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 in litigation as well as domestic and international arbitrations. 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.
Among her recent matters, Dorit has represented AIMCo, an investment fund owned by a foreign sovereign, and Wells Fargo, as a securities intermediary, as plaintiffs in nine-figure, innovative “cost of insurance” litigation alleging that insurers improperly increased premiums on “universal life” insurance policies. Dorit and her team filed cost of insurance actions on behalf of AIMCo against AXA, Lincoln National Corp., John Hancock, and Transamerica. In the AXA case, HSG defeated the insurer’s summary judgment and Daubert motions, placing the case on track for a month-long jury trial. The case settled just a few weeks before the trial was due to start.
Dorit also has vast expertise in international arbitration and cross-border disputes and has practiced in both civil and common law jurisdictions since 1999, including courts in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Vienna, Austria. In a notable matter with an international bent, Dorit represents Air India in two proceedings before the Southern District of New York by foreign investors Devas and Deutsche Telekom seeking a declaration that the airline is the alter ego of the Republic of India and should be held jointly and severally liable for the amount of two BIT arbitration awards rendered against the foreign state. Among other notable matters, Dorit has represented a Japanese pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration against the sellers of a Mexican pharmaceuticals business and a Turkish conglomerate in its successful attempt to reverse the confirmation of a $932 million arbitration award in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
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.
Updated Sep 2025
