Leading trial lawyers in United States

Evan Chesler – Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Considered to be one of the best litigators in the US, Evan Chesler continues to be involved in jury trials in both trial and appellate courts, as well as in federal and state courts and before arbitration panels. A current standout mandate is representing Starz Entertainment in a copyright infringement and breach of contract action which is scheduled to be tried next year. Chesler also continues to represent Elon Musk and Tesla board members in an action related to the board’s approval of a performance-based compensation plan for Mr. Musk, scheduled to be tried in April 2022. Chesler is based in the New York office.

Karen Dunn – Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Washington DC based litigation partner Karen Dunn leads many of the most significant cases in the US, particularly those where settlement is not an option. In 2021, Dunn had a major trial victory for Apple in Epic v. Apple.  Other notable representations within the technology sector include leading the team defending Uber against Waymo in a billion dollar trade secrets case over the future of self-driving cars.

Randy Mastro – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Randy Mastro has an extremely active trial practice, especially within general commercial litigation. He has continued to secure landmark victories in significant COVID-19 related cases over the past year, with a US Supreme Court victory overturning New York’s fixed-capacity restrictions on in-person church attendance and the State’s eviction moratorium. Another convincing victory in 2021 was on behalf of small landlord clients and the Rent Stabilization Association of NYC, Inc. when a writ of injunction was granted by the Supreme Court in Mastro’s clients’ constitutional challenge to New York State’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium.

Diane Sullivan – Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Diane Sullivan in New York concentrates on high-value disputes and bet-the-company trials. Among her many successes is a highly favorable settlement for Giant Eagle in the first-ever federal jury trial against pharmacies in the opioid MDL which highlights her cross-practice expertise and high-profile work. Mass torts are another specialism in her varied practice. As first-chair lawyer in a mass tort trial, Diane secured the first defense verdict for Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey state court.

Dan Webb – Winston & Strawn LLP. A career-long trial lawyer who has been first-chair lawyer in over 100 jury trials, Dan Webb‘s strong track record includes acting as chief trial counsel in one of the most significant antitrust merger challenges in the healthcare industry in the past decade. In 2021, he was particularly prolific in the aviation industry and white-collar criminal trials continue to be area of particular strength for him. He also focuses on major commercial, civil and regulatory disputes. Webb’s practice is based in Chicago.

Theodore Wells – Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. New York-based Theodore Wells has conducted many of the most influential matters in the US. Historical cases of note include serving as lead counsel to New Jersey Governer Phil Murphy in an unprecedented lawsuit involving a Democratic power broker attempting to stop an investigation by a special governor’s task force into the state’s tax incentive programs. Wells is highly regarded for SEC investigations, exemplified by his defence of ExxonMobil in a three-year SEC investigation which ended with no enforcement action being recommended against the company. He was also retained to represent ExxonMobil in a series of tort suits.

Beth Wilkinson – Wilkinson Stekloff. Founding partner Beth Wilkinson, based in Washington DC, has been lead counsel in over 50 jury trials in the US. Wilkinson continues to have a full trial and appellate practice, with big ticket work including antitrust class actions being among its key components.

Robin Gibbs – Gibbs & Bruns LLP. Based in Houston, founding partner Robin Gibbs‘ diverse practice involves high-stakes litigation. A recent multi-million dollar trial win was in the oil and gas sector for private client David Dunwoody, Jr. Another high-stakes case in this sector is leading a large plaintiff’s suit involving $1billion+ in cost overruns. Gibbs is also known for financial services and private client disputes; in a standout highlight he continues to represent Trustmark National Bank over many years in three lawsuits related to the collapse of the Stanford Financial Group with damages in excess of $5 billion.

William Isaacson – Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Mandates covered by Washington DC-based William Isaacson  include complex class actions. His practice focuses on antitrust matters; notably securing an arbitration victory on behalf of Uber in a high-profile, lengthy antitrust action against the company. Isaacson has acted in antitrust class actions on the defense and the plaintiff side, a unique element to his practice. On the plaintiff side, he also undertakes significant and impactful pro bono work. Current notable mandates include defending Apple in a crucial class action for the business and securing a favorable settlement for Apple in early October 2021.

Marc Kasowitz –Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP. Marc Kasowitz is a well renowned trial lawyer and litigator, and is often lauded for his litigation work in the financial services industry. At present he is leading a litigation involving losses in the residential mortgage-backed securities market and was particularly successful in this area in 2021. A significant historical win involves successfully arguing in the New York Court of Appeals that a $120 million lawsuit against Goldman Sachs on behalf of ACA Financial Guaranty should be reinstated. Kasowitz is based in New York. 

David Lender – Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Working from the firm’s New-York office, David Lender has over 25 years of experience in areas such as antitrust litigation and complex class actions. Of note is his representation of General Electric in multiple high-value IP disputes. Lender’s appearances in a variety of courts also include representing ExxonMobil in federal and state courts in connection with the use of the chemical MTBE in gasoline.

