Ripple, and she impressed me. She’s young, maybe only 40, but is really poised for greatness.”
In yet another Amazon engagement, a team composed of New York stars
Roberto Gonzalez, Loretta Lynch and Jeannie Rhee were retained by the online retailing juggernaut in what is purported to be one of the largest publicly agreed-to racial equity audits to date. The audit analyzes the company’s overall policies, practices, programs and initiatives to determine their racial impacts on the company’s wage-earning employees.
Enthusiasm for the always-championed New York securities star Brad Karp remains strong and shows no signs of abating. “Yes, Brad is still ‘the man,’” attests a peer. “You can expect that to be the case for a while yet. He’s in-demand, yes, largely due to his savvy, people-pleaser personality, but also because he really works hard for it.” Another peer supports this view: “He is still everywhere at once, still a hustler. One wonders if he sold his soul for this energy.” A team composed of Karp, Tannenbaum, Andrew Ehrlich and Lorin Reisner won a significant victory in April 2023 for The Blackstone Group and Blackstone Alternative Asset Management when a Kentucky Court of Appeals panel unanimously held that the Kentucky attorney general should never have been permitted to intervene in and revive a $50 billion derivative action in which the original plaintiffs were found to lack constitutional standing. The case was brought by a group of individual Kentucky public pension members in 2017, alleging that the Asset Management entity breached its fiduciary duties by unlawfully selling unsuitably risky custom funds of hedge funds to the pension agency, as well as engaging in a civil conspiracy among investment managers and trustees to conceal this.
Intellectual property and commercial litigation boutique Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg has made a notable impression on the legal community in fairly short order. Formed as Reichman Jorgensen in 2018 upon the departure of trial luminary Courtland Reichman from McKool Smith in order to launch this venture, the firm underwent a branding overhaul in 2021, continuing to build upon its pedigree and swiftly rising market profile. A peer marvels, “They started national! And yet they are still lean and nimble.” Another notes, “They are known for doing a lot of IP work but it’s more than just standard patent cases – it’s more diverse, with a lot of it crossing over into antitrust and even bankruptcy.” It is also a majority women-owned firm, and, most notably, it has focused on fostering a trial-forward agenda. Peers address the firm as “smart and hungry.” The firm’s unique structure – a litigation boutique that spans a national footprint, was amplified further when its network of offices (which include Silicon Valley, Washington, DC, Atlanta and New York) and its team was enhanced by yet another female partner, Texas trial lawyer Amy Ruhland, who joined the firm in August 2023 from DLA Piper and effectively launched a new Reichman Jorgensen office in Austin. More recently, the firm added another male partner, Matt Berkowitz, to its Silicon Valley office. Berkowitz, who earned his stripes at Kenyon & Kenyon and Shearman & Sterling (now A&O Shearman) and who makes his debut as a future star in this edition, is building a practice with a noted emphasis on plaintiff-side work, an opportunity not afforded to him before joining the comparatively flexible arrangement offered by Reichman Jorgensen. His recent engagements include serving as lead counsel for Valtrus in its enforcement of Hewlett Packard patents in multiple litigations in the cellular and networking space and data center-cooling technology.
Reichman, also based in the firm’s Silicon Valley office, is revered by peers as “a trial veteran, which is unique at his relatively young age, but not that surprising, seeing as how he got his chops through his time at McKool.” A client calls him “a strong advocate and a true trial lawyer,” and goes on to quip, “I only wish there more of him.” In April 2024, Reichman and DC’s Christine Lehman secured a staggering $525 million patent infringement verdict for Kove IO against Amazon Web Services at a trial in which the jury found that the defendant, through its use of Kove’s technology for its cloud business, infringed all three patents at issue in the litigation. Almost a year to the day, the same duo scored an $84 million willful patent infringement verdict on behalf of Cirba (dba Densify) against tech giant VMware. The verdict was announced in May 2023, following a five-day jury trial. Sarah Jorgensen, who is based in the Atlanta office and has a practice focused more on commercial litigation, works with Reichman on multiple matters concerning several municipalities’ ban on natural-gas hookups. Michael Feldberg, based in New York, represents Barclays Bank in multidistrict consolidated class actions alleging that several major global banks, which were members of The London Gold Fixing Company, conspired to suppress the price of gold from 2004 to 2012. With nearly $8 billion in potential damages at stake, Barclays agreed to a settlement, which was approved in August 2022.
With offices in New York and DC, Schulte Roth & Zabel is praised by peers for its “very high-quality” work, primarily in the financial services sector. The firm is noted for its novel mix of practice concentration, its cutting-edge client base and its approach to cases. “Schulte has really come to dominate in certain areas,” observes one peer. “They have always been a go-to for private equity and hedge funds, and now they have cornered the market in areas like cryptocurrency as well.” Cases in these areas are noted often for imposing “steep learning curves that demand a fast-moving and forward-leaning approach to litigating them effectively,” in the words of one peer, concluding “Schulte delivers.” Another notes, “You’ve got to understand – Schulte has a very different client base than a lot of big New York firms, and these are clients that are more willing to litigate hard and take gutsy positions.” The firm’s demonstrated strengths in the securities and white-collar areas have been prominently on display in a number of matters for a diverse spectrum of clients. A peer testifies, “I've worked with SRZ litigators on a variety of litigation matters over the years. Most recently, we've been looking at cross-border securities litigation matters. The partners there have a range of skills that range from litigation to structuring and tax.” Schulte is also actively growing its “next-generation” ranks; this past year it has brought on a new “young hot-shot” partner
Julia Beskin from her former post at Quinn Emanuel.
