Firm Profile > Arnold & Porter > New York , United States

Cartel Tier 1

At Arnold & Porter, Bill Baer, Sonia Kuester Pfaffenroth and practice co-head Debbie Feinstein recently re-joined the team in Washington DC; Baer and Pfaffenroth from the DOJ, and Feinstein from the FTC. In New York, Jennifer Patterson conducted an internal investigation of alleged price-fixing by the US subsidiary of an international auto parts manufacturer client, and is currently advising another manufacturer on its leniency application in two foreign jurisdictions. A major Korean company recently appointed James W Cooper to represent it in a DOJ investigation into allegations of bid-rigging for fuel service contracts. Jonathan Gleklen heads the national antitrust offering and Saul Morgenstern leads the New York branch. Litigation expert James L Cooper is also a key name to note.

Environment: litigation Tier 1

Arnold & Porter acts as overall outside environmental counsel for Honeywell, handling several matters, including successfully defending the client in a citizen claim for personal injuries and property damages relating to the Onondaga Lake cleanup; assisting in toxic tort litigation cases, such as the approximately 45 individual claims and the class action arising out of the presence of PFOA in the groundwater and municipal water supply of Hoosick Falls, New York; and in natural resources damages cases, in which it has particular strength. In other work it acted as lead counsel for Chemours in a range of enforcement and litigation matters relating to the discovery of chemicals in the Cape Fear River, namely covering the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts and the Toxic Substances Control Act; and it continues to advise BP on private party claims arising from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In Washington DC, Brian Israel heads the department; Michael Daneker is firm co-managing partner; and Ethan Shenkman and Joel Gross are other names to note. In San Francisco, Trent Norris covers Proposition 65, and California's toxics and labeling law and consumer protection laws, and counsel Sarah Esmaili is another name to note. Lester Sotsky retired.

Government contracts Tier 1

Named attorneys are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

Arnold & Porter added to its already deep bench in the False Claims Act (FCA) claims arena with the hire of Craig Margolis and Tirzah Lollar from Vinson & Elkins LLP in May 2018. Other notable names in this area include Mark Colley, practice head Craig Holman, Kirk Ogrosky, Steven Diamond, and Marcus Asner. The team is involved in numerous ongoing projects, such as representing a US logistics support contractor regarding material management in Afghanistan. Another matter relates to the defense of KBR in several FCA cases arising out of KBR’s multibillion-dollar contract to provide logistical support to the military in the Middle East during the Iraq War. The team also has specific expertise in bid protest matters, acting for clients such as Raytheon and L3. In a recent highlight, Holman and his team were successful for Ernst & Young in a bid protest against a Department of Veteran Affairs award of a $110m contract to PwC for consulting related to optimization of a VA health system. The team also handles transactional work. Charles Blanchard and Ronald Lee, among others, often work with the Department of Defense and US intelligence agencies on highly classified projects. Kara Daniels, Paul Pompeo, and associate Sonia Tabriz are recommended. Dominique Casimir left for Blank Rome LLP in July 2019.

Healthcare: life sciences Tier 1

Co-chaired by  Daniel Kracov and Allison Shuren, Arnold & Porter's practice assists life sciences clients with regulatory, antitrust, white collar, IP, product liability and transactional matters. Highlights include acting for Monsanto in the client’s $66bn acquisition by Bayer and assisting Danish multinational company Novo Nordisk with regulatory matters, including a developing stem cell initiative. Pfizer and Novartis are long-standing clients. The team also includes Jeffrey Handwerker, who is well versed in pharmaceutical pricing and investigations, government contracts and commercial litigation; litigator Steven Benz; Mahnu Davar, who assists FDA-regulated entities with regulatory and compliance matters; Ariane Horn, who specializes in fraud and abuse compliance and FDA regulation of pharmaceuticals and biological products; and associate Abeba Habtemariam, who provides compliance counseling to pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. In March 2018, Senator Christopher Dodd joined the practice as senior counsel. All named individuals are based in Washington DC.