Kathy Patrick – Gibbs & Bruns LLP. Kathy Patrick, based in Houston, is particularly relied upon by clients for securities, antitrust, and general commercial matters. Patrick is currently representing a group of major opt-out plaintiffs in a direct action against Visa and Mastercard. Emblematic of the firm, she represents both plaintiffs and defendants and in the financial services sector, following the financial crash in 2008, Patrick represented 14 institutional investors, securing over $20bn from major financial institutions, including Bank of America, JPMorgan and Citigroup.

Daniel Petrocelli – O’Melveny & Myers LLP. Working from the firm’s Los Angeles office, Daniel Petrocelli is highly regarded for media and entertainment disputes, though he is also regularly instructed in areas such as employment, IP and sports litigation. A significant matter in his career includes being instructed by Johnson & Johnson as lead trial counsel in a case regarding its alleged role in the US opioid crisis. Petrocelli is chair of O’Melveny’s trial practice and a vice chair of the firm.

Daniel Slifkin – Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. New-York based Daniel Slifkin‘s trial practice, of which securities disputes are an important component, continues to thrive. Slifkin is one of few litigators to have taken a securities fraud class action through to a jury verdict. A standout recent highlight is acting as first chair in a case relating to securities offerings conducted in connection with Occidental’s $57 billion acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum, the largest oil and gas merger in over 20 years, and he won a motion to dismiss a plaintiff’s claim of violations of federal security law in March 2021. Other key clients include Westpac Banking and Alcoa.

Tom Melsheimer – Winston & Strawn LLP. ‘Smart, prepared, entertaining and convincing‘ litigator and trial lawyer Tom Melsheimer has a broad practice both as a federal prosecutor and as a private practitioner. Experienced in high value matters, Melsheimer was retained to defend Kent Thiry in a large-scale DaVita criminal antitrust trial scheduled for March 2022. On the government side, Melsheimer was instrumental as first-trial lawyer in achieving an injunction blocking Texas Governor Abbott’s Texas-wide ban on mask mandates in public schools. Melsheimer is based in Dallas.

Elkan Abramowitz – Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello P.C. Elkan Abramowitz, who founded the firm, is a white-collar crime expert based in New York. Recent notable mandates include Abramowitz’s representation of the Chamber of the office of the Governor of New York in relation to inquiries about nursing home orders and reports. Abramowitz has been recognized by clients for his ‘deep knowledge and great wisdom.’

Andrew Clubok – Latham & Watkins LLP. Based in New York and Washington DC, Andrew Clubok is experienced in trial, appellate, and administrative litigation in such sectors as financial services, automotive, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals. Clubock has gained a wealth of experience in complex shareholder litigation, representing clients such as Meta Platforms (formerly known as Facebook), Peloton, Twitter, Lyft and high-profile directors and officers, among which is Mark Zuckerberg. Notably in 2021, Clubock led the team to securing a complete victory for Riverstone Holdings LLC and two of its subsidiaries in a shareholder derivative suit and putative class action filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery.

Arturo González – Morrison Foerster. Described by a client as ‘one of the finest trial lawyer in the country’, San Francisco-based trial lawyer Arturo González is known for his corporate defense and pro bono work and is well respected in these areas. He is also trusted by large companies such as Uber and VMware for high-stakes litigation and trial work.

Brad Karp - Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Firm chairman Brad Karp continues to successfully defend high-profile financial institutions and corporations including Morgan Stanley and Blackstone Alternative Asset Management in their most challenging litigations. He has also represented the NFL over several years, notably achieving in October 2021 a settlement of claims by retired black players alleging race-based adjustments in dementia testing in the settlement payout process. Karp is based in New York.

Abbe Lowell – Winston & Strawn LLP. Washington DC based Abbe Lowell‘s success rate in the courtroom is particularly impressive, with twenty-seven wins and just one loss to his name. Work includes representing high-profile individuals such as former US Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor in relation to an extradition request by the US Department of Justice and the Ministry of Justice of Japan. Lowell is also currently first-chair lawyer defending a real estate developer Ruel Hamilton in a federal case involving corruption.

Craig Martin – Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. Based in Chicago, Craig Martin ‘knows the law and is incredibly responsive‘ according to one client. He has been trying cases for over a decade; these span  several areas, including patent infringement, antitrust, commercial contract, trade disputes, restrictive covenants and non-compete agreements. White-collar criminal defense work and civil rights cases are also frequent mandates for Martin. Following a trial in the Middle District of Florida in 2021, he secured a significant victory for Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting, Inc. in a high-profile action related to its consulting services.

Orin Snyder – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Orin Snyder is co-chair of the firm’s global trial practice group and is particularly well regarded as a technology, media and entertainment litigator. In a standout, long-running case, he represented the founders and early employees of Tinder in their claim in New York state court against Match Group, Inc. and IAC/InterActiveCorp. After a trial that began in November 2021, the defendants settled the case in the amount of $441 million. Snyder is based in New York.

