International litigation in United States

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP's 'very intelligent and highly experienced' New York-based litigation team combines deep expertise in white-collar and regulatory defense with a breadth of experience in general commercial litigation. Its strong regulatory defense group—which includes former SEC director of enforcement Andrew Ceresney, who leads the team alongside Mary Beth Hogan—means the group excels in politically and public relations sensitive disputes. Other names to note for white collar and regulatory defense matters include Bruce Yannett, John Gleeson, Andrew Levine, Mary Jo White and Washington DC-based David O’Neil. For public international law issues, Donald Donovan, Catherine Amirfar and Ina Popova are names to note Other areas of focus include cross-border intellectual property disputes, as well as commercial litigation in the insurance, private equity and healthcare sectors. The firm is also noted for its strong international arbitration practice where David Rivkin is a key contact.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is regularly involved in transnational disputes on the frontier of quickly evolving areas of practice. Climate change and sustainability-related litigation continue to be an area of growth for the firm as reflected in its freshly launched global environmental, social, and corporate governance practice group; Los Angeles-based duo Perlette Jura and William Thomson are names to note in this area. Jura is also active in defending corporates in transnational supply chain lawsuits and against allegations of aiding and abetting human rights violations. The group also has a strong enforcement practice. In a case led by Thomson and New York-based Andrea Neuman and Randy Mastro, the group defended Chevron against the enforcement in the US of a fraudulent $9.5bn judgment issued against the company in Ecuador. Another contact in New York is Anne Champion, who is recommended for environmental and mass tort disputes, while in Washington DC Miguel Estrada, has a strong track record in the appellate courts and is noted for regulatory, white-collar crime and intellectual property disputes.

The commercial litigation team at White & Case LLP is a top choice for sovereign states and banks in cross-border disputes. It also counts market-leading corporates among its impressive client list. Fielding a number of formidable litigators, the group also benefits from the wider firm's impressive global reach and deep sector expertise. It is increasingly developing a niche in terrorism-related litigation and, in a case led by Washington DC-based trio Christopher Curran, Nicole Erb and Claire DeLelle, successfully defended the Republic of Sudan against several allegations in US courts that the republic provided support or resources to Al-Qaeda for several terrorist attacks. The DC team also recently welcomed the arrival of Tara Lee from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, who is recommended for white-collar crime and investigations, and has particular expertise in sexual harassment investigations and litigation. Practice head Glenn Kurtz is a contact in the New York office, which is particularly well known for representing financial services companies, including Chinese banks. On the West Coast, the group boasts an impressive roster of technology and social media companies; Los Angeles-based Aalok Sharma and Rachel Feldman are key contacts in this space.

Allen & Overy LLP's New York-based litigation team excels in international investigations and cross-border disputes involving complex regulatory components. The group is led by Jacob Pultman, who specializes in corporate litigation and real estate finance disputes, and includes corporate and private equity litigator Bradley Pensyl. Andrew Rhys Davies is a name to note for securities and financial services disputes, while David Esseks and Eugene Ingoglia are recommended for securities litigation and anti-corruption investigations. The group is also growing its US presence in international arbitration, having recently welcomed Patrick Pearsall from Jenner & Block LLP to its Washington DC office. Also in DC, two former DOJ prosecutors William Jacobson and Jonathan Lopez joined from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, boosting the group's regulatory disputes and white-collar crime defense offering. Also of note, patent litigator Paul Keller joined in New York from Norton Rose Fulbright, though Michael Feldberg left the firm for Reichman Jorgensen LLP.

Headed up by Washington DC-based Eric Bruce, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP's disputes team excels in white-collar criminal defense, global investigations and crisis management. Contacts in New York include Olivia Radin and Kimberly Zelnick, who focus on white-collar crime defense and financial services litigation, respectively.

Hogan Lovells US LLP has a solid reputation in cross-border disputes. Dennis Tracey in New York handles civil litigation and regulatory proceedings, including enforcement, while Los Angeles-based Stephanie Yonekura leverages her expertise as a former federal prosecutor in global investigations, white-collar, and fraud issues. Daniel González is a contact in Miami.

With 22 offices across the globe, King & Spalding LLP stands out for its ability to handle complex multi-jurisdictional disputes and parallel proceedings. The practice group is particularly strong for enforcement litigation, where names to note include New York-based Charlene Sun and James Berger, who is also well regarded for his expertise in sovereign immunity proceeding. Berger leads the team alongside global disputes head Andrew Bayman in Atlanta—who has experience in product liability disputes in the life sciences and healthcare, automotive and manufacturing sectors—and head of US disputes Reginald Smith, who splits his time between New York and Houston and is experienced in handling cross-border commercial disputes in the energy sector. The firm also has complementary expertise in international arbitration, international trade and FCPA investigations.

