The Legal 500

United States

Real estate

Real estate - ranked: tier 5

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP ‘always provides an extremely high level of service, no matter the subject matter or the project’ and ‘the skilled attorneys work seamlessly across different offices throughout the US, providing excellent advice and taking the client’s circumstances into account’. The Texas-based team advises national developers, lenders, private equity groups and REITs on high-value transactions across the country and overseas. The firm recently saw a number of partner arrivals from Locke Lord LLP; these include private equity expert Billie Ellis in Dallas and transactional lawyer Jeffrey Smith and energy sector expert Douglas Yeager in Houston. In a recent highlight, the team acted for Stonelake Capital Partners in the $200m acquisition, leasing and financing of several industrial warehouse facilities across Texas, with the client looking to build a portfolio of approximately 35 buildings. The firm also advised Strategic Office Partners on its assembly of a portfolio of single-tenant office buildings throughout the US, and represented Long Cove in the development of a high-end lakefront residential community and marina on Cedar Creek Lake, which will include a number of cottages, porch homes and custom homes spanning more than 1,000 acres.

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United States: Antitrust

Cartel

Cartel - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP stands out in matters involving heavily regulated industries, such as lithium ion batteries, capacitors and optical disc drives. New York-based Eva Cole, who is a member of the ABA Section of Antitrust Law’s International Cartel Task Force, undertakes a significant amount of work for clients in the electronics, sports and private equity industries. Heather Kafele (who joined from Shearman & Sterling LLP in 2017) and others acted for a number of Japanese auto parts manufacturers in the DOJ’s cartel investigation and in related follow-on price-fixing litigation. Seth Farber in New York is another name to note in the team; his clients include Corning, Nishikawa Rubber, Panasonic and NTN.

Next generation lawyers

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Civil litigation/class actions: defense

Civil litigation/class actions: defense - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP blends the experience of seasoned practitioners, such as Jeffrey Kessler and Paul Victor, with its emerging talent, which includes Eva Cole, Jeffrey Amato and Elizabeth Papez (who divides her time between the Washington DC and New York offices). The firm has carved out a strong reputation in US antitrust litigation thanks to its prominence in high-profile class action litigation and individual actions. The firm is currently defending Discover Financial Services in a putative class action, in which it is alleged that the client and three other credit card companies unlawfully conspired to shift fraud liability to merchants, notwithstanding complications over the rollout of a new security chip system. In 2017, another matter involved acting for Goldman Sachs in a putative class action claiming the client conspired with certain trading platforms to restrain competition in the stock loan market. Heather Kafele and Keith Palfin joined from Shearman & Sterling LLP. Ian Papendick and Sean Meenan (who are located in San Francisco), Martin Geagan and Chicago-based Joseph Motto made partner. Named individuals are based in Washington DC or New York, except where otherwise stated.

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United States: Dispute resolution

Appellate

Appellate: courts of appeals - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal) - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Chicago-based Linda Coberly heads Winston & Strawn LLP’s team, which receives mandates in appeals in areas ranging from intellectual property to financial services and antitrust. Coberly represented both defendants in the Seventh Circuit appellate antitrust proceedings filed by the Federal Trade Commission and pertaining to a proposed merger between NorthShore University HealthSystem and Advocate Health Care in the Chicago metropolitan area. Steffen Johnson acted for Cox Communications in long-standing patent litigation against Spring Communications, concerning voice over IP technology. Elizabeth Papez, Geoffrey Eaton and Andrew Nichols are also noted.

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Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense

Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to corporates - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to individuals - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s team is headed by Robb Adkins in New York and Seth Farber in San Francisco, and includes Chicago-based practitioners Dan Webb and Daniel Rubinstein. Webb is representing the City of Ferguson in the DOJ civil rights division’s investigation into the city’s police department and municipal court following alleged police misconduct after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014. Webb acted alongside Matthew Carter in Chicago for Ukrainian businessman, Dmitry Firtash, in an FCPA case pending in the Northern District of Illinois concerning bribery associated with Indian titanium mining licenses. Rubinstein led for Citadel on an internal investigation into cybercrime conducted by two former employees. In another key mandate, the group is representing MegaUpload and its founder, Kim Dotcom, at the extradition stage of a criminal copyright case launched by the DOJ. In May 2018, superstar Abbe Lowell joined from Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP. He is based out of the Washington DC and New York offices.

