A co-founder of elite litigation boutique Holwell Shuster & Goldberg, Dorit Ungar Black has earned a reputation as a brilliant and tenacious lawyer, representing clients like Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) and Eurofins. Dorit was among the first women in New York to co-found a high-profile litigation boutique, demonstrating leadership not only among top litigators but also women litigators who followed in her footsteps. Dorit did so despite not fitting the mold: she is a German native speaker who previously practiced at a high-profile Austrian law firm and immigrated to the U.S. as a young attorney to achieve the American dream.
Dorit’s significant representations include a multibillion-dollar damages trial which addressed Lehman’s pivotal role in causing the 2008 financial collapse. The trial resulted in a $2.4 billion damages award for investors—the largest single trial verdict resulting from the housing crisis.
In recent years, Dorit has become a pioneer in innovative “cost of insurance” litigation, representing AIMCo, an investment fund, and Wells Fargo, as a securities intermediary, in high-stakes litigation against insurance carriers alleged to have improperly increased insureds’ premiums on “universal life” insurance policies.
At the firm she co-founded, Dorit is viewed as a leader, mentor, and inspiration to many of HSG’s female professionals across all positions. She has been recognized as a Notable Woman in Law by Crain’s New York Business; a Woman of Influence by the New York Business Journal; a Female Powerbroker by Law360; a Litigation Trailblazer by The National Law Journal; a Rising Star by the New York Law Journal; a Woman Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal; a Top Woman Attorney in the New York Metro Area by Super Lawyers; and Boutique Lawyer of the Year by Lawyer Monthly.
Key Practice Areas: Arbitration; Banking & Financial Services; Business & Commercial; Construction & Real Estate; Securities; Trials
Education: University of Vienna Law School (Mag.iur., 1999); Columbia Law School (LL.M., 2003)
Languages Spoken: German, Hebrew
Updated Sep 2024