In addition to a vibrant general commercial and securities practice, New York’s
Michael Swartz is the co-head of the firm’s litigation practice and has emerged as one of the foremost authorities on cryptocurrency litigation. This niche acumen was on display when Swartz logged a huge win for Pantera Capital, which purportedly established the first bitcoin fund in the US, in a battle with another top cryptocurrency investment fund manager, Polychain Capital. After Polychain learned that Pantera, a 5% owner of Polychain, had formed its own, competing Initial Coin Offering fund in the liquid altcoin space, Polychain reacted by amending its operating agreement to give it the ability to terminate Pantera’s ownership interest for cause on the ground that it competed with Polychain. Following a week-long hearing, Pantera prevailed in July 2022. In January 2023, the Chancery Court issued a final judgment that awarded Pantera all of its fees incurred in the Chancery Court action plus interest, amounting to more than $7 million. Swartz also (along with increasingly prominent future star
Taleah Jennings) represents Eric Bischoff in two litigations concerning an ownership among the shareholders – all family relations of the client – of the Boar’s Head cold cuts company. “Michael Swartz is a go-to on ‘the Street’ for shareholder activist litigation,” testifies a peer. Also based in New York, Robert Ward represents Denver Wewatta, an affiliate in the LCN Capital Partners portfolio, in a dispute concerning a purchase agreement for a major commercial with an affiliate. Ward also represents Aero and its affiliates, who commenced litigation in Delaware Superior Court, raising contract claims arising out of a purchase agreement on behalf of affiliates of private equity firm Mill Point Capital against the seller of a company acquired by Mill Point’s Aero affiliates. Ward is championed by peers not only for his acumen but also his demeanor; one insists, “Bob Ward is not only a great litigator but also just one of the nicest. He stays calm, which, when you’re dealing with hard-fought New York commercial real estate matters, is not always easy to do.” Peers also insist, “You’ve got to look at
William Gussman. He cut his teeth on M&A and does a lot of work with Cerberus, which may be Schulte’s biggest client. No one knows the rules and can create an advantage like Bill.”
The firm’s white-collar and securities enforcement practice is commanded by Peter White and Charles Clark, both of whom operate out of New York as well as the firm’s smaller DC office. White and Clark represent Murchinson, a Canadian investment advisor and hedge fund, who bought additional shares issued by a distressed Greek shipping company and resold them to the market. Due to a high level of volatility in the value of these shares, shareholders brought three separate class actions against Murchinson before the Eastern District of New York, alleging fraud. In the wake of the suits, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also launched an investigation. The Schulte duo leads the client in all three class actions as well as the SEC investigation. White is also, on a pro bono basis, representing prominent Baltimore attorney Ken Ravenell, a near-unanimously revered criminal defense lawyer who has represented some of the city’s highest-profile defendants. Ravenell was arrested and charged following a years-long investigation by the government on allegations of racketeering and money laundering. Based in New York,
Craig Warkol is recognized for his securities enforcement acumen. “He has been at the SEC and has been a US Attorney,” confirms one peer. “I consider him very experienced and talented, skilled and knowledgeable.”
Sidley Austin occupies a prestigious position that has grown far beyond its Chicago roots and blossomed into a full-service international powerhouse. “They really cover the waterfront,” declares a peer, speaking to depth and breadth of the firm’s practice portfolio. “They have some great people across almost every area.” While the firm has grown to global stature, it is still considered primarily for its national footprint, particularly in its offices in LA and San Francisco, Dallas, DC and New York, as well as the aforementioned Windy City. The firm is also cheered for its approach to litigation; one peer testifies, “I’ve recently had good experiences with Sidley. They are not only good litigators but there’s also an ethic there across the board. You can tell how they lean, they’re very polite, and I value that. I view that as someone you want to work with. You know, we’re in litigation, but we don’t have to be doing battle all the time.”
The firm’s DC office, already considered one of its strongest, made a significant augmentation in 2024, when it lured
Greg Williams and Richard Smith to its ranks from Wiley Rein. “Greg and Richard were at Covington [& Burling] before – they seem to be moving in parallel! They are both great, and that’s a nice boost for [Sidley.]” Williams’ hire has been viewed as a strategic enhancement to the firm’s international arbitration and litigation practice, which has historically been regarded as one of the country’s most seasoned. The firm’s DC office is also home another Covington alumnus,
Jennifer Saulino, a product liability star who makes the remarkable three-pronged debut in Benchmark as a litigation star, one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, and one of the Top 250 Women in Litigation on the strength of some considerable credentials and peer review. “Jennifer belongs in the top league,” insists another peer on the Top 100 Trial Lawyers list. “She’s versatile and great on her feet in court, where she spends a lot of time.” Saulino obtained a major victory on behalf of Roundup herbicide manufacturer Monsanto in a product-liability trial alleging that Roundup was linked to the plaintiffs’ injuries. In March 2024, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their case with prejudice, unable to prove that Roundup was the cause of their alleged injuries. The judge accepted the dismissal with prejudice and discharged the jury. The DC office is also home to not only the firm’s but the country’s top appellate luminaries,
Carter Phillips. “I often forget to mention him, not because he’s not still killing it, but just because I take it as such a given,” states a peer. Phillips secured a major victory when the Second Circuit affirmed a judgment against Lynn Tilton and her companies for breaching her fiduciary duties to TransCare and conducting an actual fraudulent conveyance. Phillips argued the appeal and led the briefing team. DC’s
William Levi is namechecked as the next generation of appellate firepower. “Will came into a case we had involving Microsoft, and he was the lead on the legal issues team. He’s not a trial lawyer, but he’s a great appellate counselor. He can write a brief on the fly that tells the judge the facts with common sense.”
Based in the New York office, Eamon Joyce, who makes the leap from future star to litigation star in this edition, recently successfully settled the last of a series of putative class action cases, which began in 2014, involving allegations that Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s flushable wipes are not in fact flushable. In a series of cases filed around the country, plaintiffs (consumers and municipalities) alleged the claims of “flushable” and “sewer-and-septic safe” on the packages for Cottonelle and other Kimberly-Clark brand flushable wipes were false and misleading. In the firm’s San Francisco office,
Sarah Brody is routinely championed by peers in securities capacity. “I’m a big fan of Sarah,” declares one, “and she’s got a great practice. She has had a lot of cases involving startups – there are a lot of them in the Bay Area – that go public…and then they fail. Sarah has had a sweet spot with that.” In the labor and employment practice,
Wendy Lazerson is praised by a client as “very experienced, smart, and knowledgeable, who diligently and thoughtfully represented our interests.” In the Los Angeles office,
Debra Pole has long been acknowledged as a product liability trial lawyer. “She’s still a rockstar,” enthuses a peer. “She still commands the room.”