Leading lawyers

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General commercial disputes

General commercial disputes - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

‘Extraordinary’ firm Winston & Strawn LLP receives accolades for its ‘excellent client service, strategic advice and execution’. The firm opened an additional Texas office in Dallas in 2017, expanding its presence in the state; the ‘simply excellent’ team there includes Steven Stodghill, Thomas Melsheimer and John Sanders. The firm’s roots are in Chicago, where many of its leading litigators are based, including co-chairs Stephen D’Amore and George Lombardi, though it has dispute resolution experts stationed in several key jurisdictions in the US. In June 2017, the team secured a major win for BPI in a defamation lawsuit against American Broadcasting Company; after several weeks of trial in South Dakota, the case settled. In Los Angeles, ‘smart and tireless litigator’ Gayle Jenkins is recommended.

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International arbitration

International arbitration - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP provides a ‘flawless’ service and highlights included representing Dominion Minerals in pursuing claims pertaining to the treatment and protection of investments in a copper and gold concession in western Panama. The team is also acting for the Republic of Ecuador in several matters including an arbitration instituted by Chevron Corporation and Texaco Petroleum Company. In Washington DC, ‘great team leader’ Eric Bloom, the ‘responsive’ Tomás Leonard and the ‘first-rate’ Nicole Silver are recommended. In 2017, the New York team was bolstered by the hire of Julissa Reynoso and Marcelo Blackburn from Chadbourne & Parke LLP. Ricardo Ugarte, who splits his time between London and Chicago, heads the team.

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International litigation

International litigation - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP is ‘first class’, according to one client, who praises the firm’s ‘trial-minded approach and strong track record in the courtroom’. Chicago-based Stephen D’Amore and George Lombardi chair the litigation department, which has a strong track record in high-stakes, high-profile cross-border matters. The firm’s highlights included GolTV, Inc, et al v Fox Sports Latin America Ltd, et al, which alleged violations of the RICO statute and of antitrust laws as well as unfair trade practices; and the defense of Ukrainian businessman Dmitry Firtash in an FCPA matter. One client describes Jeffrey Kessler as ‘the most effective advocate I have ever seen in action’, and David Feher is lauded as ‘an excellent lawyer with particularly good judgment on how to approach strategy’; both are based in New York.

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Leading trial lawyers

Dan Webb - Winston & Strawn LLP From general commercial lawsuits to insurance disputes, Dan Webb continues to build upon his three decades of experience in courtrooms across the country. Recently, Webb secured a victory for Beef Products in a high-profile defamation claim against the American Broadcasting Company and other defendants, arising from the series of broadcasts which misrepresented the plaintiff’s product and resulted in substantial business losses. In another highlight, Webb defended Cisco Systems in a trade secret misappropriation dispute with Backflip Software.

Abbe Lowell - Winston & Strawn LLP Defense attorney Abbe Lowell’s reputation for high-profile white-collar work, including investigations, continues to thrive, as he is set to represent Jared Kushner in the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. In another notable highlight, Lowell secured a favorable outcome for Senator Bob Menendez following his indictment by the DOJ and subsequent bribery charges.

George Lombardi - Winston & Strawn LLP ‘A dream to deal with in every respect’, George Lombardi is ‘as good as it gets’ when it comes to multimillion-dollar trials; he is ‘great at distilling complex concepts into simple thoughts’ and ‘extremely good with juries, while demonstrating excellent judgment’. Lombardi obtained an 11-1 jury verdict for Philip Morris USA in a consumer fraud claim alleging false advertising of Marlboro Lights. Patent infringement claims for pharmaceutical companies form a large part of Lombardi’s practice; for example, he defended Actavis in a suit filed by Orexo pertaining to generic drugs manufacturing.

Leading trial lawyers

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M&A litigation: defense

M&A litigation: defense - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP has ‘an excellent team of very thoughtful M&A litigators’. ‘Great counselor’ James Smith is ‘incredibly eloquent but also practical’ and leads the team from New York. Smith and John Schreiber in Los Angeles defended Pacer International in a merger objection shareholder class action in Tennessee state court that challenged its $335m deal with XPO Logistics. Recommended partners in New York include Richard Reinthaler, who ‘has superb judgment and is a master of details’, and Matthew DiRisio, who advised Lear Corp in post-closing litigation arising from its $850m acquisition of Everett Smith Group.

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Product liability, mass tort and class action: consumer products (including tobacco)

Product liability, mass tort and class action: consumer products (including tobacco) - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s Chicago-based practice regularly represents manufacturers in the food, beverages, cosmetics and electronics industries in class actions and product liability suits. The class actions team is co-led by Amanda Groves in Charlotte and Los Angeles-based Stephen Smerek. Scott Glaubermann heads the products team and George Lombardi is another key figure. Stephen D’Amore and Washington DC-based Andrew Nichols continue to represent Archer Daniels Midland in a class action alleging equine products were contaminated with a chemical additive that is poisonous to horses. In other work, Kimball Anderson acted for Dell in a putative class action alleging false advertising of the battery life of Inspiron laptops. In early 2017, trial expert Thomas Melsheimer joined the firm from Fish & Richardson P.C., in course of the establishment of a new office in Dallas.