M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m) Tier 1

Arnold & Porter's M&A practice includes advising strategic and financial buyers and sellers on mergers, stock, asset and whole-business acquisitions, LBOs and tender offers; it is best known for large and complex domestic and cross-border transactions, including deals in the US for Canadian clients, while the firm's San Francisco office has a significant China inbound and outbound practice. Other areas of strength are acting for life sciences and pharmaceutical companies and assisting with technology transactions; advising private equity firms on middle-market M&A transactions; and the firm also fields lawyers with key experience in regulatory matters, IP, employment, tax, environmental law, real estate, antitrust and litigation. The client list includes American Securities, BlueMountain Capital Management, Novartis and Pfizer. It acted for Sandoz, the generics division of pharmaceutical company Novartis, on the divestment of selected portions of its US portfolio to Aurobindo Pharma USA; advised longstanding private equity client American Securities on the sale of ASP Unifrax Holdings, known for high-temperature thermal management applications, to an affiliate of Clearlake Capital Group; and assisted Koepon Holding, a private Netherlands-based company involved in cattle artificial insemination genetics and farm management information, with its combination with Wisconsin-based Cooperative Resources. It also advised Celestica, which is known for design, manufacturing and supply chain solutions for innovative companies, on its agreement to acquire Impakt Holdings for approximately $329m. The co-corporate and finance group chairs are Emanuel Cherney and Washington DC’s Kevin Lavin, while San Francisco-based Edward Deibert and Derek Stoldt co-head the M&A practice. Other highly rated individuals are Nick O’Keefe in Silicon Valley, Steven Kaplan and Matthew Owens in Washington DC, Robert Azarow, who heads the firm’s financial institutions M&A practice, co-private equity heads Stephen Koval and Andrew Varner in Washington DC, Lowell Dashefsky, Thomas Yadlon, Ronald Levine II in Denver, and Canada practice head and senior counsel Joel Greenberg. Attorneys listed are in New York unless otherwise stated.

Merger control Tier 1

The global antitrust team at Arnold & Porter is led by Debbie Feinstein in Washington DC, which is also from where Jonathan Gleklen heads the US practice. The team was recently engaged by Monsanto to oversee its blockbuster acquisition by Bayer and the sale of its precision planting equipment business to AGCO, and by AT&T - led by Feinstein and Richard Rosen - to obtain global antitrust clearance for its landmark vertical merger with Time Warner. Also notable was Michael B Bernstein's advice to BP regarding a number of strategic transactions, including the acquisition of the majority of BHP's shale oil and gas assets and the sale of its non-operating interests in Alaska's Kuparuk oilfields. James L Cooper is assisting longstanding client Cristal with the proposed sale of its titanium dioxide business to Tronox for $1.7bn plus a 24% share in the combined entity. Bill Baer, Sonia Kuester Pfaffenroth and counsel Matthew Schultz are also key contacts.

Product liability, mass tort and class actions: consumer products (including tobacco) - defense Tier 1

Arnold & Porter handles a range of product liability lawsuits, including product labeling and recall matters, and stands out for its defense of clients from the food and beverages industry before the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). San Francisco-based Trenton Norris, who leads the consumer products and services team, acted for clients such as Kellog’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and General Mills regarding the failure to warn of the presence of the chemical acrylamide in their products. Jointly headed by Pamela Yates in Los Angeles and Anand Agneshwar in New York, the practice group is representing the Altria Group and its affiliates in the Engle progeny litigation brought by 8,000 plaintiffs asserting claims for personal injury and wrongful death. Other work included defending the Hain Celestial Group against claims that some of its products are falsely labelled as organic. Eric Rubel in Washington DC is another name to note.

Product liability, mass tort and class actions: pharmaceuticals and medical devices - defense Tier 1

Jointly led by Anand Agneshwar in New York and Pamela Yates in Los Angeles, Arnold & Porter’s team is highly regarded for its work in pharmaceuticals and medical devices litigation. Together with trial and appellate expert William Hoffman based in Washington DC, Yates is acting for Bayer as national counsel in a product liability claim alleging plaintiffs were not adequately warned of the bleeding side effect of the blood thinning prescription medicine Xarelto. Further, Agneshwar continues to represent Bristol-Myers Squibb in the Plavix litigation, and also in separate personal injury litigation involving the anti-psychotic medication Abilify. In other highlights, the team acted for Endo Pharmaceuticals in the negotiation of a case management order and master settlement agreement following the 2017 victories in MDL involving testosterone replacement therapy Testim. Other key clients include Novartis and Pfizer.

