Founded in 1920, Akerman is recognized as one of the country’s premier law firms, with more than 700 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States..
Commercial Litigation: Akerman offers a leading trial team that includes litigators across the United States. We represent a diverse range of clients across numerous sectors, with particular strength in the financial services, private equity, insurance, real estate, construction, health and life sciences, and energy sectors. Akerman lawyers regularly appear before judges and arbitrators in class actions, securities, white-collar, fraud and recovery, product liability, intellectual property, employment, bankruptcy, and general business matters.
Appellate: With a bench that includes many former appellate and trial court judges, Akerman’s appellate practice is a national powerhouse with demonstrated success in handling appeals related to complex commercial litigation. Akerman's appellate team frequently assist trial lawyers during all phases of litigation, preserving errors for appeal, drafting motions and responses, and providing strategic advice on the best approach for seeking relief on appeal. They handle numerous matters before appellate courts nationwide in various commercial cases and class actions. We also have experience in administrative appeals involving high profile issues before state agencies. Additionally, Akerman's appellate lawyers represent industry associations as amicus curiae in appellate proceedings when our clients are not a party to an appeal but have a substantial interest in the outcome.
International Litigation & Arbitration: Akerman has a long record of accomplishment in resolving complex multijurisdictional disputes. Our team represents multinational, foreign, and domestic corporations and individuals before U.S. federal and state courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings before a wide range of international arbitral bodies in multiple jurisdictions. Akerman litigators help clients successfully address conflicts in a broad range of sectors, including general commercial disputes, power and energy, construction and engineering, and banking and finance, among many others. Our highly responsive, multilingual team works in tandem with experienced local counsel to provide seamless resolution to disputes throughout Latin America, as well as in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East.
Employment Litigation: Akerman’s national, multidisciplinary team helps clients navigate claims brought before state and federal agencies and boards as well as trial and appellate courts throughout the United States. Our lawyers regularly defend employers in all types of employment litigation, including complex class-action discrimination cases and collective action wage and hour matters. We also represent employers in connection with administrative charges and audits, and have successfully negotiated and supervised numerous settlements with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Updated Sep 2024
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, a leading international law firm, consistently ranks among the world’s top law firms in industry surveys and major publications. The firm is distinctively positioned in today’s global marketplace with more than 1,800 lawyers and 21 offices.
Litigation Practice: Acclaimed as a litigation powerhouse, Gibson Dunn and the members of the Litigation practice have a long record of outstanding successes. The American Lawyer named Gibson Dunn a Finalist in its 2022 Litigation Department of the Year competition, noting that “when news breaks and the pressure rises, clients call Gibson Dunn’s litigators to regain control.” This award follows the firm’s unprecedented four wins in this biennial competition.
The members of our litigation practice group are not just litigators, they are first-rate trial lawyers. Each year, we try numerous cases to verdicts before juries, judges and arbitrators. Our clients have trusted us to try their most significant disputes to verdict.
We have tried cases and argued appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court and state supreme courts in addition to federal and state courts across the United States involving almost every foreseeable area of controversy. We also handle disputes before a wide variety of nonjudicial forums, from federal and state agencies to international arbitrations.
Antitrust & Trade Regulation: Gibson Dunn serves clients in virtually every significant area of antitrust and trade regulation law, including cartel and government civil investigations, class action treble damage litigation, private antitrust litigation, government review of mergers and acquisitions, and trade regulation matters.
Appellate: Gibson Dunn has one of the nation’s leading appellate practices with broad experience in complex appellate litigation at all levels of the state and federal court systems. The practice has been involved in matters covering an array of constitutional, statutory, regulatory and common-law issues. Our lawyers have presented arguments in front of the Supreme Court of the United States nearly 160 times.
Business Restructuring & Reorganization: The firm has extensive experience in both US and multinational insolvencies. Its lawyers regularly represent and counsel official creditors’ committees, ad hoc creditor groups, secured lenders, investors and companies (including DIP and exit financing) in out-of-court work-outs and Chapter 11 cases.
Commercial Litigation & Arbitration: Gibson Dunn’s approach emphasizes the full spectrum of services for our clients. Our litigators are trained to evaluate actual and potential cases at the earliest stages, to first determine if litigation can be avoided, or, if it is filed, whether the matter can be resolved quickly and economically. We pride ourselves on handling our litigation matters as efficiently as possible. Gibson Dunn lawyers are fully familiar with a wide array of alternative dispute resolution techniques, including arbitration, mediation, “mini-trials” and the like.
Intellectual Property: Gibson Dunn’s deep bench of trial lawyers with technical backgrounds, advanced degrees and industry experience provides the necessary insight to develop and defend against sophisticated claims in a wide range of industries and complex technologies. Our litigators are recognized throughout the industry as leaders in prosecuting, defending and trying IP claims in federal and state courts, before administrative bodies including the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as well as before arbitration panels.
Labor & Employment: Gibson Dunn is known for our unsurpassed ability to help the world’s preeminent companies tackle their most challenging labor and employment matters. We have prevailed in what are believed to be the largest class actions under several different U.S. employment laws, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the wage and hour laws. Gibson Dunn has also worked on high-profile ERISA cases, nationally recognized Sarbanes-Oxley ‘whistleblower’ cases and aggressive advocacy on OSHA issues.