Leading lawyers

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Securities litigation: defense

Securities litigation: defense - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP is ‘involved at the cutting edge of securities litigation’. The firm has built a strong reputation in parallel civil proceedings pursuant to governmental investigations, qui tam lawsuits and high-profile cases in heavily-regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services. In Omnicare, Inc v Laborers District Council Construction Industry Pension Fund, for example, John Schreiber in Los Angeles and Richard Reinthaler and practice chair James Smith in New York argued the groundbreaking issue of how to establish when a statement of opinion is an untrue statement of material fact. Robert Sperling was part of a team that successfully defended JPMorgan in a class action alleging that it incentivized financial advisers to recommend proprietary funds. Casey Berger in Houston, Matthew DiRisio in New York and Chicago-based Caryn Jacobs are among the other key partners.

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United States: Finance

Capital markets: debt offerings

Capital markets: debt offerings - advice to underwriters - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP continues to invest in strengthening its capital markets team and new arrivals in 2017 include former Locke Lord LLP partners Bryan Goolsby and Kenneth Betts, who joined the firm’s new Dallas office, and a group of international capital markets partners led by Allen Miller and Talbert Navia, who joined in New York from Chadbourne & Parke. Underwriter-side mandates are the mainstay of the practice and Chicago-based key partner Cab Morris acted for the joint book-running managers on a $1bn offering of first mortgage bonds by Commonwealth Edison. An increased profile on the issuer side saw several company-side highlights, including New York’s Robert Rawn assisting Silgan Holdings with its private offerings of senior unsecured notes totaling $986.9m. New York-based Joel Rubinstein chairs the department.

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Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings

Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings - advice to underwriters - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Among Winston & Strawn LLP’s recent highlights, Chicago’s Cabell Morris advised the underwriters (Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley) on GATX Corporation’s $300m public offering of senior notes. The firm also secured a high-profile issuer mandate in 2017, which saw Chicago’s Christina Roupas assist Federal-Mogul LLC with two offerings of notes totaling $715m. New York-based Joel Rubinstein chairs the capital markets and securities group.

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Commercial lending

Commercial lending: advice to lenders - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

‘Few firms know the middle market as well as’ the ‘incredibly responsive’ team at Winston & Strawn LLP, which provides ‘excellent legal support’. The firm handles borrower and lender work, and is particularly well regarded in the latter where it represents banks and alternative lenders. Recent highlights include advising Barings Finance on a $218m loan to finance PDI TA Holdings’ acquisition of Professional DataSolutions. Other key clients on the lender side include Wells Fargo, which the firm advised on a $325m asset-based loan to Quikrete Holdings. The firm also represented Angelo, Gordon & Co in connection with senior credit facilities supporting the acquisition of Native Marine Produce & Speciality Foods by RLI Equity Partners and SJ Partners. William Brewer, Mats Carlston, Patrick Hardiman (‘a business savvy gem with a true inside perspective of the industry that is rare for an external lawyer’), and Ronald Jacobson (‘who knows the industry inside out’) jointly head the well-regarded team.

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Financial services regulation

Financial services regulation - ranked: tier 7

Winston & Strawn LLP

With ‘depth and breadth across investment management and banking’, Chicago-based Winston & Strawn LLP provides a ‘practical, cost and time efficient service’ to clients including Brighthouse Financial, Discover Financial Services and Nuveen Investments across a range of regulatory, governance and legislative matters. Christine Edwards heads the bank regulatory practice and has tremendous insight into the regulatory and strategic drivers of banking clients as a result of her experience in both private practice and as general counsel to a large domestic bank. Praised for her ‘understanding of banks from a variety of perspectives’, Edwards’ practical application of the law means she regularly advises on public policy issues, regulatory-informed transactional work and sensitive internal investigations. New York-based broker-dealer expert Glen Barrentine recently provided regulatory input on GTCR’s acquisition of Optimal Blue Holdings. Basil Godellas handles regulatory work within the asset management industry and recently provided the regulatory advice to KBI Global Investors related to its acquisition by leading European asset manager Amundi. Of counsel Julius Loeser is also a key resource on the bank regulatory front in light of his vast experience in both private practice and in-house with numerous major banks including Wells Fargo.