Product liability, mass tort and class actions: toxic tort - defense Tier 1

Arnold & Porter covers the full spectrum of toxic tort work, such as class actions, MDLs, appeals and environmental matters. Anand Agneshwar in New York and Los Angeles-based Pamela Yates jointly head the product liability litigation practice, while Brian Israel leads the environmental group. Recent highlights include representing Monsanto and Bayer as national counsel in the RoundUp litigation, and defending Honeywell in several class actions, including a consolidated class action arising out of the presence of a toxic chemical in the groundwater and municipal water supply of Hoosick Falls in New York. In other work, the team is defending Pfizer in asbestos litigation. Other names to note include senior counsel Philip Curtis in New York, William Hoffman, Michael Daneker and San Francisco-based Peggy Otum. Les Sotsky retired in January 2018. Unless otherwise noted, all named partners are based in Washington DC.

Transport: aviation and air travel - litigation Tier 1

Arnold & Porter handles complex litigation, mass torts, product liability, and trade secret matters in the aviation arena. The team is particularly noted for its experience in litigation relating to aviation crisis incidents. In this context, Thad Dameris represented Airbus in consolidated litigation brought on behalf of 179 plaintiffs in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois arising from a mid-air upset involving Qantas Airways Flight 72. Dameris also represented Fairchild Controls Corporation in claims of personal injury alleged to be caused as a result of exposure to ‘bleed air’ that was alleged to be contaminated with harmful chemicals. Christopher Odell and David Weiner in Washington DC are also key figures. Dameris, Washington DC-based Kenneth Chernof and James Herschlein in New York jointly head the team. Named lawyers are based in Houston unless otherwise indicated.

Copyright Tier 2

Arnold & Porter recently strengthened its team with the recruitment of Dori Ann Hanswirth and Theresa House, who both joined from Hogan Lovells US LLP.  Hanswirth is highly skilled in the entertainment and media sectors and recently assisted Fox News with the clearance and selection of its television programs Strange Inheritance and Legends & Lies. Robert Garrett is also a key figure and advised a consortium which included the NBA, NFL and MLB on a dispute against cable systems and satellite carriers concerning copyright royalties. Meanwhile, Rhonda Trotter resolved the 20-year long dispute between the musician Prince and Warner Bros Records concerning the ownership of the musician's recordings, in this instance the plaintiff was Prince's Estate. Elsewhere, Louis Ederer defended jeweler David Yurman in a copyright infringement claim brought by its competitor Lagos. Also recommended is Roberta Horton, whose clients include the PGA and the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict.

Corporate governance Tier 2

Arnold & Porter's key area of strength in the governance space is its handling of securities law disclosures for public companies. Jonathan Green in New York handles work surrounding cross-border investigations, among other matters, and Ronald Levine in Denver is another key contact. Non-profit governance is another area of expertise for the firm. In this area, Washington DC-based James Joseph handles governance issues for clients including the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation.

Environment: regulatory Tier 2

With an especially strong Washington DC presence, Arnold & Porter acts in ‘very complex and sophisticated’ mandates, advising on all environmental regulatory matters, including climate change, Proposition 65 in California, land use, mining and energy, wetlands and endangered species. Brian Israel leads the 45-strong team, and is considered ‘a number-one guy’ for natural resources damages (NRD). The firm acts as overall environmental counsel to Honeywell, which it recently advised on the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site. Other names to note include Lawrence Culleen, Jonathan Martel, Joel Gross, and Ethan Shenkman in Washington DC, and Peggy Otum in San Francisco.

International trade Tier 2

With 11 partners focusing on international trade matters, Arnold & Porter has the strength in depth to handle export control/sanctions matters in addition to trade remedies and policy advice. Benefiting from several former high-ranking government officials, including ex-deputy assistant Secretary of State for Export Controls John Barker, the team frequently advises corporates on the export control and CFIUS aspects of M&A activity. Barker recently successfully secured clearance for Energia Logistics in the sale of its satellite launching business to the Russia-based S7 Group. David Park  is noted for handling disputes with a South Korean nexus, and recently represented Samsung Electronics in a Section 201 safeguard investigation by the ITC regarding its washing machines. Michael Shor jointly heads the trade remedies sub-group alongside Park and, as part of his extensive workload, continues to represent the Province of Alberta (Canada) in the long-running softwood lumber dispute. Other recommended practitioners include John Bellinger III, Charles Blanchard and senior counsel Lawrence Schneider. All named attorneys are based in Washington DC.

Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory Tier 2

The team at Arnold & Porter, noted for its work with public broadcasters, recently acted for an ad hoc group of lenders in connection with the bankruptcy and restructuring of radio broadcaster Cumulus Media, along with related foreign ownership proceedings at the FCC. Scott Feira led the firm's advice to Cumulus' creditors, recently advised two of Southern California's largest public television stations KCETLink and PBS-affiliated KOCE-TV in merging their operations, and is a key contact for work relating to licence transfers and state public utilities commissions. Practice head Maureen Jeffreys advised key client AT&T on the antitrust process relating to its $85.4bn merger with Time Warner, securing DOJ approval for the transaction in June 2018. Jeffreys specializes in antitrust and other transaction-related regulatory work for telecoms clients, and is also acting for AT&T in the FCC review process for T-Mobile's merger with Sprint. The firm was also retained by AT&T and Nokia Corporation to obtain FCC approval and regulatory waivers for the development of their smart grid solutions. Peter Schildkraut, who focuses on spectrum issues, open internet and compliance, is another name to note. William Cook recently retired.

Appellate Tier 3

Arnold & Porter’s appellate practice diverse experience. The group is acting for the State of Oklahoma in the highly publicized US Supreme Court’s case of Carpenter v Murphy, which poses the jurisdictional issue of whether the 1866 territorial boundaries of the Creek Nation within the former Indian Territory of eastern Oklahoma currently constitute an 'Indian reservation'; the case was pending at the time of writing. The team argued for petitioner BNSF Railway Company in proceedings against respondent Michael Loos brought before the US Supreme Court, concerning interpretation of the frequently litigated Railroad Retirement Tax Act and its application to employment tax schemes for railroad workers. Securing a victory at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Stanton Jones and newly promoted partner Elisabeth Theodore handled the appellate aspects of the representation of the League of Women Voters in a case striking down Pennsylvania’s congressional map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. At the Texas Court of Appeals, Reeves Anderson and Christopher Odell (based in Denver and Houston, respectively) led on appealing a divorce decree for client Miguel Zaragoza Fuentes. Counsel Anthony Franze and associate Sally Pei are also recommended. Deepening the firm’s appellate expertise at a junior level, four associates have joined the firm. Former practice chair Lisa Blatt departed to Williams & Connolly LLP. Sarah Harris accepted the position of deputy assistant attorney general within the Office of Legal Counsel.

Civil litigation/class actions: defense Tier 3

Debbie Feinstein heads Arnold & Porter's global antitrust practice, while Jonathan Gleklen leads the US offering and Saul Morgenstern spearheads the New York branch. In recent highlights, Gleklen is part of the team advising Visa in litigation brought by putative classes as well as individual merchant plaintiffs challenging the default interchange fees set in the Visa and MasterCard system rules. James L. Cooper acted for Mitsui and its affiliates in class actions brought by end payers, automobile dealers and truck dealers on the grounds of an alleged price-fixing conspiracy in the ocean shipping industry. New York-based Jennifer Patterson is currently working alongside Morgenstern to represent a major US freight railroad in a number of class actions alleging surcharges on freight shipments in violation of the Sherman Act. Other key names include Sonia Kuester Pfaffenroth and Laura Shores. Named individuals are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense Tier 3

Arnold & Porter benefited from a number of significant hires in 2018, including Paul Fishman and John Fietkiewicz, who established the Newark office after serving as US attorney general for New Jersey and counsel to the attorney general for New Jersey, respectively. In Washington DC, Tirzah Lollar and Craig Margolis joined from Vinson & Elkins LLP and John Tan joined from Reed Smith LLP. Highlights for New York's Michael Rogoff and Manvin Mayell included defending Novartis Pharmaceuticals in several pieces of FCA litigation filed in New York and Massachusetts. The group has also achieved several successful individual representations. These include Washington DC's John Nassikas defending former Embraer executive Colin Steven, who received a non-incarceratory sentence following a DOJ investigation into a corporate bribery scheme related to the $93m sale of airplanes to a Saudi oil company. Amy Jeffress in Washington DC is recommended for national and international security matters, while Marcus Asner focuses on AML.

Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) Tier 3

At Arnold & Porter, Ronald Lee specializes in national security, cybersecurity, and government contracts matters. He and counsel Nancy Perkins have been advising clients on legal and policy aspects of internet, computer networks and cyber operations, including criminal and civil provisions, privacy, intellectual property and encryption. Litigator Kenneth Chernof acted for travel technology company Sabre in obtaining dismissal of a putative class action following a data security incident that affected the client’s reservation technology. New York-based Marcus Asner, who focuses on data breaches, cyber  crime, identity theft and credit card bust-out schemes, is another key contact. Named individuals are based in Washington DC unless otherwise specified.

Energy regulation: conventional power Tier 3

Sandra Rizzo and Brian Israel together lead the DC-based energy practice at Arnold & Porter. The team's clients in the conventional energy space include the likes of Vistra Energy and PJM Power Providers Group. Work is focused on representation and administrative litigation before FERC, DOE, federal courts, state courts and state public utility commissions. Rizzo and others assisted Bruce Power with obtaining the relevant federal regulatory approvals for its $180m purchase of Dynegy Lee. Other highlights included acting for Tilton Energy in a FERC complaint filing for the reversal of charges imposed by Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which the client deemed to be tariff violations. Counsel Rebecca Michael and FERC attorney Andrea Kearney assist Rizzo with this matter.

Financial services litigation Tier 3

Although slightly less active on behalf of the larger money-center banks than most of its higher-ranked peers, Arnold & Porter is an attractive option for smaller commercial banks, savings institutions, trade associations and non-bank lenders. Particularly strong out of Washington DC and New York, the firm is able to represent clients throughout the life-cycle of a matter, from pre-litigation advice and investigation through to any potential trial and appeal. Vincent Sama and Daphne Morduchowitz continue to represent current and former officers of JP Morgan and Standard & Poor’s on state and federal government agency investigations regarding various structured financial products and vehicles. Washington DC-based partners Howard Cayne, David Bergman and Richard Alexander all have significant trial experience and are key members of the team engaged by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) in long-running litigation relating to the secondary mortgage market. San Francisco-based partner Gilbert Serota has expertise at handling class actions as well as FINRA and SEC investigations; he recently helped secure victory for Charles Schwab & Co, at first instance and on appeal, in a consolidated class action concerning best execution of equity trades for its retail customers.

General commercial disputes Tier 3

With strong experience in jury and bench trials, Arnold & Porter has a busy and buoyant litigation department and also benefits from a strong appellate practice. Also of note is the firm's crisis management practice. The firm recently hired several new litigators, including former US Attorney for the State of New Jersey Paul Fishman, who splits his time between New York and Newark. Recent work for the Washington DC-based team includes representing Samsung in litigation arising out of the recall of the Galaxy Note 7; Kenneth Chernof and Robert Katerberg are leading on the case. Meanwhile, James Herschlein in New York is acting for an asset management company as plaintiff in breach of contract litigation against a former business partner. Washington DC-based Rosemary Szanyi made partner in 2018.

Government relations Tier 3

Arnold & Porter’s legislative and public policy group is able to handle matters related to congressional investigations, tax, IP as well as a wide range of industries, including cybersecurity, energy and environment, financial services, food and agriculture, healthcare, insurance, telecoms and transportation and infrastructure. Charles Landgraf and Kevin O’Neill jointly lead the practice. O’Neill and his team represent Samsung in a variety of matters; for example, lobbying for the company during the development of legislation regarding 5G wireless technology in order to enhance Samsung’s position in that upcoming technology. In another matter, the team advocates on behalf of the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC), among other things, to revise the laws protecting single-sex student organizations and address issues regarding campus safety and sexual assault on college campuses. The firm’s broad client roster includes Lloyds of London, McGraw Hill Education, medical device company Dexcom and South Korean steelmaker POSCO. Christopher Dodd joined the firm as senior counsel in January 2018from the Motion Picture Association of America.

International arbitration Tier 3

Arnold & Porter is commended for its track record of acting for sovereign states in investment arbitration. Eli Whitney Debevoise II is representing the Republic of the Philippines in an approximately $2.8bn investor-state treaty dispute brought by Shell Philippines Exploration. The practice group also acts for corporate clients, which recently included head of global international arbitration Paolo Di Rosa and San Francisco-based Maria Chedid representing Turkish energy company Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretim in a $1.8bn ICSID arbitration against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The team also represented the Kingdom of Thailand in an investment arbitration that involves a mining dispute between Australian mining companies Kingsgate Consolidated and Kingsgate Capital. Gaela Gehring Flores and Houston office team head Thad Dameris are additional contacts. Kabir Duggal joined as a senior associate from Baker McKenzie LLP. Individuals mentioned are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