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.”
With 21 offices throughout the US, Europe and Asia, Skadden has long been a totem of excellence in the global legal community as a full-service one-stop shop. While its capabilities span a wide spectrum, litigation is a key pillar. “Skadden has so much deal flow,” observes a peer, “that an equally strong litigation bench is essential. [Skadden] certainly has that to spare.” Virtually all of the firm’s domestic offices house an ample grouping of litigation stars, with peers noting that Skadden has strategically doubled down on the Los Angeles market as of late. “LA is a dynamic market right now, and it is increasingly the tip of Skadden’s litigation spear.”
The observation of the firm’s bench strength in LA can arguably be best exemplified by the recent hire of
Manuel Cachán, who boasts a proven trial lawyer pedigree. “He was a ‘must-get’,” quips a peer. “Skadden really scored there. He’s going to be trying the biggest and most important cases.” While Cachán, who earned his stripes at revered LA boutique Munger Tolles as well as a stint at Proskauer, is a multifaceted business litigator, he has most recently minted himself a pole position in the product liability area. “People like Manuel and [New York-based trial star]
Allison Brown, they go across the country and just try cases all the time,” testifies one peer and opponent. “They have some subject-matter expertise, which is a lot of product liability, but they can try anything. I just tried a case against Manuel, and he beat me!” The duo of Cachán and Brown led a multi-firm trial team to secure a landmark complete defense verdict on behalf of Monsanto concerning claims that its Roundup weed-killer product caused lymphoma. Brown also led a trial team that secured a unanimous defense verdict in March 2024 on behalf of Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon in a case alleging personal injuries resulting from two pelvic mesh medical devices and seeking millions of dollars in damages.
Skadden is also known for its blue-ribbon securities practice, mainly operating from New York.
Jay Kasner has long been a leading figure in this area and continues to be. A peer marvels, “Jay is still humming along strong! He still shows up and delivers the goods like someone half his age. I don’t know how he does it.” Perhaps more remarkably, Kasner has demonstrated his prowess with newer and more novel industries like cryptocurrency. He recently represented Coinbase, who was sued in March 2022 by plaintiffs who alleged that the client operates as an unregistered securities exchange because 79 digital assets traded on the platform are actually securities. The plaintiffs sought to rescind their transactions and to recover monetary damages, as well to force Coinbase to register as a national securities exchange or broker-dealer. In February 2023, the claims were dismissed in their entirety, with prejudice. While Kasner remains the firm’s most seasoned securities partner, others are quickly becoming the names of the next generation.
Scott Musoff has become particularly prominent in terms of visibility and activity. “Scott Musoff is awesome,” extols a peer. “[He’s the] nicest guy in the world, easy to work with, and still relatively young.” The duo of Kasner and Musoff were enlisted to replace existing counsel representing theme park entity Six Flags and certain directors and offices, who were faced with a class action alleging the company and the defendant officers issued false and misleading statements concerning the progress and accounting for certain Six Flags-branded theme parks to be built in China. The Skadden pair triumphed for the client in June 2023. This same pair, along with LA partner
Peter Morrison, is also representing Hawaiian Electric Industries and certain of its current and former officers in a putative securities class action filed in California, also concerning allegations of false and misleading statements. A peer insists, “Peter Morrison has really come into his own and is increasingly taking the lead.” Morrison, along with LA future star
Winston Hsiao, successfully defended venture capital firm Tulco, along with its founder, in a federal securities class action. A New York team of
Susan Saltzstein and Patrick Rideout scored on behalf of Johnson & Johnson in a case concerning a shareholder’s proposal that J&J's shareholders adopt a bylaw requiring individual arbitration of securities class actions against the company and its officers or directors. A peer explains on Saltzstein’s behalf, “I’m seeing a lot of new 10b-5s securities class actions that are alleging companies failed to disclose #MeToo issues at the management or executive level, issues with individuals that would clearly have a material impact on the company’s value. When these things go public and people demand scalps to be claimed, and those scalps are of the guys who publicly run the company…there are allegations of failure to have policies in place, proper compliance, etc. I know Susan Saltzstein had a bunch of these cases in the defense role. She is perfect for them.” Rideout has developed his own fan base as well. “If I had a bet-the-company case of any kind that had a likelihood of going to trial, that’s who I’d call,” insists a peer. “He is a problem solver and a no-nonsense litigator but has a sense of humanity to him that I find gets lost in a lot of those large, complex cases of the type that he gets involved in.”
Skadden has seen an increased level of activity in other areas as well. New York’s
Timothy Nelson and Julie Bedard, who works out of the firm’s New York and São Paulo offices, are noted standouts. Both are experienced and active with tribunal matters such as ICC and ICSID. The firm also scored a key recruit in the antitrust arena, James Fredericks, who joined the DC office after decades acting as a prosecutor with the DoJ. A peer in this capacity advises, “Look into him! He’s only been with the firm about four weeks so far [as of spring 2024] but this is a major feather in Skadden’s cap.”
A full-service law firm, Thompson Hine is equipped with a team of litigators routinely sought out by clients to handle their most complex product liability and business disputes. The firm has offices in Los Angeles, Georgia, Illinois, Washington DC, and New York, along with multiple offices in Ohio. A client describes the firm’s bench of litigators as “subject-matter experts who provide extremely responsive communication, client services, and trial advocacy.”
That same client also shares praise for Atlanta-based partner Marla Butler. “Marla is a superb strategist and partner to our company,” notes the client. “She and her team work harder, smarter, and more efficiently than most other firms I deal with. Marla has a mastery of IP law and related issues, and she is a delight to deal with. Marla is humble, open to creative ways of solving problems, and is an authentically terrific person.”