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Structured finance: derivatives and structured products

Structured finance: derivatives and structured products - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

The team at Winston & Strawn LLP regularly acts for investment managers and lending institutions on a range of derivatives, with particular expertise in energy, OTC and equity-linked transactions. John Servidio, who joined the firm from McGuireWoods LLP, acted as dealer’s counsel for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in a $200m ASR transaction with Papa John’s International. Led by Michael O’Brien in the Chicago office, the team acts as primary outside counsel to clients such as Nuveen Investments and Pacific Investment Management Company in relation to tender option bonds. Also recommended are Justin Rawlins in Los Angeles and David Neier.

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Structured finance: securitization

Structured finance: securitization - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s structured finance department is comprised of ‘real solution-providers’ who act as ‘business partners, rather than just lawyers’. The group has an active CLO practice and focuses on non-commoditized assets in the ABS space. In the LA office, Daniel Passage acted for Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank Securities on the securitization of PACE bonds originated under Renovate America’s HERO program. Peter Morgan advised Credit Suisse on a $350m ABS backed by equipment leases. On the CLO front, Jeffrey Stern and Chicago-based Patrick Hardiman act for collateral managers such as THL Credit Advisors and Crestline Denali Capital. Michael Mullins and David Galainena are additional contacts in the Chicago office. Russell Casper (also based in Chicago) Francisco Flores in Los Angeles were promoted to partner. Anthony Schouten joined Pryor Cashman LLP.

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United States: Industry focus

Energy litigation: conventional power

Energy litigation: conventional power - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Under the leadership of Joseph Karp, the energy group at Winston & Strawn LLP acts for a variety of power producers on contentious regulatory matters and has a special expertise in the nuclear sector. In a standout piece of work, Tyson Smith is representing Cameco Resources, a large uranium producer, in three separate cases challenging licensing actions filed by anti-mining groups and a local tribe. Gordon Coffee and Raymond Wuslich are representing Public Service Electric & Gas Company as an intervener in an administrative FERC complaint case brought by TranSourc against PJM Interconection related to incremental auction revenue rights. Another engagement is the defence of DTE against claims brought by anti-nuclear groups in an administrative litigation regarding the licensing process for the Fermi 3 reactor. The firm’s client roster also includes NRG and Duke Energy. Dave Repka retired and Basheer Ghorayeb joined from Jones Day.

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Energy litigation: oil and gas

Energy litigation: oil and gas - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Administration litigation before the FERC, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as well as district and appellate courts are mainstays for Winston & Strawn LLP. Timothy Carey and Elizabeth Bradshaw are acting on behalf of BP in a qui tam action, pending in the California Superior Court, related to an alleged violation of the California False Claims Act by overcharging California’s Department of General Services in connection with natural gas supply contracts. In other work, Gordon Coffee and Raymond Wuslich are representing Public Service Electric & Gas as an intervener in a complaint case filed by TranSource against PJM Interconnection regarding network upgrade cost responsibility. The team welcomed Basheer Ghorayeb from Jones Day. Dave Repka has retired.

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Energy regulatory: conventional power

Energy regulatory: conventional power - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP regularly represents a broad client portfolio, including New York’s eight transmission-owning utilities who formed the New York ISO, in NRC licensing proceedings, FERC rate and cost allocation issues, market manipulation claims, market-based rate filings and FERC-jurisdictional transactions. John Whittaker and Kimberly Ognisty continue to counsel PG&E on all FERC-licensed hydroelectric projects, including ongoing license compliance. Tyson Smith and William Horin are advising Sempra Energy and its subsidiary San Diego Gas and Electric on nuclear regulatory and commercial issues associated with the shutdown and decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Other notable clients are NextEra Energy, Honeywell and Duke Energy. David Repka has retired.

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Energy transactions: conventional power

Energy: transactions: conventional power - ranked: tier 5

Winston & Strawn LLP

‘Industry knowledge is second to none’ at Winston & Strawn LLP where the team regularly acts for IPPs such as NRG Energy and Capital Power; in the New York office Jonathan Birenbaum and newly promoted partner Tara Greenberg advised the latter-named client on its $441m acquisition of Decatur Energy Center. Additional contacts include Alan Hoffman (also in New York), who focuses on project finance, and San Francisco-based energy head Joseph Karp and Lisa Cottle. The practice was enhanced by a number of hires from Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, including Washington DC-based Patrick Groomes and New York-based Michael Pikiel.

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Energy transactions: oil and gas

Energy transactions: oil and gas - ranked: tier 5

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s Houston office is led by Craig Vogelsang, who advised various E&P companies on transportation agreements and M&A. Additional contacts in Houston include Chris Ferazzi, who acted for Apache Industrial Services on its sale to Quantum Capital. Justin Rawlins is a name to note in Los Angeles. The firm recently opened an office in Dallas.