International litigation Tier 3

Arnold & Porter has a growing work load of high-value cross-border disputes, with corporate clients including blue-chip companies and sovereign bodies in Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. The team is led by co-chairs Kenneth Chernof in Washington DC and James Herschlein in New York. Matthew Wolf in Washington DC is defending Boston Scientific in a $1bn patent dispute in which Edwards Lifesciences alleges that various replacement heart valves and related products infringe its patents. Head of the firm's Houston office Thad Dameris is recommended for his expertise in trans-national disputes relating to transportation and product liability.

Not-for-profit (Fortune 1000 private foundations, and national trade associations and charities) Tier 3

Arnold & Porter enters the rankings on the back of a strong practice jointly led by Bridget Weiss and tax co-chair James Joseph in Washington DC. The firm acts for a broad range of tax exempt organizations and foundations, including the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation and the Lieber Institute for Brain Development. Recently the firm has been lead counsel for Time's Up, a non-profit initiative that supports safe, fair, and dignified workplace environments for women. The firm also advises the United Nations Foundation on the full range of matters, including the establishment of special purpose vehicles for joint projects with other organizations.

Patents: litigation (full coverage) Tier 3

Life sciences patent litigation is Arnold & Porter's key strength, though technology patents also form an important part of the recent caseload. Practice head Matthew Wolf in Washington DC recently represented Boston Scientific in a medical device patent infringement case against defendant Edwards Lifesciences concerning transcatheter aortic valve replacement patents, involving two separate infringement suits before the District Court of Delaware and the District Court of Central California as well as a counterclaim in Delaware. Wolf also secured a summary judgment for patent owner Hologic in a case against Minerva Surgical, conducted over infringement of two patents for an endometrial ablation product. Michael Berta in San Francisco is also noted. Evan Rothstein joined the Denver office from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, while Robert Unikel left for Paul Hastings LLP. Michael Malecek retired. Clients also include Google, Pfizer and Nintendo.

Securities litigation - defense Tier 3

Arnold & Porter has a nationwide team that handles high-stakes class actions and derivative actions, as well as regulatory investigations. The practice is led by Veronica Callahan in New York and Michael Trager in Washington DC. Trager recently acted for a special committee of the board of a Nasdaq-listed automotive company in several investigations that arose from whistleblower claims. Callahan is currently handling a high-value SEC investigation for a national accounting firm. For the same client, Callahan and DC-based Daniel Hawke are handling investigations by the PCAOB and the SEC into auditor independence-related issues. In New York, Vincent Sama, who is 'a very prominent lawyer in this space', and Daphne Morduchowitz continued to act for current and former officers of JP Morgan and Standard & Poor’s in investigations by state and federal government agencies. Scott Schreiber and counsel Adam Reinhart in DC and Gilbert Serota in San Francisco are also recommended.

Structured finance: securitization Tier 3

The team at Arnold & Porter works across a variety of traditional and more esoteric asset classes such as railcar and aircraft assets, and a variety of consumer and marketplace loans. Among his recent work, practice head Henry Morriello acted for Credit Suisse as structuring agent and initial purchaser in a $343.7m offering of secured railcar equipment notes. The group also advises investment funds aimed at mortgage loan securities and, on that front, Morriello advised New Oak Capital on a credit facility, which was secured by pools of residential mortgage loans. The practice group is also strong in the CLO space, where it acts for managers and arrangers. Further, the team advised Jefferies on a litany of follow-on and new-issue CLO transactions in 2018, and also advised managers including CreekSource and Allianz Global Investors on various reset and refinancing transactions. Also in the CLO space, Chicago-based Daniel Hartnett acted for Tall Tree Investment Management, as sponsor and collateral manager, in a $390m CLO transaction arranged by JP Morgan. Lawton Camp is another key contact. Howard Goldwasser and Skanthan Vivekananda joined Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in 2019.

Trademarks: litigation Tier 3

Arnold & Porter’s team is headed by Washington DC-based Matthew Wolf and has recently been bolstered by the arrivals of Dori Hanswirth and Theresa House from Hogan Lovells US LLP. Louis Vuitton is a noteworthy client and recently engaged Louis Ederer and Matthew Salzmann in various anti-counterfeiting and brand enforcement matters in federal courts nationwide. Ederer also represented Bottega Veneta, helping the client to register a proprietary weave design for handbags and small leather goods following long-running proceedings in the USPTO. Additional names from the client roster include Fox News Network, The Hershey Company and Pfizer. Named attorneys are part of the firm’s New York office unless otherwise stated.