Latham & Watkins LLP's litigation and trial department assists its impressive roster of multinational corporates with a huge variety of high-stakes multi-jurisdictional disputes. The team is led by Michele Johnson in Orange County who has extensive experience in corporate and commercial disputes, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions. Other areas of focus include antitrust and securities litigation, where names to note include Brian Kowalski in Washington DC, and Peter Wald and Melanie Blunschi, both of whom are based in San Francisco. Elsewhere, the firm has an impressive environmental litigation team led by Mary Rose Alexander in Chicago, and also has a strong IP litigation team, which includes Tara Elliott in Washington DC and David Callahan in Chicago. Other names to note include New York-based Lilia Vazova who has experience in multi-jurisdictional disputes with concurrent criminal and civil proceedings. Moreover, the team was further strengthened by the arrivals of former Williams & Connolly LLP partners Adam Perlman, a patent litigator, and Nicholas Boyle, who is recognized here for unfair competition and trade secrets litigation. Claudia Salomon left the firm in December 2020 and is on track to be named the first female president of the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

The disputes team at Norton Rose Fulbright is jointly led by Richard Krumholz and Gerard Pecht in Dallas and Houston, respectively, and has core strengths in energy and financial services disputes. With a depth of experience in litigation and investigations and the ability to tap into an expansive network of 58 offices globally, the firm is especially well placed to handle parallel proceedings in other jurisdictions. In addition to energy and financial services disputes, the group also stands out in cross-border securities litigation, which is an area of focus for Washington DC-based Kevin Harnisch, who heads the SEC enforcement practice, and Peter Stokes in the Austin office. Also recommended are Washington DC-based Matthew Kirtland and Steve Dollar in New York. The team is complemented by a strong international arbitration group led by Mark Baker in Houston.

Shearman & Sterling LLP's disputes practice handles a range of high-stakes litigation for a varied client base of corporations and financial institutions in the US and abroad. Jerome Fortinsky is recommended for antitrust and securities litigation and general commercial disputes, and is particularly popular among Chinese clients. Securities litigator Adam Hakki is a key contact for clients in the financial services sector. Other core areas of expertise include white-collar and regulatory disputes, M&A litigation and contentious IP matters. The team, which includes several former federal prosecutors and enforcement lawyers, is also well-placed to handle cross-border investigations and enforcement issues. Hakki leads the practice alongside Richard Schwed and San Francisco-based Patrick Robbins. Jonathan Greenblatt left the team to co-found an alternative legal service provider. Named lawyers are based in New York unless stated otherwise.

Washington DC-based Williams & Connolly LLP's international disputes team is particularly well known for representing sovereigns. Among its core strengths, the team stands out in procurement disputes, foreign sovereign immunity and the enforcement of foreign judgments. It also acts for a range of international companies and has a strong reputation in cases involving complex regulatory issues, including those relating to fraud and corruption, financial services and securities regulation, environmental regulation and taxation. Jointly led by Jonathan Landy and Ana Reyes, the single office team works has the freedom to work with a network of firms in other jurisdictions to handle all aspects of multi-jurisdictional disputes.

Jointly led by Washington DC-based Kenneth Chernof and James Herschlein in New York, Arnold & Porter's complex litigation team is active in several of the firm's core focus areas including regulatory, antitrust, financial services, environmental law and life sciences. With a host of former government prosecutors and regulators among its ranks, the group is a popular choice for international white-collar defense and investigations; Marcus Asner and Amy Jeffress (in New York and Washington DC respectively) are names to note in this area.

Baker & Hostetler LLP's international litigation team excels in international asset tracing, insolvency actions and bankruptcy, including sovereign bankruptcy. In New York, cross-border asset recovery specialist Oren Warshavsky and international investigations expert Gonzalo Zeballos are representing bankruptcy trustee Irving Picard in claims against major financial institutions for the recovery of funds related to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. In Washington DC, practice head Mark Cymrot is particularly active in representing foreign states and sovereigns and international organizations, while Houston-based Sashe Dimitroff stands out for his expertise in the energy sector. The team has a strong presence across the US and routinely collaborates with independent firms worldwide to handle multi-jurisdictional disputes.

Dechert LLP’s international litigation practice is noted for its global reach and broad coverage. New York-based Gary Mennitt leads the practice and counts commercial and bankruptcy litigation among his areas of expertise. Michael McGinley, who splits his time between Philadelphia and Washington DC, is recommended for jurisdictional challenges and foreign sovereign immunity issues.

Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance is a go-to name for disputes between US and Latin American clients. Based in Miami, the team is jointly led by Michael Diaz Jr., Gary Davidson and Brant Hadaway, and handles a range of cross-border disputes with multi-jurisdictional elements and parallel proceedings, including those involving state-owned entities or sovereign representatives. The group counts commercial litigation, financial fraud, sovereign immunity issues, asset recovery cases and construction disputes among its areas of expertise. Roland Potts is is recommended in particular for construction disputes, while Marta Colomar-Garcia is a name to note for general corporate and commercial disputes. The team also handles international criminal work, particularly with a focus on regulatory and money laundering requirements; Diaz Jr. is stands out in this regard, as does associate Javier Coronado Diaz, who splits his time between Colombia and Miami.

Greenberg Traurig LLP’s global litigation practice represents leading corporates in a range of cross-border disputes. The group is jointly led by Los Angeles-based Jeffrey Scott and Lori Cohen in Atlanta. Scott has particular experience in media, IP and contractual disputes, while Cohen stands out in the areas of healthcare, pharmaceutical and medical devices.

Winston & Strawn LLP’s international litigation team has an impressive record in cross-border disputes ranging from criminal extradition to global cartel litigation and multi-jurisdictional enforcement matters. In New York, the group is noted for its antitrust work; a contact in this regard is Jeffrey Kessler, who also handles contentious sports and IP issues. Kessler jointly leads the practice alongside Dan Webb in Chicago and Washington DC-based Abbe Lowell, both of whom have deep expertise in white-collar criminal matters, and are regularly advising on criminal extraditions and cross-border investigations. The team also has particular experience representing Latin American and Caribbean clients; Marcelo Blackburn is the name to note in this space, following Julissa Reynoso's appointment as chief of staff to the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden.