New York

Firm overview

WilmerHale is a leading, full-service international law firm with more than 1,100 lawyers located throughout 13 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Our lawyers work at the intersection of government, technology and business, and we remain committed to our guiding principles of:

• providing quality, world-class legal and client services;
• developing diversity among our lawyers and staff;
• fostering an environment that promotes an entrepreneurial spirit, collaboration and collegiality by drawing on the exceptional talents and varied experience of our lawyers;
• encouraging lawyers and staff to perform public service and give back to the community through pro bono work, government service, service to the bar, teaching, and supporting public institutions and charitable organizations; and
• hiring and retaining exceptionally talented lawyers who possess the common trait of outstanding academic and personal achievements.

Litigation & Trial:

Our lawyers have played an integral role in many of the most significant cases across the globe over the past several years, including internal and governmental investigations; patent, copyright and trademark cases; regulatory, government and public policy disputes; securities class action lawsuits; and federal and state appellate cases. Clients rely on our strong understanding of their industries and business goals, pragmatic and clear advice—even in the midst of complicated issues, complex legal and regulatory regimes, and high-stakes decisions—and ability to deliver practical solutions to realworld problems. Our cases and achievements cut across the litigation spectrum, and we have experience across industries, including aviation; bankruptcy and commercial; communications; defense and national security; government contracts; energy, environment and natural resources; financial institutions; labor and employment; technology; and trade.

WilmerHale’s elite lineup of intensely smart, battle-tested litigators can face down any adversary in the courtroom and win. We combine a mastery of proven trial techniques with the intellectual depth to tackle the most novel and complex legal challenges. A client may face an intractable issue that requires pushing the law into new territory. A verdict may turn on the ability to make the most arcane technology compelling to a judge or jury. An individual company officer may need a winning defense in a first-of-its-kind prosecution. In trial after landmark trial, our gift for strategy and our ability to draw cogent themes and narratives from even the most impenetrable facts and points of law have won us countless victories. And the way we win has brought us the respect of judges, juries, clients and competitors across the United States and internationally.

Related Solutions:

• Antitrust Litigation
• Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation
• Class Actions
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction and Infrastructure
• Consumer Protection Defense and Compliance
• Environmental Litigation and Mass Torts
• Government and Regulatory Litigation
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• International Arbitration
• International Litigation
• Investigations
• Native American Law
• Securities Litigation
• State Attorneys General
• Trials
• White Collar Defense and Investigations
• WilmerHale Discovery Solutions

Locations:

• Beijing
• Berlin
• Boston
• Brussels
• Dayton
• Denver
• Frankfurt
• London
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Palo Alto
• San Francisco
• Washington DC

Please visit our website at wilmerhale.com to learn more about the firm.

Updated Sep 2024

Firm overview

Patterson Belknap brings a unique combination of bench strength, trial experience, and commercial business acumen to represent its clients in a variety of highly sophisticated litigation matters. More than half of the firm’s attorneys are devoted to litigation. Our litigation partners have tried hundreds of cases, including many of the most complex in their fields. Over 75 percent of the firm’s litigators have held judicial clerkships, including at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First, Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, Federal District Courts, and various State Courts.

Our work includes several areas of commercial litigation, including antitrust matters; commercial disputes; complex financial litigation; class actions; intellectual property, including patent, copyright, false advertising, and trademark disputes; securities and commodities cases; structured finance litigation; employment litigation; real estate workouts and litigation; and disputes among corporate shareholders, among other complex litigation matters.

The firm’s clients include Fortune 500 corporations, as well as individual officers and directors of large companies in industries such as multinational pharmaceutical manufacturers, media conglomerates, and financial institutions. In addition, we represent foreign governments, state-owned enterprises, major banks, brokerage firms, pension funds, insurance companies, major investors, entrepreneurs, and privately- held corporations. We have in-depth experience in a number of industries, including pharmaceuticals; medical devices; consumer products; food and beverage; media and entertainment; financial services and investment management; manufacturing; technology and communications; commercial real estate; and others.

Our litigation team is at the cutting edge of today’s high-profile disputes resulting from the meltdown of the mortgage-backed securities market and global credit crisis. We are the leading law firm representing the monoline insurance industry in its efforts to recover against financial institutions and other sponsors of residential mortgage-backed securities transactions.

