PRACTICE AREAS: Securities and Capital Markets Litigation

Our attorneys have extensive experience defending clients in complex litigation involving the capital markets, including cases brought under the securities laws. Our clients have included leading public companies, audit committees and special committees, commercial banks, investment banks, directors and officers, investment advisors, brokers-dealers, and major accounting firms. We currently represent one of the world's largest financial-services companies in a SDNY class action involving the mutual fund industry. In two other cases, we are defending CDO managers against fraud and other claims brought by large institutional investors.

We have defended numerous clients against securities claims, including securities-fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits, and against related RICO, corporate-governance, and other claims. We also have handled matters involving a wide range of capital-markets transactions, including asset-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations, other securitization-related claims, residential-mortgage issues, market timing, corporate acquisitions, and corporate-governance claims.
Our partners have strong records of winning dismissals at an early stage. In one recent matter, we obtained dismissal of a securities-fraud complaint brought by a bankruptcy litigation trust; in another, we obtained summary judgment in the trial court and an affirmance on appeal. More recently, we obtained dismissal of a securities-fraud class action complaint against an accounting firm. Our firm's extensive familiarity with accounting and financial reporting is particularly helpful in these cases; it enables us to clarify the issues, discuss them cogently with client executives and audit committees, and present them effectively to courts and government officials.

Although we act aggressively to defeat claims before trial, we have experience in all phases of complex litigation, and excel at trying complex cases. We also have tried arbitrations, including FINRA and American Arbitration Association matters.

Many complex cases involve parallel proceedings. Our attorneys are familiar with the procedural challenges and opportunities presented by parallel federal-and-state proceedings and federal multi-district litigation. We also have extensive white collar securities enforcement practices. (See White Collar Defense practice and Securities Enforcement practice.) Our clients involved in parallel proceedings benefit from our firm's ability to see the entire playing field and to think strategically about coordinating the entire defense.