Cleveland-based product liability specialist Elizabeth ‘Missy’ Wright is national counsel for a major manufacturer across the country. Timothy Coughlin is a fellow Cleveland partner who chairs the mass & toxic tort group and leads the chemical industry group. In a recent case, he was called upon to use his industry knowledge in developing expert opinions. He is the lead trial counsel for several chemical companies.
William Hubbard focuses on the construction industry, representing a wide variety of clients including owners, contractors, architects, engineers, and construction managers. His practice includes representing property owners in mass-tort and class-action litigation, as well as litigation involving allegations of exposure to chemicals or environmental contamination.
Dayton-based Christine Haaker serves as the vice-chair of the group for the office. Haaker has served as defense counsel to several high-profile entities in numerous business disputes. Anthony White serves on the Executive Committee while maintaining a practice involving class actions, most notably on behalf of a freight transportation company. He has recently been named the firm’s managing partner.
In the group’s DC office, Eric Heyer has emerged as one of the office’s leading litigators with expertise in the growing nicotine vaping industry. He has had petitions accepted by the US Supreme Court. Heyer advises clients on compliance and enforcement issues, contractual and transactional matters, and intellectual property issues.
Scott Young advises employers on labor and employment law, counseling on claims of employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, non-compete agreements, and breach of contracts. He is the lead attorney defending AEP Generation Resources, an electric-power company in a complaint by plaintiffs alleging negligence over an alleged defective forklift.
Weil Gotshal & Manges enjoys a reputation as a firm whose litigation bench is one of the most comprehensive in terms of practice depth. The firm’s national reach is spread among offices on the East Coast in New York and DC, throughout several locations in California, two locations in Texas, one in Boston and a location in Miami. Its practice area portfolio also covers a lot of ground, with product liability, bankruptcy, antitrust, commercial, intellectual property, securities and white-collar crime all playing prominent positions in the overall composition of the firm’s litigation service offerings.
The firm made a notable augmentation to these services within the past couple of years with the recruits of DC-based Mark Perry and Drew Tulumello, both of whom joined Weil from Gibson Dunn and both of whom provide strategic enhancements to Weil’s appellate capacity. “Weil has really made a significant investment here,” declares a peer in reference to the firm’s development of the appeals practice. “They are now officially a player in that specialty – they went from 0 to 100.” More recently, in July 2025, the firm implemented an investment in the buildout of its intellectual-property capacity with the addition of
Doug Lumish, a Bay Area patent-focused star formerly with Latham & Watkins.
David Lender, the New York-based global head of litigation, continues to remain one of its most visible and active all-purpose trial lawyers. “He continues to impress,” offers a peer, summing up the general consensus. Lender led a team that secured a $55.5 million trial victory on behalf of GoodRx, a provider of drug discount coupons, before the American Arbitration Association in a breach-of-contract dispute against a service provider. The victory, which also included a permanent injunction, followed a week-long arbitration hearing in November 2023. Lender was also recently retained by global energy/chemical company ExxonMobil to serve as lead national trial counsel in defense of numerous high-stakes public-nuisance lawsuits regarding plastics pollution. Currently, there are three cases, with more expected: one filed by the California state Attorney General alleging that ExxonMobil deceptively promoted chemical recycling as a solution for the plastics crisis; another filed by environmental NGO Sierra Club and other entities asserting claims for nuisance and unfair competition, and making similar allegations as the California AG case; and still another recently filed by Ford County, Kansas, seeking to represent a class of counties in Kansas that allegedly have incurred and will continue to incur sanitation costs for plastic waste clean-up and disposal. These cases, which are in their infancy, will be bellwether cases to watch as states and municipalities seek to hold chemical producers responsible for plastics pollution, even as those states and municipalities have failed to execute viable recycling programs that help combat pollution.
Diane Sullivan, another trial veteran who has been celebrated in this capacity for decades, has been retained by Duke Energy as lead trial counsel in a high-stakes antitrust dispute involving wholesale power generation. Duke sued NTE Carolinas for breach of contract, and NTE Carolinas countersued, alleging that Duke, as a competitor, has monopoly power in the wholesale electric power market in the Southeast and used anti-competitive behavior to continue their monopoly. The district court granted Duke’s motion for summary judgment on all antitrust issues, and the parties settled Duke’s breach-of-contract claims. NTE Carolinas appealed the ruling on the antitrust claims, and the Fourth Circuit vacated the judgment. A team composed of
David Yohai, Theodore Tsekerides and Adam Hemlock successfully represented long-time client Warner Bros. Discovery, and its subsidiary, Turner Broadcasting (together, WBD) in a high-profile lawsuit against the National Basketball Association. The suit involved the NBA’s attempt to give the rights to broadcast NBA games to Amazon and take them away from TNT. Under its agreement with the NBA, WBD had the right to match any offer that the NBA receives for the right to distribute NBA games for the 2025-2026 season and beyond. In July 2024, Amazon Prime Video made an offer to the NBA for a package of games, which WBD matched. However, the NBA rejected WBD’s match and struck a deal with Amazon. After the court set trial for April 2025, the parties entered into a global settlement resolving the dispute in which WBD and TNT retain the rights to broadcast basketball games.
Weil’s securities is helmed by New York’s John Neuwirth, who, together with future star
Josh Amsel, has been successfully defending long-time client AMC Entertainment in fast-tracked stockholder litigation in Delaware Chancery Court, arising from the global movie theater chain’s planned overhaul of its capital structure. The plaintiffs in the consolidated case allege that AMC’s senior management and board of directors breached their fiduciary duties by diluting common stockholders’ voting power through the creation of a new preferred class of securities and a subsequent planned reverse stock split. Just weeks before a hearing, the Weil team negotiated a settlement, the approval process of which became a highly contested affair, with a number of objections before Weil ultimately secured court approval, affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court in May 2024.
Weil is also one of the few “Big Law” firms to house a labor-and-employment litigation group, with New York’s
John Barry being its central figure. A peer and former opponent testifies, “I had an ugly knock-down, nasty fight with John – that guy was relentless! But when it came time to settle, we were able to sit down and get it done. I was impressed.”
While it operates from offices in Washington, DC, New York, and Los Angeles, Wilkinson Stekloff remains the essence of “litigation boutique.” More specifically, a litigation boutique with a uniquely pronounced emphasis on high-end trial work. Formed in 2016 by veteran DC trial celebrity Beth Wilkinson, Wilkinson Stekloff, which began as arguably the most buzz-worthy of law firms, is in the unique position of remaining one almost 10 years later. Despite numerous personnel and name changes, the firm has retained its allure as an elite shop and, if anything, has only further cemented that status for itself. “Wilkinson Stekloff is my favorite firm in the whole US right now,” exclaims one peer without hyberbole, a summarized opinion shared by several other contemporaries. Additionally, the firm’s position as one of Benchmark’s Top 20 Trial Firms (a position it has claimed since its beginnings) remains secure in this edition.
Wilkinson’s position as one of Benchmark’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the US also remains unshakeable. “Beth everything you want to be as a trial lawyer and leader, especially as a woman,” testifies one peer. A client cheers Wilkinson’s “great judgment and instinct, lots of trial experience, and [the way she] engages well with judges.” It is also noted, however, that “Beth was also smart enough to build a great team around her. In particular,
Rakesh Kilaru, who is so poised and smart and has so much political savvy and courtroom finesse.” Kilaru is summed up by a client as “a uniquely talented trial and appellate lawyer. He is equally at ease in the courtroom at trial and before appellate panels. He is one of the smartest lawyers I've ever dealt with and is also one of the nicest and easiest with which to work. He is the first person I'd want on my side in an important legal fight.” Kilaru and Wilkinson worked with
Brian Stekloff to secure a defense victory on behalf in the summer of 2024 of the NFL, its 32 Member Teams, and NFL Enterprises, overturning a $4.8 billion verdict that a jury awarded to plaintiffs in a certified class-action lawsuit regarding the clients’ practices regarding its Sunday Ticket package — a sports subscription that broadcasts regular-season NFL games unavailable on local affiliates — which allegedly violated antitrust laws. In another sports-related antitrust matter, Kilaru and
Cali Arat negotiated for a groundbreaking $2.8 billion settlement, announced in May 2024 and approved in April 2025, of a series of antitrust class-action lawsuits brought by hundreds of thousands of current and former collegiate student-athletes against the National Collegiate Athletic Association and five major conferences of schools. These disputes concern the nature of student-athlete compensation. In yet another antitrust-related appointment, Wilkinson and
Kosta Stojilkovic have recently been retained by Hewlett Packard Enterprise to defend against the DoJ’s challenge to its $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks. This is the first merger challenge brought by this administration.
Williams & Connolly enjoys a prestigious position as perhaps the only DC firm with just one office that boasts national and international recognition. Its pedigree is further enhanced by one of the biggest stable of trial stars in the US. Williams & Connolly has long garnered plaudits for its product liability, securities, appellate and its especially high-profile white-collar practices – all of which have historically showcased the firm’s courtroom elan – and more recently it has emerged as one of the country’s most prominent players in antitrust and intellectual property cases. The firm is even developing a burgeoning international arbitration practice.
Antitrust has been particularly robust for many DC-based lawyers of late, but Williams & Connolly has earned a coveted position. “In every one of the last few antitrust cases I’ve been in, firms are bringing in trial lawyers,” offers a peer. “Not the usual, traditional ‘used to work at the FTC, speaks very technically, etc.’ The plaintiffs are not thinking of this technically. So you need courtroom experience, and Williams & Connolly definitely exemplifies that.” Illustrating this point, Heidi Hubbard is lead trial counsel and co-lead counsel in an antitrust action filed by the FTC that alleges many practices in Amazon’s retail store are anti-competitive. Trial is scheduled for October 2026. “Heidi has been mostly known for products, and yet here she is on a huge antitrust case,” marvels one peer. “She really can do it all.” Jonathan Pitt also acts on this case and has been playing an increasing role in several other antitrust actions as well. Pitt also works with Robert Van Kirk in representing the University of Notre Dame in sweeping putative class- action litigation filed against more than a dozen top private universities, alleging that the defendants violate the federal antitrust laws by conspiring to limit financial aid. Specifically, the suit accuses defendants of participating in a price-fixing cartel allegedly aimed at eliminating financial aid as a point of competition between the schools. Van Kirk is identified as another all-purpose trial lawyer, who spent the better part of a decade representing the Carlyle Group in securities cases. John Schmidtlein serves as lead trial counsel for the search engine in the landmark antitrust enforcement actions brought by the DoJ and various State Attorneys General accusing the company of maintaining an illegal monopoly over internet search and search advertising. Trial on the remedies phase was scheduled to commence in May 2025. “John is terrific, really running point as Google’s front-line lawyer.”
Beyond antitrust, Enu Mainigi led a team that in March 2025
won a major jury trial victory as lead counsel for Albertsons and SuperValu in the Central District of Illinois in a long-running False Claims Act case that had been all the way to the US Supreme Court and back. Mainigi joined the case as lead trial counsel after the Supreme Court rejected the False Claims standard that had been applied by the Seventh Circuit and the district court, reversed a defense summary judgment ruling in two companion cases, and remanded the case for trial. “Enu Mainigi tried this case hard,” states a peer. “She’s sharp and has a strong team.”
Mainigi and Ryan Scarborough successfully represented Fifth Third Bank in litigation alleging unfair and abusive acts and practices in connection with allegedly unauthorized account openings. In July 2024, the parties announced a global settlement. Scarborough is a cheered by a client as “a top-notch attorney who is also a nice person, and that is hard to find.” Another addresses Scarborough as “empathetic, responsive, and a top-notch communicator with a strong ethical compass. He is a bright, warm personality while still being reassuringly dry and measured when discussing litigation forecasting.”