Capital markets: debt Tier 4

Arnold & Porter has an increasingly broad debt practice following its 2017 merger with Kaye Scholer, but the firm’s high-profile work for sovereign issuers continues to stand as its strong suit. Among its recent highlights, Washington DC-based international finance specialist Whitney Debevoise advised the Republic of Panama on its $1.7bn global bond issuance, while New York-based capital markets co-head Christopher Peterson advised the Republic of Turkey on $4bn worth of notes offerings. The team is also routinely engaged by corporate issuers, an example of which included San Francisco-based Teresa Johnson advising Charles Schwab on three notes offerings totaling $1.9bn. New York’s Robert Azarow, who co-heads the capital markets group, is also recommended.

Capital markets: global offerings Tier 4

For corporate issuances, Arnold & Porter brings together regulatory expertise and a strong securities offering to specialize in life sciences and energy-related matters, particularly for Latin American issuers. In a recent example, Washington DC-based Neil Goodman advised Colombia’s Grupo Energía Bogotá on a $750m notes offering. The team's greatest strength, however, is perhaps in sovereign bond deals, where it recently racked up an impressive string of debt issuances for governments worldwide. International finance specialist Whitney Debevoise, also based in Washington DC, is a high-profile name for sovereign capital markets transactions and advised the Republic of Panama on its $1.2bn global bond offering; he also advised on the reopening of the bond, adding $550m to the long-term note, later in the year. The Republic of Turkey is another key client, which the firm has advised on global finance matters for over 20 years. Of late, New York-based Christopher Peterson advised the Turkish government on two notes offerings totaling $4bn.

Financial services regulation Tier 4

Leveraging the expertise of numerous former governmental officials, as well as benefiting from a strong track record across financial services M&A, standalone regulatory counseling and legislative advice, Washington DC-based Arnold & Porter provides an 'excellent service' to a wide range of clients in the sector, including domestic and foreign banks, insurance companies, investment managers and fintech companies. Head of the firm's financial institutions M&A practice Robert Azarow recently advised Stifel Financial on its acquisition of Business Bancshares (work which included the post-closing reorganization of Stifel’s bank and trust company subsidiaries under a single intermediate holding company) and advised First American International on its $117m sale to RBB Bancorp. Michael Mancusi was also involved in the work for First American International, having previously advised it on the development of a cybersecurity program, procedures and controls to ensure compliance with the New York Department of Financial Services' Part 500 requirements, and annual certification. Team head David Freeman handles a range of standalone regulatory matters as well as advising on financial services M&A. He continues to provide ongoing regulatory counseling to First Republic Bank, including in relation to new products and product extensions, and discrete transactions, such as its investment into student loan company CommonBond. Other recommended practitioners include Brian McCormally, who brings significant banking regulatory expertise to bear by virtue of his work in both the private and public sector (where he served at the OCC and the OTS), and firm chairman Richard Alexander, whose expertise bridges enforcement, supervisory and governance matters.

Outsourcing Tier 4

Arnold & Porter advises both suppliers and customers of outsourcing services in the information technology, infrastructure, software development and banking sectors. Core areas of expertise include the renegotiation of outsourcing relationships, structuring outsourcing agreements, liaising with offshore outsourcing providers and handling data privacy issues associated with outsourcing measures. Los Angeles-based senior counsel Matthew Maccoby and counsel Ira D. Moskatel jointly head the practice, which also include Jin-Suk Park in Washington DC, Silicon Valley-based Nicholas O’Keefe and Thomas A. Magnani, who practices in the firm's San Francisco office.