The firm is a leader in intellectual property litigation and our attorneys are recognized among the leading practitioners in the nation. Law360 recently named the firm “Intellectual Property Practice Group of the Year.”  Additionally, the firm received Benchmark Litigation’s “Impact Case” award for the firm’s victory in a trade secrets case on behalf of a major software company, in which it secured a $2 billion jury verdict for trade secrets misappropriation by a competitor. Our success in patent litigation is facilitated in part by the scientific and technical backgrounds and varied industry experience of many of our attorneys. This includes experience in diverse fields such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, biotechnology, statistics, mathematics, and chemical, nuclear and electrical engineering. These skills benefit our clients, not only in patent infringement litigation, but also in complex reexamination and interference proceedings before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

In addition, our False Advertising practice is consistently recognized on a national level as being “one of the elite players in false advertising litigation.” Our attorneys have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in false advertising cases throughout the nation.

We advise clients with respect to claims of misappropriation of trade secrets and ideas as both plaintiffs and defendants. We often counsel on ways to make these types of claims less likely and to protect our clients’ secrets and ideas. We regularly represent major corporations in cases of corporate espionage, a growing issue worldwide.

Our widely recognized Media and Entertainment group continues to secure high-profile litigation wins on behalf of media companies, radio and television networks, music companies, cable operators, production companies, publishers, internet companies, and well-known entertainers, among others. In addition to the full range of commercial issues, we represent clients in investigations matters, as well as copyright, trademark, false advertising, First Amendment, libel and slander, rights of privacy and publicity, and other intellectual property disputes.

The firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations team includes several former federal prosecutors, a former Senior Counsel for the SEC’s Enforcement Division, and the former Attorney General of the State of New Jersey. The group conducts sensitive investigations that can be critical in preventing or halting potential criminal and civil problems on behalf of business organizations and individuals. We handle cases involving investigations by state and federal prosecutorial and regulatory agencies throughout the U.S., frequently including litigation components.

The firm also has a specialized anti-counterfeiting practice that works with clients to address the growing global product counterfeiting problem. Our team litigates counterfeiting and product diversion cases on behalf of major international corporations, often involving counterfeit medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer, industrial, and electronic products where the counterfeit has the potential to cause serious injury or death. Team attorneys have successfully sued and executed seizure orders globally against hundreds of individuals and businesses that have manufactured and distributed counterfeits. This has resulted in the seizure and destruction of millions of counterfeits and the collection of millions of dollars in settlements and judgments. Their efforts have also secured criminal convictions of many counterfeiters and resulted in their incarceration.

The National Law Journal has recognized Patterson Belknap as “a major player in defending law firms against complex liability claims.” Our legal defense practice recently won several high-profile victories for law firms accused of malpractice and related torts. We have defended legal malpractice, conflict of interest, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud claims, represented lawyers in disciplinary proceedings, untangled disputes over partnership compensation, opposed disqualification motions, and represented firms facing third-party subpoenas. The Firm’s Appellate group combines our national recognition in trial work involving advertising, patents, copyrights, trademarks, products liability, false advertising, and media law with the experience of litigators who have successfully argued numerous landmark appeals. Clients work not only with appellate practitioners having a track record of success, but also with practitioners deeply grounded in the subject matter of the appeal.

Updated Aug 2024

Firm overview

Hecker Fink LLP is an elite litigation boutique, fusing high stakes, cutting-edge litigation with a groundbreaking commitment to serving the public interest.

The Hecker Fink team is comprised of highly experienced litigators, trial lawyers, and operations professionals, including five former federal prosecutors, three former public defenders, six former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, and dozens of attorneys with experience clerking at all levels of state and federal courts. This uniquely talented pool of attorneys enables the firm to consistently produce exceptional outcomes and value to our clients, and also earned us the recognition of being named “Boutique Firm of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation for four of the past five years.

