Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP

Partner

Reuben Camper Cahn is  a courtroom advocate of exceptional experience and ability. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, he has tried over 100 cases to jury verdict and argued twice before the Supreme Court of the United States, in addition to numerous arguments before the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, and appellate litigation.

Reuben clerked for the Honorable Lawrence W. Pierce of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and began his career at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where he worked in securities litigation and international arbitration.

Driven by his desire to be a trial lawyer and to serve the public, Reuben left corporate litigation to become a public defender, first in Florida and then in the federal courts. He rose quickly to become Chief Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida and was later recruited to serve as Executive Director of Federal Defenders of San Diego, where he managed an office of 140 employees and a budget of $26 million while continuing to try cases and argue appeals. During this time, he argued twice before the Supreme Court, served as learned counsel in the high-profile case of United States v. Loughner, and led a team that obtained the release of two clients held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

Reuben also established himself as a leader in the Federal Defender community, serving for ten years as one of its two representatives to the Judicial Conference of the United States and receiving appointment by the Chief Justice to the Conference's special committee to review the Criminal Justice Act. He has defended matters involving tax, public corruption, fraud, money laundering, RICO, and Continuing Criminal Enterprise charges, among others, and has served as lead counsel in federal capital cases—including one resulting in complete acquittal and another ending in a unanimous life verdict. He has been appointed counsel learned in the law by federal judges in over 15 capital trial cases.

Representative matters:

Represented CashCall and its CEO/sole owner Paul Reddam in a groundbreaking transactional legal malpractice case against AmLaw 100 firm Katten Muchin and partner Claudia Callaway, seeking over $900 million in damages related to advice on a Native-American lender partnership and opinion letters facilitating over $800 million in borrowing; defeated attempts to apply DC contributory negligence law and achieved a favorable settlement.

Represented CashCall and Reddam in an appeal by the CFPB of a District Court order denying restitution, addressing equitable limits on restitution awards under Liu v. SEC and remedies for a CFPB Appointments Clause violation.

Represented AIG following reversal of a $70 million bad faith verdict; established the reversal was unqualified and developed evidence that Victaulic knew its valves were defective and concealed this from insurers, resulting in settlement for nuisance value.

Represented Snap, Inc. in products liability cases filed in state and federal courts in Georgia and South Carolina.

Represented YBL Holdings, Inc., K&L Supply Co., and Christy Ryoo, obtaining summary judgment in a $120 million suit brought by the entities' previous owner.

Represented I-Shin Chen, a container magnate from Taiwan, charged in the "Varsity Blues" college admission cheating scandal.

Served as lead counsel in a federal capital case that resulted in complete acquittal of capital charges (United States v. Edward Mack), the first such acquittal in the modern era.

Served as lead counsel in another federal capital case that ended with a unanimous life verdict.

Argued twice before the U.S. Supreme Court (2011 and 2018), including Sanchez-Gomez, No. 17-312.

Defended matters involving tax, public corruption, fraud, money laundering, RICO, Continuing Criminal Enterprise charges, and other white-collar offenses; appointed "counsel learned in the law" by federal judges in over 15 capital

Orange County Bar Association

Federal Bar Association

San Diego Appellate Inn of Court (Honorary Master)

Screening committee of the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit for selection of the Central District of California’s Federal Public Defender (FPD-CDCA)

Federal Judiciary Advisory Committee for the Central District of California, Member

Yale Law School, J.D.

Stanford University, B.A.