Patents: prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings) Tier 4

The team at Arnold & Porter shoulders a varied caseload in the life sciences sector. Recent standout instructions include assisting Monsanto with the prosecution of patents covering transgenic plants and traditionally bred plants, involving multiple appeals and multi-party opposition proceedings in the US and abroad. Further, Sandoz instructed the group to represent it before the PTAB in eight IPRs filed against AbbVie patents covering Humira; the team also acted in the subsequent appeal before the Federal Circuit. Other clients include Bayer, medical device player Bruin Biometrics and Water Street Healthcare. Deborah Fishman in Silicon Valley and David Marsh form the heart of the practice. Matthew Wolf directs the intellectual property group, and Kristen Riemenschneider recently made partner. Counsel Todd Lorenz joined Squire Patton Boggs. All partners are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

Sport Tier 4

The multidisciplinary sports practice at Arnold & Porter is co-headed by Robert Garrett and antitrust partner Scott Lent, who are based in Washington DC and New York respectively. Garrett is advising Major League Baseball (MLB) in copyright and telecommunications issues, including those relating to the telecasting of MLB games over traditional and new media. The team has also recently handled several matters relating to ticketing policies. San Fransisco-based David Reis and John Geelan in New York are key names to note for employment law matters; in a recent work highlight Reis represented Oakland Raiders in litigation relating to the low payment of cheerleaders, including in an antitrust class action against the NFL and various teams alleging a conspiracy to keep cheerleader pay artificially low.

Structured finance: derivatives and structured products Tier 4

Arnold & Porter's structured finance and derivatives group has handled cross-border swap transactions and covered bond offerings, and has also assisted international dealer clients with standalone trading documentation and structured credit matters in the context of debt restructurings. Lawton Camp has experience in  covered bond offerings and Washington DC-based Whitney Debevoise has considerable expertise in cross-border and especially Latin America-facing derivatives agreements. Skanthan Vivekananda joined Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP's Los Angeles office in 2019.

Transport: aviation and air travel - finance Tier 4

Arnold & Porter's aviation finance and leasing practice advises major financial institutions and investment banks, aircraft operating lessors, aircraft and engine manufacturers, private equity and hedge funds, and airlines on a range of commercial, cargo and private jet aircraft transactions. Department head Henry Morriello acted for a European bank in the provision of a bridge loan acquisition facility to an operating lessor, secured by a portfolio of six aircraft, and Mehtap Cevher Conti, who joined in 2018 from Vedder Price, advised a US private jet company on its bid for the XOJET fleet. Daniel Hartnett and William Fellerhoff in Chicago are also recommended, as is Lawton Camp. Named lawyers are based in New York unless otherwise stated.

Healthcare: service providers Tier 5

The healthcare practice at Arnold & Porter, which is based in Washington DC, advises on regulatory matters, antitrust, white-collar disputes, intellectual property and transactions. Recent highlights include Kirk Ogrosky's high-profile defense of eye doctor Salomon Melgen against indictments alleging bribery and public corruption, as well as Allison Shuren's representation of multiple retina physician group practices in False Claims Act investigations concerning the treatment costs of age-related macular degeneration. DaVita, EyeCare Partners and Millennium Health are also clients of the practice.

Private equity buyouts Tier 5

Arnold & Porter operates primarily in the mid-market, though acts in larger-cap deals too for marquee clients such as American Securities and Onex. Castle Harlan has joined a client portfolio that includes DC Capital Partners, Endeavor Capital, EQT Partners, JW Childs Equity Partners and Halifax Capital Partners. In addition, the firm also advises independent sponsors, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and hedge funds on private equity-style investments. The team advised American Securities on the sale of Unifrax to Clearlake Capital Group. Emanuel Cherney is close to American Securities and Joel Greenberg has a strong connection to Onex. Stephen Koval and is also recommended, as are Kevin Lavin and Andrew Varner - unlike the rest of the team, who are based in New York, Lavin and Varner are based in Washington DC.

US taxes: non-contentious Tier 5

Arnold & Porter advises on federal tax issues related to corporate transactions, partnership arrangements and REIT structuring, and also handles tax planning for trusts, estates and tax-exempt organizations. Laurie Abramowitz has particular expertise in transactional tax matters and corporate reorganizations; acting alongside Emanuel Cherney, Abramowitz acted for key client American Securities in the sale of its portfolio company SeaStar Solutions to Swedish manufacturer Dometic Group for a cash purchase of $875m. Co-heading the practice with Abramowitz, Washington DC partner James Joseph is particularly skilled in advising tax-exempt organizations; in a recent example, he acted for Time’s Up non-profit initiative in its applications for tax-exempt status. Also in the Washington DC office, Thomas Richardson focuses on estate planning and private client work, while David Sausen is active in M&A and investment funds. All individuals are based in New York unless stated otherwise.