Securities Litigation, Regulation & Corporate Governance: A recognized leader in the defense of securities class actions, derivative litigation and SEC enforcement actions, the firm advises companies on disclosure, accounting and regulatory issues for domestic and foreign regulatory bodies. The partners include nationally recognized securities class action defense counsel and a number of former senior officials with the SEC, NASD and DOJ.
Transnational Litigation: Gibson Dunn’s Transnational Litigation practice specializes in protecting clients against claims in U.S. and other courts stemming from overseas activities, as well as reducing and eliminating the risks posed by foreign litigation that, if unchecked, threaten company-wide implications. Our uniquely skilled, creative and experienced transnational team is equipped to manage all aspects of cross-border litigation, including devising, coordinating and implementing offensive and defensive global strategies and has represented clients in some of the highest-profile cases around the world. Gibson Dunn’s international team consists of US, English, French, Spanish and German-qualified lawyers, many of whom are dual qualified.
White Collar Defense & Investigations: The firm defends prominent companies and executives against federal and state prosecutions and has conducted numerous sensitive internal investigations in areas including anti-money laundering; computer and IP crimes; environmental violations and compliance; FCPA matters; forfeiture (civil and criminal); health care fraud; privacy; procurement fraud; securities, financial institution and accounting fraud; and tax offenses. The practice group includes numerous former federal and state prosecutors and officials, many of whom served at high levels within the DOJ, SEC and other key investigative arms of the government.
Reid Collins & Tsai LLP (Reid Collins) is a national trial boutique handling complex commercial litigation and bankruptcy-related litigation, particularly claims involving fiduciary liability, professional negligence, and financial fraud. Key clients include hedge funds, private equity funds, corporations, offshore liquidators, receivers, and bankruptcy trustees. Reid Collins has secured more than $2 billion in total judgments and settlements for its clients in the past several years alone.
Reid Collins is unique in several respects, including: (1) its extensive experience with high-profile cases involving large-scale financial fraud or insolvency; (2) its expertise in successfully pursuing claims against officers, directors, accountants, lawyers, and investment banks relating to the underlying fraud or misconduct; and (3) its willingness to pursue those claims on an alternative fee basis.
The firm has earned numerous professional recognitions for its achievements, including being named: 2024 U.S. Bankruptcy Firm of the Year by Benchmark Litigation; 2021 and 2022 U.S. Business Torts Law Firm of the Year (and 2023, 2024 and 2025 finalist) by The National Law Journal; the 2022 Texas Business Litigation Department of the Year (and 2024 & 2025 finalist) by Law.com/Texas Lawyer; a 2021 and 2024 finalist for National Boutique/Specialty Department of the Year by The American Lawyer; a 2019-2025 finalist for U.S. Plaintiff Firm of the Year by Benchmark Litigation; listed as a “Recommended Firm” in Chambers USA; the 2020 U.S. Bankruptcy and Commercial Litigation Law Firm of the Year by The National Law Journal, and both a “Top 10 Plaintiffs Firm in America” and one of the Top U.S. Boutique Firms by Benchmark Litigation, among numerous other accolades.
Complex Commercial Litigation
Reid Collins has achieved numerous victories in complex commercial litigation, including:
• Obtained one of the largest shareholder derivative settlements in history – a $300 million “direct pay” settlement in the Renren Derivative Litigation – in a case which also set important jurisdictional precedents establishing the right of aggrieved minority shareholders to derivative standing under Cayman law and holding foreign individual and corporate defendants accountable for wrongdoing and fraud in U.S. courts.
• Won multiple appeals and obtained judgment of more than $64 million for Claymore Holdings/Highland Capital against Credit Suisse following a five-week trial (and subsequent bench trial) on fraud and breach of contract claims related to a loan for the Lake Las Vegas resort.
• Recovered nearly $100 million for state pension fund clients resolving claims under the Fraud Against Taxpayers Acts of multiple states against large Wall Street banks related to financial crisis-era sale of residential mortgage-backed securities.
Bankruptcy-Related Litigation
Reid Collins has prevailed in many important bankruptcy-related litigation matters, including:
• Won a landmark decision before the U.S. Supreme Court, restricting the scope of the section 546(e) “safe harbor” defense to fraudulent transfer claims, thereby overturning long-standing interpretations of that defense by five circuit courts.
• Defeated a motion to dismiss a $1 billion lawsuit by the GTAT Litigation Trust against the former officers of GT Advanced Technologies Inc., a former publicly traded company, related to its failed contract with Apple to manufacture sapphire display screens for the iPhone.
• Achieved a $21.5 million settlement on behalf of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Fresh & Easy, LLC, with respect to claims against the former insiders – including billionaire Ronald Burkle – for breach of fiduciary duty and fraudulent transfer of certain assets.
Reid Collins has also become a national leader in the pursuit of legal malpractice claims. Over the past decade, the firm has pursued dozens of claims against more than 20 of the Am Law 100 firms, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for its clients. While many of these claims arose out of financial frauds, the firm also has asserted claims against law firms for negligently documenting multimillion-dollar transactions, providing negligent tax advice, and failing to properly advise their corporate clients on securities laws or key government regulations.
Updated Oct 2025