James Hurst – Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Mandates taken on by James Hurst include patent, product liability, contract and trade secrets litigation, for which he has a strong track record. Historical matters include representing Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and affiliates in a US District Court as part of a consolidated patent infringement action against 16 pharmaceutical companies and their affiliates. He has also handled multiple appeals before the US Supreme Court.

Jeffrey Kessler – Winston & Strawn LLP. New-York based Jeffrey Kessler has served as lead trial counsel in some of the most complex antitrust, sports, trade, and commercial trials in the US. His practice often focuses on antitrust and sports law; notably securing a unanimous US Supreme Court verdict for classes of Division I college football and basketball players against the NCAA in a landmark antitrust challenge in 2021.

Peter Bicks – Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. When facing some of their biggest challenges, clients look to New York-based Peter Bicks who is highly regarded for his expertise in product liability trials and large-scale class actions. In one such example, in 2021 Bicks co-led the team which represented Johnson & Johnson in three significant litigation matters related to California’s Proposition 65 and won motions to dismiss as well as an early summary judgment.

Dane Butswinkas – Williams & Connolly LLP. Based in Washington DC, Dane Butswinkas has amassed experience in both state and federal courts across a variety of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, real estate, manufacturing and media and entertainment. Notably, he gained a complete bench trial victory in Delaware defending AstraZenca in a suit brought by a company seeking $275m in milestone payments after the two companies merged several years previously.

Jay Cohen – Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. New-York based Jay Cohen is former co-chair of the firm’s litigation department and is particularly renowned for his expertise in commercial, media and entertainment, antitrust and intellectual property disputes. A recent victory for the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and 14 independent music publishers in a copyright infringement action against Peloton Interactive, one of the largest copyright cases ever brought in the music industry, demonstrates his prowess in this area.

Lori Cohen – Greenberg Traurig LLP. The 'especially talented‘ Lori Cohen is well known for her work defending global pharmaceutical and medical device companies and continues to deliver precedent-setting wins after amassing over 25 years experience as a trial lawyer. In 2021, as lead trial counsel, Cohen won a complete defense verdict for C. R. Bard Inc. in an IVC filter case in Louisiana. Cohen works out of the firm’s Atlanta office.

Sandra Goldstein – Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Renowned for her forté in securities and M&A litigation, New York based Sandra Goldstein has achieved more than 20 pretrial wins, including in a multi-billion dollar securities fraud class action lawsuit where she won a significant summary judgment. In an ongoing matter, Goldstein defended Constellation Brands and some of its subsidiaries in a case brought by Modelo de Mexico involving contract and trademark claims relating to the use of the Corona trademarks.

George Lombardi – Winston & Strawn LLP. Chicago-based George Lombardi ‘offers good strategic insights and has a depth of experience actually trying cases‘. He is best known for his strong track record in complex life sciences and consumer product issues, as well as acting for clients in the healthcare sector. His cases often involve significant and complex legal issues, and his success rate is impressive. Notably, Lombardi represented Monsanto Company in the first product liability jury trial involving Roundup in the US, defending against claims that the herbicide causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

David Marriott – Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. David Marriott has gained litigation and arbitration experience over several years in intellectual property and employment issues as well as in antitrust and securities matters. Marriott continues to work at the forefront of these issues, including acting for Viatris in a consolidated putative securities class action in 2021 in relation to its EpiPen product. In an upcoming jury trial, he is representing Alcon Laboratories in more than 50 class actions. Marriott is based in New York.

Steven Molo – MoloLamken LLP. New York-based Steven Molo utilizes his ‘great analytical abilities and communication skills‘ to represent senior management of companies and government officials in their most challenging white collar matters in court. Although securities class action cases do not often go to trial, Molo is trusted to represent clients when they do. Indicative of this; in 2021 Molo was retained not long before trial to represent the plaintiff in a high value Dakota Plains securities fraud class action in the Sothern District of New York.

Barrett Reasoner – Gibbs & Bruns LLP. Houston-based Barrett Reasoner has a diverse trial practice, spanning antitrust issues through to environment, trade secrets, defamation and energy disputes. Notably as first chair lawyer, he helped to secure a total defense verdict for private client Richard Murphy, a subsea tree engineer, after a three-week jury trial in a multi-million dollar trade secrets case. Simultaneously, he was retained to represent national merchant retailers in a complex direct antitrust action against Visa and Mastercard.

Gregory Arovas – Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Robert Baron - Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

David Beck - Beck Redden

Philip Beck - Bartlit Beck LLP

Mark S. Cheffo – Dechert LLP

Lynne Hermle - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Joan Lukey - Choate, Hall & Stewart

Aaron Marks – Kirkland & Ellis LLP

William Pratt – Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Michael Rhodes - Cooley LLP

Richard Strassberg - Goodwin 

Michael Holmes – Vinson & Elkins LLP

Sheron Korpus - Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP

Ava Lias-Booker - McGuireWoods LLP

Bart Williams – Proskauer Rose LLP

Michael Calhoon - Baker Botts L.L.P.

Jennifer Keller – Keller/Anderle LLP