Intellectual property star David Berl
has secured a series of major victories on behalf of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Regeneron’s Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act litigation concerning Regeneron’s vision-saving product, Eylea.
in December 2023, a West Virginia court ruled in Regeneron’s favor following a bench trial against Mylan Pharmaceuticals, holding that a key patent covering Eylea
was valid and infringed. The trial involved technical fact and expert testimony regarding technology for stabilizing the protein active ingredient in Eylea. The court rejected each of Mylan’s numerous challenges to the validity of Regeneron’s patent, and Berl also persuaded the court that Mylan’s proposed biosimilar product infringed the asserted patent. “David Berl is a brilliant mind in every respect,” opines a peer.
Joseph Petrosinelli has long been recognized as “a pillar of the product-liability bar” and has also earned a reputation for his courtroom prowess and demeanor. A client sums up Petrosinelli as “likeable, strategic and knowledgeable.”
A global business firm, Willkie Farr & Gallagher has been steadily increasing its litigation profile in both market share and a literal headcount/geographic footprint sense. “A few years ago, I would have said Willkie was a great business firm with a small but good litigation bench,” offers a peer. “Not anymore! They have really doubled down on litigation of late, and it seems to really be working. They are now in several key markets and building several practice areas to rival others.” While its core strength in the US has historically been New York (and remains so), the firm has branched out and developed other domestic locations as well; it opened a Chicago office in 2020, officially planting its flag on the Midwest legal landscape, continued developing its DC resources, and has doubled down on its expansion in California, where it now has three offices (Palo Alto, San Francisco and Los Angeles.) “The biggest disrupter in the LA market recently has been Willkie Farr,” quips a peer in observation of the firm’s build-out of that office. “I feel like anything that’s not nailed down, they’re trying to take!”
Willkie’s bet on California has paid dividends; the firm has attracted star partners in each office. In Los Angeles, that office’s managing partner Alex Weingarten is a peer favorite. “Alex is the real deal. He represented Jamie Spears [father and former conservator of Britney], and I thought he did a very good job with that,” opines one peer. “Alex was at Venable before moving to Willkie,” states another peer, who goes on to confide, “I was trying to get him to come here! He’s a terrific litigator who has some high-profile entertainment clients. [He’s] Unbelievable!” Weingarten represents The Chosen, Inc. producers of the popular television series, The Chosen. The client is engaged in an arbitration against a licensor of the series Angel Studios. Angel Studios has dramatically exceeded the scope of its licensed use of the series and is using its affiliation with the client to improperly promote its unrelated content. An arbitration hearing was commenced in March 2024. Acting with Weingarten on this matter is Kori Bell, a white-collar-focused partner with an avid peer following of her own that the firm lured from LA boutique Larson in 2023. Weingarten also represents Fitness Technologies, a software company servicing enterprise fitness boutiques, in its lawsuit against a concerning claims, among other things, the rival has engaged in an scheme to exclude competitors from the industry, including the use of exclusive contracts and non-competes. In San Francisco,
Simona Agnolucci, identified by peers as “a real player,” acted with
Benedict Hur in leading Google to a March 2024 defense against allegations of violating New York and Minnesota privacy laws by improperly retaining consumer streaming video rental data, such as rental history and personal identification, beyond the legal limits. Agnolucci also acts with Jonathan Patchen in representing Ever.Ag., a provider of technology, services, and intelligence platforms to the US dairy industry, in a hotly contested trade secret dispute against a Canadian startup competitor that has asserted antitrust counterclaims against the client, alleging that Ever.Ag has illegally monopolized the market for data services for milk producers and processors in the US through anticompetitive contracts and acquisitions of competitors. A peer also insists, “Let’s talk about [San Francisco-based IP-focused future star]
Barrington Dyer – he’s great!”
In the New York office, the firm continues to enjoy esteemed positions in the insurance and securities spaces. In the former practice,
Christopher St. Jeanos represents AIG, which has a major role in current and expected future coverage disputes arising from the opioid lawsuits. There are now 15 active litigations against 13 different policyholders. “He’s a stand-up lawyer,” insists a peer, “and I think he’s only in his mid-40s! My litmus test when it comes to dealing with counsel is ‘Are you just a paper tiger?’ And Chris is not – he’s the real deal.” Securities partner
Tariq Mundiya is representing Zayo founder, CEO, and Chairman Dan Caruso in an action arising out of a $14.3 billion buyout of Zayo by a consortium of equity co-investors. Plaintiffs claimed that Caruso breached his fiduciary duties by steering the sales process towards an acquirer so he could capture upside through a roll-over of his stock and remain as CEO post-merger. They further alleged that the company’s board was aware of the CEO’s actions and did not properly oversee his actions to maximize stockholder value and that Caruso was liable for making misleading disclosures and omissions in a proxy statement recommending that stockholders approve the merger. Another securities partner,
Todd Cosenza represents several current and former Board Members of Wells Fargo & Company in a civil RICO action. The plaintiff is a business owner who contends that he was injured when about $1.3 million of three of his companies’ funds were deposited into unauthorized deposit accounts and then withdrawn without authorization.
Craig Martin, Chairman, Midwest, joined Willkie in 2020 from Jenner & Block and has continued to build out the firm’s Windy City office. Martin’s practice encompasses a wide spectrum of commercial litigation, white-collar work, intellectual property, and pro bono human rights issues.
With a network of international and domestic offices, WilmerHale has built a reputation as a global powerhouse. Nationally, the firm’s original mainstay in Boston continues to secure near-unanimous recognition in litigation, and the New York, DC and California offices have further bolstered the firm’s top-tier standing. It is lauded for its litigation capabilities nationwide, particularly antitrust, white-collar, securities and appellate, as well as intellectual property, one of the firm’s most notable practices.
