Sean Berkowitz, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and former Global Chair of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice, represents clients in complex litigation and regulatory investigations.
Mr. Berkowitz is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who regularly advises Fortune 500 companies and individual executives on their most important litigation matters in courts and venues throughout the United States. He also advises clients on government and regulatory investigations, and develops strategies to resolve those matters short of litigation.
Mr. Berkowitz is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and has successfully tried more than 35 cases to verdict. His successful representation of Gary Winemaster, the former CEO and founder of Power Solutions International, Inc., in a criminal, four-week bench trial against the DOJ in the Northern District of Illinois in 2021 earned Mr. Berkowitz an Impact Case Award by Benchmark Litigation. In 2022, Mr. Berkowitz successfully defended Michael Sussmann, an attorney, against charges that Mr. Sussmann had lied to the FBI about who he was representing when he provided information about alleged connections between the Trump Organization and Russia. The jury in that case was out only a few hours before returning a not guilty verdict. The Legal 500 US recognizes Mr. Berkowitz as a Leading Lawyer for General Commercial Disputes, and Chambers USA ranks him Band 1 in three separate categories: General Commercial, Securities, and White Collar Crime & Government Investigations. Clients describe him as “a brilliant attorney” and “top flight trial lawyer” who “brings a wealth of experience” and is “impressive in both the courtroom and boardroom.” Mr. Berkowitz was named a 2022 Law360 MVP for Trials, a 2023 Crain’s Chicago Notable Litigator & Trial Attorney, and a 2024 Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Leaders in Accounting, Consulting & Law. In 2023, he was recognized by Who’s Who Legal for Commercial Litigation and in 2022 was named a Lawdragon Legend, a recognition earned by only 20 lawyers nationwide. Further, since 2019 he has regularly been listed as a Leading Lawyer by Lawdragon 500, an annual list of leading lawyers in America. In addition to being named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in the 2021-2024 editions of Benchmark Litigation, a White Collar Crime/Investigations Litigator of the Year in 2022, and a Litigation Star in 2020-2024, Mr. Berkowitz is recognized by Best Lawyer for Bet-the-Company Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar, and was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Bet-the-Company Litigation in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, Mr. Berkowitz served in several federal government positions including as Director of the special task force created to investigate the Enron corporate scandal, and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling
Mr. Berkowitz served a five-year term as Global Chair of the firm’s Litigation & Trial Department. He is the former Illinois Chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a past president of the Chicago Inn of Court. Additionally, he serves on the boards of the Chicago Area Project and A Better Chicago, an innovative non-profit organization that invests in and supports a portfolio of educational charities.
Updated Nov 2024