Hecker Fink is recognized by Chambers and Legal 500 as having one of the country’s top white collar defense practices. Our commercial litigation, FCPA, nationwide corporate crime and investigations, employment, and higher education practices are similarly ranked by Chambers. The legal guide noted that the Firm is “recognized for its excellence across an array of litigation-related matters” and is “respected by the market for its ‘deep bench of heavy hitters with different backgrounds who are leaders in this area, and are smart, collaborative people.” Our lawyers have tried and won dozens of cases in state and federal courts across the country.

Our lawyers have extensive trial experience, with five former federal prosecutors and three former public defenders among our ranks. Our litigators have tried numerous civil and criminal cases to verdict in both federal and state courts, and our clients benefit from this deep trial proficiency and a wide range of subject matter knowledge. We offer diverse perspectives and insights from opposite sides of the courtroom, enabling the kind of strategic flexibility that delivers results.

In what was recognized by Benchmark Litigation as “Impact Case of the Year” and Global Investigations Review as “Most Important Court Case of the Year,” a team led by Sean Hecker secured a “rare” acquittal at trial in a market manipulation case against a former Barclays trader. In 2022, Benchmark Litigation honored the Firm with a second “Impact Case of the Year” award for our representation of the plaintiffs in Sines v. Kessler, in which the team won a historic $26 million damages award in the groundbreaking lawsuit against twenty-four white supremacists and neo-Nazis for their roles in organizing the racial and religious-based violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

As a peer noted to Benchmark Litigation, Hecker Fink’s lawyers “are unwaveringly committed to staring down injustice without blinking, and their work proves that. They are ambitious, feisty and fearless, especially tailor-made for these tumultuous times.”

Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is more than a value of our firm, it is who we are. Our firm was founded by women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Today, over 60% of our attorneys identify as women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or some combination thereof. We strive to make sure that our policies, the way we practice, and opportunities for advancement at our firm all actively reflect our prioritization of building an equitable and inclusive workplace. We are extremely proud that The American Lawyer has recognized this work, naming Hecker Fink its 2021 inaugural “Best Diversity Initiative” award recipient.

Hecker Fink has built a track record of impressive results in high-stakes litigation, fueled by a small team of litigators with extensive trial experience and wide-ranging subject matter expertise. Its practice focuses on the following areas:

Commercial Litigation: Hecker Fink lawyers are highly-experienced commercial litigators with wide-ranging backgrounds. Clients range from large financial institutions and ratings agencies to Fortune 500 companies, tech companies and startups, and nationally prominent individuals – among numerous other categories. We are efficient, diverse, creative, collaborative, and focused on achieving the best possible results for our clients.

White-Collar Criminal Defense: The firm has extensive experience defending companies, boards of directors, and executives from criminal investigations and enforcement and regulatory proceedings across a range of practice areas, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and anti-corruption, whistleblower and False Claim Act claims, anti-money laundering, and various kinds of financial fraud, among many others.

Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: Hecker Fink lawyers have wide-ranging experience helping companies and executives navigate complex challenges involving cybersecurity, data privacy, and related regulatory compliance.

FCPA and Anti-Corruption: Hecker Fink lawyers have significant expertise representing clients in which the FCPA and other anti-corruption issues arise – including in internal investigations, representing companies and individuals in government enforcement matters, and advising companies on anti-corruption compliance.

Employment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct: The firm has substantial experience representing organizations in sensitive employment and discrimination matters, including with respect to Title VII and Title IX claims and independent contractor and Fair Labor Standards Act classification. Hecker Fink has particular expertise representing top academic institutions in their most important Title VII and Title IX matters.

Investigations and Crisis Management: Hecker Fink helps its clients navigate every aspect of sensitive internal investigations: conducting the investigation, developing internal and external communications strategies, advising on public disclosures, and reviewing and revamping compliance structures.

Regulatory and Securities Matters and Litigation: The firm has represented some of the nation’s leading financial institutions and commercial businesses in regulatory proceedings, including securities enforcement proceedings and anti-money laundering investigations, helping clients navigate the ongoing challenges to relationships with regulators, investors, and shareholders that these proceedings can cause.

Public Interest Litigation: Hecker Fink takes on some of the most pressing and groundbreaking public interest litigation in the country.