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Energy: renewable/alternative

Energy: renewable/alternative - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s team ‘thinks outside the box’ and acts for a wide-ranging client base that takes in banks, sponsors, equity investors and community choice aggregators. In Los Angeles, key figures include Jerry Bloom and Laurae Rossi; the latter is acting for Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale on the construction and term-loan financing of the Mount Signal 3 solar project in California. In New York, Jonathan Birenbaum brings ‘great wisdom’ to M&A matters, and Tara Greenberg is noted for her ‘industry knowledge’. San Francisco-based Joseph Karp heads the team. The practice saw a number of departures to Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, however this was alleviated by the hire of a team from Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, including Patrick Groomes in Washington DC and New York-based Michael Pikiel.

Leading lawyers

Next generation lawyers

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Sport

Sport - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP has acted in some of the leading sports disputes affecting the industry over the past decade, including antitrust suits regulating the free agency and salary cap systems in the NFL and the National Basketball Association (NBA), NCAA player litigation and NFL arbitrations and litigations involving player discipline. Highlights included David Feher and Jeffrey Kessler representing the North American Soccer League in an antitrust suit in federal court alleging that the US Soccer Federation, FIFA’s regional arm in the country, had violated federal antitrust law by conspiring to exclude competitor leagues from Division I status. The firm is also able to utilise its advertising, marketing and entertainment law expertise, notably negotiating a multi-year sideline sponsorship agreement for Bose with the NFL. Sport and antitrust specialist David Greenspan is another name of name in the New York-based practice.

Leading lawyers

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Transport: aviation and air travel - finance

Transport: aviation and air travel - finance - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP handles aircraft portfolio sale-purchase transactions and aircraft securitization for a variety of deal participants. Chicago-based Michael O’Brien acted for Bank of Montreal, as agent, in connection with a $290m syndicated credit facility for a major US transportation company, which was secured by freight aircraft among other aviation equipment. In the capital markets space, the team has advised liquidity providers such as BNP Paribas and Natixis on multiple securitized aircraft portfolio ABS transactions. Other key figures include Deepak Reddy, who joined the department from Dentons in 2017, and Peter Morgan. All lawyers are based in New York unless stated otherwise. William Bowers retired in 2018.

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Transport: shipping - finance

Transport: shipping - finance - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s Washington DC-based maritime department has experience of maritime bankruptcies and vessel refinancing transactions. Gerald Morrissey and New York-based associate Brooke Shapiro advised Mizuho Bank on several lease refinancing deals involving inland river barge fleets. Shapiro and Allen Black acted as borrower’s counsel to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in relation to a syndicated secured revolving credit facility. Practice head Charlie Papavizas has experience of vessel sales and restructurings in connection with Chapter 11 proceedings.

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Transport: shipping - litigation

Transport: shipping - litigation - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

From its Washington DC office Winston & Strawn LLP handles major contract litigation and regulatory proceedings for a variety of clients in the shipping industry, including terminal operators and ocean transportation companies. Bryant Gardner and Gerald Morrissey successfully represented Maher Terminals against the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey in a claim of unlawful discrimination under the Shipping Act. Department head Charlie Papavizas successfully defended Global Marketing Systems in a dispute regarding the existence of an enforceable JV contract to acquire and operate a fleet of shipping vessels. Additional clients include Schuyler Line Navigation and Santa Fe Discount Cruise Parking.

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Transport: shipping - regulation

Transport: shipping - regulation - ranked: tier 1

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s maritime lawyers are highly regarded for their expertise in Jones Act compliance and matters involving international trade. In addition to providing comprehensive compliance advice, the group has experience advocating before various key regulatory agencies. Charlie Papavizas regularly represents Liberty Maritime Corporation in the promotion of US-flagging policies. The team includes Allen Black and has a long track record advising clients in relation to criminal maritime investigations. Bryant Gardner and New York-based associate Brooke Shapiro have handled disputes concerning government contracts. The team defended Schuyler Line Navigation Company in bid protest litigation concerning its contract to supply Guantanamo Bay Naval Station. Gerald Morrissey is another contact in the department.

Leading lawyers

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United States: Intellectual property

Copyright

Copyright - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP has formidable expertise in the digital service provider and content distribution space and represents major players in technology, new media and entertainment in a number of bet-the-industry copyright lawsuits. Alongside contentious work, the firm has a notable advisory practice and a strong transactional focus. The team successfully appealed a $25m award to BMG Rights Management on behalf of cable company Cox Enterprises, in a case concerning service-user copyright infringements. It also secured favorable terms for Amazon in the Phonorecords III rate-setting case. In New York, Michael Elkin successfully represented PepsiCo against advertising agency Betty, which alleged Pepsi’s 2016 Joy of Dance Super Bowl halftime advertisement was derived from a copyright infringement. Thomas Lane in New York, Jennifer Golinveaux in San Francisco and Erin Ranahan in Los Angeles are also recommended.