Boston-based trial lawyer Bill Lee is of the most accomplished litigators in intellectual property. He continues to add to his enviable list of milestone patent wins, which have earned him a long-standing reputation in the practice area. In these high-stakes cases, he is well known for his distinguishing ability to translate his encyclopedic knowledge into comprehensive arguments that sway judges and juries. Lee and Denver’s Mary “Mindy” Sooter obtained a damages-less win for Comcast in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by NextStep. Last September in Delaware, the federal jury found in favor of the client on two of the challenged patents, and returned a “doctrine of equivalents” infringement verdict on the last patent. Sooter and Lee secured the zero-dollar victory with a granted motion to preclude the plaintiff’s damages case.
In the appellate arena, Lee also obtained positive results working with appellate expert Seth Waxman of the DC office. The duo represented Abbott Laboratories and AbbVie against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) before the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The FTC filed a case alleging that the lawsuits filed by AbbVie against Teva and Perrigo were shams, thus violating the FTC Act. The District Court granted summary judgment in favor of the FTC, which AbbVie appealed. The Third Circuit in parts affirmed, reversed, and vacated the District Court’s decision. Notably, the appellate court held that its lawsuit against Teva was not a sham, and the court vacated the disgorgement award. On the Perrigo matter, the Third Circuit upheld the District Court decision that the suit was objectively baseless, which Lee and Waxman challenged in a petition for certiorari that was denied. However, in a complete victory, the FTC dropped the entire case.
Waxman serves as chair of the firm’s appellate and Supreme Court litigation practice, with, as one peer notes, “an army of talent behind him”. Such talent includes Noah Levine, who represented the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) in a putative class action challenging non-judicial foreclosures in Rhode Island, arguing that the client and co-defendant violated the Due Process Clause as plaintiffs also argued that the defendants should be considered government actors. The District Court rejected both arguments, dismissing the complaints. On appeal, the First Circuit upheld the decision, securing a win for the client.
In New York, commercial litigator Hallie Levin obtained a win for T-Mobile in a five-day bench trial before the Delaware Court of Chancery. The trial arose from a settlement agreement between T-Mobile and Cox Communications that concluded a patent infringement case. In the agreement, Cox agreed that should it begin offering retail customers wireless services, it would be done in accordance with a wholesale wireless agreement with Sprint, which T-Mobile acquired. Cox and another mobile network later entered into a wholesale wireless agreement, and sued the client last January, arguing that the provision was unenforceable. Acting on behalf of T-Mobile, Levin filed counterclaims and requested an injunction to enforce the exclusivity obligation. The District Court found that Cox had breached the agreement and the provision was enforceable. The court issued an injunction preventing Cox from offering mobile services with any other operator.
On the West Coast, Sonal Mehta is continuously recognized as a top-tier litigator in the IP space, especially for her role representing titans of the life sciences and technology industry. Recently, she represented Ionpath, a venture-backed start-up by three Stanford professors who sought to commercialize their technology for biological tissue analysis, against competitor Fluidigm. The Northern District of California, in an accelerated patent “showdown” procedure, ruled Ionpath did not infringe the “showdown” claims. After the decision, Fluidigm dismissed its interference with contract claims, and later the plaintiff dismissed the rest of the claims in its appeal. The matter closed confidentially.
The nationally recognized labor and employment practice at Hunton Andrews Kurth is accomplished in both employment litigation and traditional labor disputes. The firm’s reach extends across the US with offices in active markets like California, Texas, Georgia, and DC. This year, Virginia-based partner Kurt Larkin is distinguished for his exceptional work in traditional labor, handling collective bargaining negotiations, union organizing, and high-stakes NLRB disputes. Larkin has worked alongside the employment team in matters that involve labor issues, recently pairing up with employment litigator Emily Burkhardt Vicente in several matters. As a member of the Los Angeles office, Burkhardt Vicente has dedicated a significant portion of her practice to litigating FLSA class and collective actions and PAGA claims. Her employment litigation practice also spans other areas, as she and the co-head of the unfair competition and information protection task force Roland Juarez have handled trade secrets cases in the Southern District of California. Juarez is among the firm’s experts in employee mobility litigation. The LA office also houses Michele Beilke and Julia Trankiem who bring a wealth of experience in handling California employment litigation. The duo previously represented a client in a JAMS arbitration. Beilke in particular is well-versed in handling arbitrations, as well as jury trials. San Francisco-based partner M. Brett Burns is consistently tapped by national companies to handle their complex employment class and collective actions across the US. While Burns is especially known for his wage and hour expertise, he has recently been a lead partner in a class action and investigation that involves one of the EEOC’s high priority issues.
On the other coast, the DC office features a host of lawyers recognized for their successful labor and employment litigation practice. Susan Wiltsie is among the group’s OSHA experts with vast experience in handling defense against citations, litigation, and whistleblower-related claims. Ryan Bates has recently been active in trade secrets litigation, as well as class and collective actions ranging from wage and hour to independent contractor claims. Kevin White is the co-chair of the firm’s labor and employment practice. He splits his time between handling both employment litigation and labor disputes. White’s labor practice has had him engaged in matters alongside the firm’s traditional labor experts. Robert Quackenboss has developed a niche and successful practice defending clients in class actions alleging that background checks violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). In the Northeast, Boston-based Christopher Pardo represents clients in the region with multiple recent cases in New York district courts. He litigates a vast array of employment matters, recently including trade secrets and restrictive covenants, pay frequency violation allegations, and Title VII discrimination claims.
In addition to Larkin, Ryan Glasgow operates out of the Virginia office. His breadth of experience is broad and diverse; however, he has developed a specialty in defending employers against wage and hour class actions. Farther South, the firm’s Georgia office is Robert Dumbacher, another of the firm’s partners who seamlessly splits his time between labor relations and employment litigation. Kurt Powell is also a partner within the Virginia office. His practice focuses on employment litigation with a recent matter being a collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act in the Northern District of Georgia. Juan Enjamio of the Miami office serves a host of industry-leading national clients. His recent cases have included class and collective actions under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and defending clients in the rare intersect of immigration and employment litigation – allegations of discrimination brought by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients.