Appellate Litigation: The firm’s appellate practice spans all areas of its work. Hecker Fink team of lawyers, which includes three former Supreme Court clerks, have litigated cases in all levels of state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Updated Oct 2024

Firm overview

Since its founding in 1996, Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney, LLP has provided the most sophisticated counsel to clients across the country in their highest-stakes matters. The firm remains small by design, preserving a model that demands the utmost standards, personal attention, and a focus on efficiency.

HNRK lawyers bring decades of experience at leading Am Law 100 law firms and government agencies, and are recognized for excellence in commercial litigation generally, and in the specific areas of insurance recovery, employment, white collar defense, construction disputes, and the representation of public agencies.

Main Areas of Practice:

Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution: HNRK lawyers litigate large-scale, complex, and sophisticated matters in federal and state trial and appellate courts and arbitral forums nationwide. HNRK has successfully represented individuals and businesses, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, in a full range of business disputes and has handled numerous matters with billions of dollars at stake. HNRK attorneys are creative and resourceful in identifying best approaches to resolve client matters and in quickly assembling effective, efficient, and tightly focused teams to address and resolve potential or actual disputes cost-effectively and with maximal benefit to the client. Among other high-profile trials, the firm recently represented plaintiffs in an intellectual property licensing dispute involving the famous Palm restaurant, resulting in a $120 million award at trial, unanimously affirmed by the New York appellate court.

Insurance Recovery Litigation & Counseling: HNRK represents policyholders only. Beyond that, the firm places no limits on its leading insurance practice, which has secured hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars for its clients. HNRK is regularly sought out by corporate policyholders to advise and represent them in complex and valuable insurance coverage disputes. The firm is known for its ability to aggressively and creatively develop solutions to maximize clients’ insurance recoveries. Among other engagements, HNRK serves as coverage counsel to the world’s largest agrochemical company, Syngenta, and the communications, media, and automotive conglomerate, Cox—regularly advising and representing them in connection with losses and claims implicating numerous different types of coverage. The firm is also coverage counsel for high-profile individuals and has obtained coverage for clients facing headline-grabbing claims. The firm has delivered successful outcomes for clients through litigations in courts around the country, as well as through arbitrations and mediations in the U.S. and internationally, and through negotiated settlements. The firm recently won a trial in the Delaware Superior Court for Syngenta in a case implicating hundreds of millions of dollars of losses arising from thousands of personal injury claims; in a precedential decision, the Delaware Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s two summary judgment rulings in favor of Syngenta.

Employment Litigation & Counseling: HNRK’s Employment Litigation & Counseling practice is unique in that its employment attorneys have significant expertise in litigation through trial and arbitration, including at administrative agencies. HNRK stands ready to further clients’ interests, whether they are startups or large multinationals, public sector or private, international or domestic. HNRK represents management clients in employment litigation involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or illegal pay practices; prosecuting or defending claims arising from restrictive covenants; and other employment-related agreements. HNRK also conducts internal investigations for company clients regarding all kinds of discrimination and retaliation claims, and its partners are members of the Association of Workplace Investigators.

Construction Litigation & Counseling: HNRK has extensive experience counseling, litigating, and arbitrating on behalf of public and private clients in the construction, engineering, and real estate fields in matters involving project delays, change order disputes, differing site conditions, and other contract issues. This experience includes, for example, the firm’s longtime representation of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York and its affiliated operating authorities in connection with its capital construction program, in addition to the firm’s representation of private contractors. HNRK’s insurance recovery practice also includes representation of policyholders in construction-related insurance claims, where insurance for alleged construction damage may be challenged by the insurer.

White Collar Defense & Government Investigations: HNRK represents individuals and corporations facing a broad spectrum of complex government investigations, regulatory issues, and civil and criminal litigation, including foreign criminal and tax investigations. The successes secured on behalf of clients include favorable outcomes in cases involving internal corporate investigations of alleged securities fraud; government investigations of alleged corporate wrongdoing; and the Securities Exchange Act, Investment Company Act, Investment Advisers Act, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

HNRK is certified by the State of New York and the City of New York as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise.

Practice Areas and Industries:

• Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
• Insurance Recovery Litigation & Counseling
• Employment Litigation & Counseling
• Construction Litigation & Counseling
• White Collar Defense & Government Investigations

Updated Sep 2024