Leading lawyers

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Patent litigation: full coverage

Patent litigation: full coverage - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

The ‘excellent’ Winston & Strawn LLP is particularly active in defence work. Los Angeles’ David Enzminger, noted for his ‘command of subject matter’ and ‘excellent client service’, and Chicago’s Michael Brody lead the team. A recent highlight was the successful representation of Teva in a Federal Circuit case regarding the interpretation of the on-sale bar as amended by the America Invents Act. Securing a precedent-setting opinion from the Federal Circuit on behalf of Smith International regarding a patent on an oil well drilling device was another major success. Dell, Schlumberger and Hospira are also on the client roster. The practice has recently opened a Dallas office, staffed among others by former Fish & Richardson P.C. litigators Thomas Melsheimer, Tom Walsh, Michael Bittner and Brett Johnson. In Silicon Valley, Michael Rueckheim and Kathi Vidal joined from Fish & Richardson P.C. and Esha Bandyopadhyay joined from Turner Boyd. New Los Angeles additions Andrew Grossman from Paul Hastings LLP and Nimalka Wickramasekera from Kirkland & Ellis LLP further strengthen the group. Other key lawyers are Chicago’s George Lombardi and Kurt Mathas. Luke Culpepper went in-house to ARM; Tyler VanHoutan joined McGuireWoods LLP and Constance Ramos left to found AKIRA IP.

Leading lawyers

Next generation lawyers

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Patent litigation: international trade commission

Patent litigation: international trade commission - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP ‘provides high quality work’ and is lauded for its ‘very good understanding of the judges and the commission’ as well as for ‘providing sound guidance throughout’. The group regularly handles a broad gamut of technology sector work, including wireless communications, microprocessors and semiconductor matters. Practice head Thomas Jarvis is ‘a master in the high-stakes, high-pressure ITC environment’ and regularly co-leads matters with Paul Goulet, who ‘handles procedural issues expertly’ and Steven Anzalone, who ‘has a deep engineering background’. Recent work includes defending Comcast against claims involving seven patents used in set-top boxes used by Comcast cable TV subscribers. Ericsson is a long-term ITC client. Managing partner Kathi Vidal joined the Silicon Valley office from Fish & Richardson P.C..

Leading lawyers

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Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)

Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters) - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

John Keville heads Winston & Strawn LLP’s group from Houston, where Sheryl Falk is also noted. The team assists clients such as Walmart, Yahoo! and Logitech with contentious matters involving breaches of restrictive covenants, unfair competition and data theft. Dallas-based Thomas Melsheimer, who joined the firm from Fish & Richardson P.C., led a team which obtained a favorable judgment for the defendants in a billion-dollar jury trial in Tech Pharmacy Services, LLC v Alixa Rx LLC, et al.

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United States: Investment fund formation and management

Private equity funds (including venture capital)

Private equity funds (including venture capital) - ranked: tier 5

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s team, which has a particular strength in credit funds, has grown following the recruitment of a team from Chadbourne & Parke - including ‘excellent transactional lawyer’ Scott Naidech - prior to Chadbourne & Parke’s absorption by Norton Rose Fulbright. New York-based Naidech continues to advise WAMEX Private Equity Management - most recently on launching its third fund, which is Mexico focused. In Chicago, Bradley Mandel handles credit fund work. Jay Gould and Michael Wu, both of whom are based in San Francisco, ‘get ten out of ten - they are simply the best - the most flexible and informed attorneys a business owner could ask for’; the pair advised Audax Group and Orbis Asset Management on lending funds. In the buyout space, Brian Kozlowski in Chicago advised Frontenac on forming a $325m fund targeting middle-market deals in consumer sectors; in the same office, Andrew McDonough has venture capital expertise. New York-based funds regulatory lawyer Beth Kramer is also a key name. Other areas of work include secondaries transactions.

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United States: Labor and employment

Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design

Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s practice is led by Nancy Gerrie and the New York-based Scott Landau, who is ‘the best employment lawyer for private equity-backed companies in the market today’ and ‘an invaluable extension of any team’. The group was recently bolstered by the arrival of ten partners and a portion of their established clients from McDermott Will & Emery LLP - including Gerrie. In recent highlights, Susan Nash led the advice to Starbucks with regards to its adoption of a private healthcare exchange, and Washington DC’s David Rogers counseled Carnival Control Group on its non-qualified plan compliance with the ACA and incoming legislative changes. Amy Gordon and Joe Adams are also key names. Named attorneys are based in Chicago unless otherwise stated.