The firm’s practice spans two offices in Texas. In Houston, Scott Nelson received praise from a peer who attests to the partner’s reputation in mentioning that they “think highly of him.” Nelson has defended a client in recently filed independent contractor case throughout Texas’ district courts.The Dallas office features Amber Rogers, a traditional labor lawyer representing management in multifarious labor disputes. She is experienced in collective bargaining, elections and representing clients in unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board. Alan Marcuis is the co-head of the unfair competition and information task force alongside his counterpart Juarez in California. His practice is a mix of traditional labor disputes and employment litigation.
Sanford Heisler Sharp continues to be a formidable opponent to management-side labor and employment litigators, even garnering their praises for the sophisticated and oftentimes complex cases. “I look at what they’re doing – I think that they bring a lot of really interesting cases – sets a tone for what the new issues are going to be,” declares an opposing peer. The firm has achieved widespread, national recognition in a variety of labor and employment regards, distinguishing itself across markets. As a plaintiff-side law firm, Sanford Heisler has organized a diverse and strategic network of offices, including New York, Maryland, DC, California, and Tennessee.
While employment litigation is the firm’s primary focus, Sanford Heisler is also dedicated to representing victims of crime and civil rights offenses. Renowned trial lawyer recognized as a Top 50 Labor & Employment Litigator and chairman of the firm, David Sanford has been the lead lawyer representing the brother of murder victim, Hae Min Lee in his appeal of the Baltimore City circuit court’s decision to vacate the conviction of the alleged murderer. The case has received significant attention as the subject of both a 2014 podcast and an HBO documentary. Sanford and the team – comprised of Andrew Melzer, Kevin Sharp, and Jeremy Heisler, among others – challenged the hearing, contending that it violated Maryland’s statutory and constitutional crime victims’ rights, which would have afforded the family adequate notice and opportunity to participate in the proceedings. Sanford’s motion for full appeal was granted and the Appellate Court granted the team’s motion to remand the case to the circuit court, following a successful oral argument.
Melzer and Heisler both practice out of the New York office. Melzer additionally represents plaintiffs alleging unlawful deductions from drivers’ tips, failure to provide adequate meal periods, and failure to pay for work performed during said periods. The lawsuit further alleges that the drivers were misclassified as independent contractors. Heisler worked alongside DC litigator Kate Mueting representing Donna Kassman as class representative in a lawsuit filed against KPMG. Mueting, serving as lead lawyer on the case, filed the action to remedy the company’s systemic discrimination related to pay, promotions, and pregnancy, and hold the company accountable for alleged failure to properly investigate and resolve complaints. Mueting and Heisler secured a $10 million settlement on the Equal Pay Act claims. Tennessee’s former Chief Judge Sharp and DC-based chairman of the firm, Sanford, are representing a class of former African American Deput US Marshals and Detention Enforcement Officers in their lawsuit against the US Marshals Service, asserting alleged race discrimination claims against the Service, including candidates who were not hired. The EEOC administrative judge approved and certified the class, and the team has been engaged in discovery since the 2017 order.
In New York, Russell Kornblith leads a Title IX class action against Harvard on behalf of female students in the Anthropology Department. The case alleges claims of sexual harassment and retaliation. The duo prevailed against Harvard’s motion for summary judgment and motion to dismiss earlier this year. His casework `over the last year also includes an ERISA action filed individually and as a representative of a class of employees working at the consulting firm West Monroe Partners. Kornblith’s clients allege that the company and its executives used layoffs and other avenues to cash out shares of former employees in their ESOP. The case is active in litigation after he prevailed against the opposing counsel’s motion to dismiss. Alexandra Harwin has also taken action against 401(k) mismanagement, filing breach of fiduciary duty claims under ERISA on behalf of 200,000 UnitedHealth Group employees and plan participants. Harwin obtained class certification and a settlement conference is set to occur this year. On the employment side of her practice, she is lead counsel representing Graham Chase Robinson in a case against Robert De Niro and Canal Productions, his corporate entity. The lawsuit alleges claims of hostile work environment and retaliation. Harwin is actively gearing up for trial.
New York’s Michael Palmer is leading the case on behalf Siddarth Breja, former Senior Vice President of JUUL, alleging whistleblower retaliation against the company after he complained about unlawful practices. Co-chair of the firm’s whistleblower and qui tam practice group H. Vincent McKnight provides strategic specialty knowledge and assistance on the case.
Hailing from the San Francisco office, Danielle Fuschetti serves as the firm’s co-chair of the discrimination and harassment practice group. In that area, she is the lead lawyer representing an individual plaintiff against Xilinix, a pioneer in adaptive computing and leader in the semiconductor industry. The lawsuit alleges sex-based pay disparities, hostile work environment, and sex discrimination claims, in addition to alleged intellectual property theft of marketing materials. Fuschetti is actively litigating the case and seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, unjust enrichment damages in connection to the IP and trade secrets theft, which is estimated to be roughly $350 million, in addition to other damages and affirmative relief. In addition to discrimination claims, Fuschetti is also involved in 401(k) mismanagement litigation. She is a member of the team as class counsel and represents individual plaintiffs in an action against Walgreens. The plaintiffs, who are participants in Walgreen’s $10 billion 401(k) plan, alleged that the company failed to remove a set of ten target retirement date funds that underperformed in their investment benchmarks. Fuschetti obtained a settlement of $13.75 million. Currently, other cases on her docket are against large nationwide companies including JUUL and Oracle, both of which are actively being litigated. Fellow San Francisco litigator Felicia Gilbert successfully resolved a gender discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed on behalf of a former engineer against tech giant Honeywell represented by a nationally recognized labor and employment-focused law firm. Baltimore’s Deborah Marcuse is recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a Top 50 Labor & Employment Litigator for her recent work.