Leading lawyers

Next generation lawyers

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Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional

Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP recently expanded its offering with the addition of 12 partners - including 10 from McDermott Will & Emery LLP - and two counsels to its Washington DC, New York and Chicago offices. In recent highlights, New York-based practice co-head Scott Landau led advice to Verizon with regard to its high-profile acquisition of Yahoo!, while Chicago-based Joe Adams and Amy Gordon advised a household-name pharmaceutical company on the executive compensation issues arising from a number of high-value transactions. Nancy Gerrie co-heads the practice from the Chicago office and New York-based Nyron Persaud is also a name to note.

Leading lawyers

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Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions): defense

Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions): defense - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP defends employers in a range of contentious matters, including claims filed by single plaintiffs, by multiple plaintiff and in major class and collective actions. In a recent matters, Daniel Fazio has been defending Fannie Mae in a Supreme Court case alleging violations of the ADEA and Title VII. Rex Sessions is defending LVMH in several matters, including wage and hour, and discrimination cases. Joseph Torres is representing Caterpillar Inc in a disparate impact collective action age discrimination lawsuit. Abbott Laboratories, Accenture and United States Women’s National Soccer Team are also clients. Key contacts among the team also include Washington DC-based William Miossi, the ‘superb’ Joan Tucker Fife in San Francisco, Aviva Grumet-Morris, Stephen Sheinfeld in New York, as well as Marcus Torrano and Laura Petroff, who are based in Los Angeles. Michael Roche heads the team and Michael Mulhern recently retired. Named individuals are based in Chicago unless otherwise stated.

Next generation lawyers

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Labor-management relations

Labor-management relations - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s Joseph Torres is ‘a real expert in the field’, ‘a great communicator’ and ‘able to cut right to the core of any issue’. Based in Chicago, Torres teamed up with Derek Barella to assist Caterpillar with its response to the United Auto Workers’ 450-worker strong campaign at an Ohio distribution centre. In another recent highlight, Washington DC-based William Miossi represented Liberty Maritime in a dispute arising from the failure to renegotiate employee wages, benefits and other economic terms, and its disagreement with the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association over the need for arbitration.

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United States: M&A/corporate and commercial

M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m)

M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m) - ranked: tier 1

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP grew the New York practice with the hires of Chadbourne & Parke LLP’s former Latin American group chairs Allen Miller - who has extensive experience in power, infrastructure and renewable energy deals - and corporate and investment funds expert Talbert Navia, as well as private equity attorney Kevin Smith and Morton Grosz, who acts for multinational corporate clients and investment funds. Other key hires included public and private company M&A specialist Thomas Hughes in Dallas from Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, and Jared Manes in New York from Jenner & Block LLP. The practice fields lawyers with deal expertise in highly regulated industries, such as energy and financial services, and its scope of work includes cross-border transactions, take-private transactions, carve-outs, and distressed acquisitions. In New York, Joel Rubinstein advised special purpose acquisition company CF Corporation on its announced acquisition of insurance company Fidelity & Guaranty Life; and Robert Rawn acted for Silgan Holdings in its acquisition of the dispensing systems business of WestRock Company. Matthew Bergmann in Chicago and Washington DC-based Christopher Zochowski lead the M&A practice; Zochowski advised Weinberg Partners on the sale of Northpoint Commercial Finance. The team also includes Chicago-based former corporate practice chair Steven Gavin, whose clients include Groupon, Morningstar and Luxottica, Robert Wall, who acts for corporations, successful entrepreneurs, investment banking firms and special board committees, and James Junewicz, who divides time between Chicago and New York and is a former assistant general counsel of the SEC. Other highly rated Chicago practitioners are former M&A, securities and corporate governance practice chair Oscar David; Gregory Bynan, whose clients include Norwest Equity Partners, Guggenheim Partners and Wynnchurch Capital; Matthew Costigan, who is recommended for M&A, joint ventures and advice to private equity and venture capital funds; Bruce Toth; and Brian Schafer. Richard Wynne is a key Houston contact.

Leading lawyers

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Private equity buyouts

Private equity buyouts - ranked: tier 5

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP has impressive private equity talent spread across its US offices, most notably Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. It delivers ‘consistently perfect advice which reaches far beyond legal advice’ and has ‘strong client orientation and response times’. Healthcare deals are a particular strength of the practice. Clients include The Jordan Company, GenNx360 Capital Partners, Frontenac Company, Water Street Healthcare Partners, Norwest Equity Partners and Kainos Capital. Los Angeles’ Eva Davis is ‘a very good negotiator’ with ‘very strong business acumen’ and ‘does a great job getting things done efficiently and with good results’, thanks to ‘lots of experience that actually saves time and money in the end’. Bradley Vaiana and Dominick DeChiara lead the practice, and James Kelly ‘is a master of his craft’; all three are based in New York.

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United States: Media, technology and telecoms

Advertising and marketing: litigation

Advertising and marketing: litigation - ranked: tier 2

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s litigation team includes Ronald Rothstein in Chicago and Charlotte-based Amanda Groves; Groves is defending Dollar General in a putative class action alleging the client’s DG Body Soothing Aloe Gel doesn’t contain aloe vera, as claimed on the label, and Rothstein is acting for Big Heart Pet Brands in a putative class action regarding the ‘All Natural’ labeling of various pet food products. Clients also praise ‘excellent litigator’ Michael Elkin in New York, who is representing PepsiCo in litigation brought by advertising agency Betty, which alleges that PepsiCo’s 2016 Super Bowl commercial was originally its concept; and Chicago-based product liability specialist Scott Glauberman, who is defending Abbott Laboratories in false advertising litigation in which plaintiffs allege that the labeling of Abbott’s AdvantEdge and Myoplex nutrition bars misrepresents the products’ nutritional values.

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Advertising and marketing: transactional and regulatory

Advertising and marketing: transactional and regulatory - ranked: tier 1

Winston & Strawn LLP

The ‘top-tier advertising practice’ at Winston & Strawn LLP is ‘among the best in the industry’ and is commended for being an ‘extremely responsive and client-oriented team’. The group advised Bose on its sideline sponsorship deal with the NFL, assisted Ferrero with the advertising elements of its establishment of the first Nutella Café, and acted for basketball player Dwyane Wade on sponsorship deals. The team also works for advertising agencies and recently advised Rubin Postaer and Associates as agent for American Honda Motor Company on talent agreement negotiations with Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Amy Adams and Jimmy Kimmel. Liisa Thomas joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP in 2017.

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Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)

Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s ‘responsive, fully resourced and compassionate’ team is jointly led by ‘true incident response expert’ Sheryl Falk in Houston and Steven Grimes and Robert Newman in the Chicago office; Grimes rejoined the firm in 2017 from an in-house role. The firm’s recently formed global privacy and data security task force handles privacy and data security counseling, trade secret protection, cyber investigations, class action litigation and international data protection, and also builds on the firm’s ‘exceptional’ marketing practice to advise a variety of brands and agencies. In a recent highlight, Falk defended a former employee of Apache in an investigation alleging insider data theft; she also acted for an insurance company in a data breach claim and advised a healthcare client on establishing privacy policies and data breach response procedures. Newman’s work includes creating policies and procedures for a startup and assisting a golf company with GDPR compliance. Liisa Thomas joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP in 2017.

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United States: Tax

US taxes: contentious

US taxes: contentious - ranked: tier 3

Winston & Strawn LLP

The ‘great value’ team at Winston & Strawn LLP is headed by Lawrence Hill, who joined from Shearman & Sterling LLP in February 2017 together with of counsel Richard Nessler. The two lawyers have been acting for HSBC witnesses in relation to three criminal trials involving unreported bank accounts, unreported income and/or failure to file foreign bank account reports (FBARs), and have assisted an international conglomerate with an IRS examination and IRS appeal of a so-called ‘inversion case’ involving an almost full IRS concession of a multibillion-dollar adjustment. The client base also includes Quest Diagnostics, Deutsche Bank and Elan Pharmaceuticals. San Francisco-based head of state and local tax Charles Moll, Edmund Cohen and Deborah Goldstein are other names to note. Attorneys mentioned are based in New York unless otherwise specified.

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US taxes: non-contentious

US taxes: non-contentious - ranked: tier 4

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP’s ‘excellent’ tax team is ‘very good at finding solutions in complex matters’, particularly in relation to private equity, M&A transactions, financings, SALT and other tax planning issues. ‘Innovative thinker’ Edmund Cohen, Deborah Goldstein and ‘rising star’ Rachel Ingwer in New York advised Renaissance Technologies on tax planning regarding several of their managed funds, including the Medallion Fund. Cohen also assisted the Nicolas Berggruen Charitable Trust with the foundation of the Berggruen Institute. Robert Heller’s highlights included the all-cash acquisition of Fidelity & Guaranty Life by client CF Corporation for $1.8bn. Chicago-based team lead Louis Weber, who represents JZ Capital Partners in tax planning and cross-border structuring matters, is recommended for his ‘business approach to tax issues’.

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