BakerHostetler > Washington DC, United States > Firm Profile

BakerHostetler > The Legal 500 Rankings

Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: transactional and regulatory Tier 1

BakerHostetler is particularly well regarded for its expertise in matters at the intersection of advertising, privacy, and protection of digital assets, due to the team sitting within the firm’s wider digital assets and data management group. The team regularly handle matters relating to cryptocurrency, NFTs, the metaverse, and AI, as well as represent clients in FTC investigations and self-regulatory challenges. New York-based Linda A. Goldstein, who focuses on complex transactions and regulatory issues, including those involving emerging products and technologies, leverages a wealth of experience, as does Washington DC-based practice head Amy Mudge, who specializes in ESG marketing, children’s advertising, influencer marketing and sponsored content-related models. In Washington DC, Randal Shaheen and Daniel Kaufman are noted for their expertise on FTC-related matters, while associate John Ferry is experienced in assisting clients with sweepstakes and promotions, subscription marketing, loyalty programs and social media campaigns. Also of note are Chicago-based Aaron Goodman and Dallas-based Craig Carpenter, both of whom have considerable experience handling transactional and regulatory issues across the advertising spectrum.

Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) Tier 2

BakerHostetler routinely undertakes privacy compliance and incident response advisory work pertaining to ransomware attacks and attempted cyber-attacks, as part of a broad practice that also encompasses regulatory guidance, review and design of data privacy and data protection policies, and defense against cyber incident claims. The firm also takes on niche work for Native American Tribes and Alaska Native Organizations on matters concerning the exercise of tribal sovereignty and privacy law compliance. New York-based Theodore J. Kobus III counsels high-profile clients on compliance matters, development of response strategies and defense of class actions, and is also a key name for clients in the healthcare space, defending clients in a plethora of OCR investigations. In Cincinnati, Craig Hoffman focuses on FTC regulatory enforcement investigations, while at the Houston office, head of the healthcare privacy and compliance practice Lynn Sessions works on breach responses and privacy strategies, such as advising health system clients on potential legal obligations regarding Facebook pixel technology. Likewise, Denver-stationed Casie Collignon is a key contact for healthcare companies, representing in putative class actions and advising on response to cyber incidents. New York’s Nichole Sterling is noted for her expertise in cross-border data transfer mandates.

Tax > Not-for-profit (nonprofit and tax exempt organizations) Tier 2

BakerHostetler has been active in nonprofit law matters for many years and has a great deal of experience in the nonprofit sector. Leading the team is Alexander Reid, who is highly experienced in tax issues, with a diverse practice made up of several elements of nonprofit tax law work, including governance, tax controversy and tax planning, alongside transactional work as well as acting for taxpayers at IRS appeals. Matthew Elkin is also a core team member, and his practice places a special importance on matters which are concerned with charitable investment funds, social enterprises, impact investing and endowment investment programs and policies. Chad Makuch in Cleveland and Edward Beckwith are the group’s go-to experts when it comes to advising high-net-worth families. Beckwith also often advises charities and other nonprofit entities on corporate structures. All named practitioners are Washington DC-based unless otherwise mentioned.

Dispute resolution > International litigation Tier 3

BakerHostetler is recognized for its asset recovery expertise, acting for clients including sovereign entities, liquidators and court-appointed trustees in distressed situations. The firm is responsible for significant cross-border recoveries across a number of sectors including mining, financial services, specifically relating to insolvencies, and TMT, and has also been active in a number of internal investigations in connection with multiple jurisdictions. The practice leadership is comprised of Mark Cymrot, in Washington DC, and Oren Warshavsky and David Sheehan in New York. Warshavsky specializes in multi-jurisdictional proceedings with a focus on intellectual property. Gonzalo Zeballos is another key name to note in New York and is lead counsel representing the SIPA trustee in the Madoff ponzi scheme. Houston’s Sashe Dimitroff focuses on energy disputes, commercial fraud and litigation as well as internal investigations.

Intellectual property > Copyright Tier 3

BakerHostetler brings experience to representing start-ups, publishing companies, online media companies, performance rights societies, radio networks, and television and film studios involved in high-stakes copyright litigation. The group also assists clients with matters related to variable printing technologies, automated payment systems, cryptography hard disk algorithms, internet advertising and network administration. The team is headed in Cleveland by Deborah Wilcox, a seasoned litigator with deep experience in the practice space, who advises on social media sites, NFTs, and mobile apps. Kevin Bovard in Philadelphia counsels on portfolio management and acts as lead counsel in infringement suits and related copyright breach of contract cases. The group’s client base, which includes such household names as Big Lots Stores, also extends to cover the retail, life sciences and insurance sectors. Nancy R. Frandsen departed from the firm in January 2023.

Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters) Tier 3

BakerHostetler‘s team is headed by New York-based national labor and employment group chair Amy Traub and founding chair of the Trade Secrets Committee of the New York City Bar Association John Siegal, alongside employment specialist Joyce Ackerbaum Cox from Orlando. Siegal notably led on the firm’s successful representation of FTI Consulting in a $65m trade secrets case. The practice also handles commercial disputes involving copyright infringement, trade secrets and confidential proprietary business information in high-stakes and high-profile matters, particularly those involving employment, with a key example its representation of national law firm Polsinelli PC in a case brought by international law firm Littler PC. San Francisco-based partner Chardaie Charlemagne is one to watch.

Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing) Tier 3

BakerHostetler draws on its national presence to advise household name corporates such as Johnson & Johnson, Big Lots Stores, and the J.M. Smucker Company on the management, clearance, and enforcement of their international trademark portfolios. The practice’s full service also extends to the registration and acquisition of domain names worldwide. Headed by experienced intellectual property expert Deborah Wilcox in Cleveland, the group’s client portfolio spans the education, retail, pharma, consumer products, energy, aerospace, and luxury goods sectors. At the Chicago office, seasoned litigator John Letchinger acts for manufacturers and national retailers. Other key figures include Kevin Bovard in Philadelphia, a specialist in portfolio clearance and management, and Christina Moser in Cleveland, who counsels clients on product development on a global level.

International Trade > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions Tier 3

BakerHostetler’s thriving international trade practice continues to gain traction on the export controls and economic sanctions side and it has made several strategic hires of late. Most recently, the team welcomed new counsel and national security specialist Scott Jansen from the Department of Defense, who leverages extensive expertise in export controls, sanctions and embargo matters. The hire follows on from the 2021 arrival of trade and national security co-head Melissa Mannino, who also brings to bear significant government-side experience. Other key contacts in this sphere include department co-head Barbara Linney, who strikes a balance between export controls, sanctions and CFIUS-related issues, and Houston-based Lana Muranovic, who is ‘clear, concise and always accurate’. On the customs side, Houston-based litigator Matthew Caligur is noted for his growing profile in the market, while overarching international trade co-head Michael S. Snarr also handles customs disputes. Named attorneys are based in Washington DC unless stated otherwise.

Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions) Tier 3

BakerHostetler‘s practice is well experienced in industries such as professional services, healthcare, consumer goods, and financial services, with recent work including advising Amazon.com on discrimination issues and assisting Polsinelli with a restrictive covenant matter. Amy Traub, the firm’s national labor and employment group chair, is particularly experienced in advising clients on the management side of employment law matters and is based in New York. The firm is noted for its expertise in discrimination matters, as well as its experience in both class and collective and single-plaintiff claims, employee misclassification matters, and trade secret issues. Other notable names include Houston-based Mark Temple for complex employment litigation, Kevin Shaughnessy in Orlando for class action and government-initiated litigation, and Cleveland-based Gregory Mersol for class action matters.

Labor and employment > Labor-management relations Tier 3

The team at BakerHostetler has a strong record for representing a vast range of clients in diverse industries in the space. Negotiating labor contracts, private sector election campaigns, contingency planning for strike preparedness, and labor-related arbitrations are among the core pillars of the group’s practice. Practice co-leader and Atlanta-based attorney Patrick M. Muldowney  is a key name within the department. The team also has demonstrable experience in proceedings before the NLRB – Jay P. Krupin  is a key lawyer for such matters- working out of the Washington DC office, he co-chairs the department and focuses on collective bargaining agreements. Co-chair Amy J. Traub is New York-based, whilst Paul Rosenberg  acts for important clients in the manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare and media sectors.

M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance Tier 3

M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m) Tier 3

Demonstrating in-depth knowledge of the TMT sector, BakerHostetler’s department, which is primarily based in New York, represents a breadth of clients – including Fortune 500 companies – in domestic and cross-border transactions. Practice head Steven Goldberg has longstanding experience in the M&A market, and is often engaged by privately held and publicly traded companies in the full spectrum of corporate transactions, such as joint ventures, and private equity investments. Asim Grabowski-Shaikh works with boards of directors, private equity sponsors and strategic clients on their global investment strategies. Matthew Gases stands out at the associate level for his involvement in high-value M&A. John Allotta is a name to note in Cleveland for portfolio acquisitions in the aerospace, healthcare and manufacturing industries. All individuals are based in New York, unless stated otherwise.

Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense Tier 4

The team at BakerHostetler specializes in litigation brought by competitors and concerning section 2 of the Sherman Act for an array of clients including multinational corporations and local businesses. In Philadelphia, head of the firm’s national antitrust and competition practice, Carl W. Hittinger advises on a full spectrum of antitrust matters concerning both defendants and plaintiffs. In Washington DC, Marc Schildkraut offers his previous experience at the FTC’s Bureau of Competition and focuses on multibillion dollar mergers, civil investigations and litigation while Jack Fornaciari is an international cartel investigations expert and often acts in follow-on defense class action antitrust litigation. DC-based Danyll W. Foix defends companies in individual and class actions and counsels on day-to-day antitrust questions and compliance. Ann O’Brien left the firm in February 2023.

Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense

BakerHostetler advises businesses and employees on a wide range of issues, including those relating to FCPA, whistleblowing, securities fraud, and public corruption. Securities litigation specialist John Carney and George Stamboulidis, who sports in-depth experience representing clients in federal grand jury and regulatory investigations, are both based in New York. Cleveland-based Carole Rendon is adept at crisis management and white-collar criminal matters. Associate Lindsey Collins, based in Washington DC, joined the firm in January 2022 from Proskauer Rose LLP.

Dispute resolution > International arbitration Tier 4

BakerHostetler acts for an array of multinational corporations, sovereign governments, private investors and  international organizations on the full range of commercial, investor-state and state-to-state disputes. The group is active worldwide, with an increasingly prominent Latin America offering steered by Washington DC-based Analia Gonzalez. From Washington DC, Mark Cymrot spearheads the overarching international arbitration department, while Houston-based Sashe Dimitroff heads the international commercial arbitration unit, and Kenneth Reisenfeld leads the investor-state practice. The group also draws on the senior expertise of international litigation head, Gonzalo Zeballos. The team was recently boosted by several junior arrivals, including associate Mary Kate Wagner, formerly Deputy Counsel with the Secretariat of the International Court of Arbitration of the ICC.

Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense Tier 4

Since arriving in 2018, practice head Douglas Greene of BakerHostetler in New York has built a securities and governance litigation group that works closely with the firm’s government enforcement, bankruptcy, class action defense, electronic discovery and trial practices to handle high-stakes matters. He is currently acting for Uphold Inc. and its affiliates in a case brought by investors in an offshore initial coin offering conducted by the Universal Protocol Alliance, who allege that tokens promoted and sold by Uphold were actually securities under US securities law, and thus statements to the contrary in the TSAs were misleading. Greene and Genevieve York-Erwin, who works in both Seattle and New York, are defending Eagle Bancorp and current and former executives in a securities class action alleging that the Company’s 10-K reports and other public statements and disclosures contained materially false or misleading statements. Greene and Cleveland-based Douglas Shively are defending electric vehicle start-up Lordstown Motors Corp. in a consolidated securities class action in Ohio.

Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas Tier 4

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

Mark Tidman leads the intellectual property team from BakerHostetler‘s Washington DC office, with the practice focusing heavily on the tech, energy, and life sciences sectors. The team represents such significant clients as Meta and Amazon on IP-related matters, with Meta a key client for Atlanta-based partner Cory Davis, who advises on their cross-jurisdictional patent inventory related to the Metaverse. Denver-based partner Timothy Worrall specializes in life science work, having developed, filed and prosecuted the high-value international patent portfolio for Monjuvi, a novel cancer treatment approved for treatment of lymphoma. There have been significant team changes, with the joining of partners Michael Dreznes and Mark Itri in Costa Mesa from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in early 2022. Further, specialist counsels Kyle Morse and Duane Carver Jr. joined the New York City and Dallas teams respectively, in August 2022; both formerly worked at Dentons. Departures include Hussein Akhavannik in July 2022 and Kenneth J. Sheehan in June 2022 .

International Trade > Trade remedies and trade policy Tier 4

BakerHostetler strikes the right note with clients for its ‘experience and results in getting cases resolved’. Trade remedy litigation is a cornerstone of the firm’s full-service international trade practice and it is particularly recognized for its long-standing representation of Canadian lumber producers in the softwood lumber trade dispute between the US and Canada. Washington DC-based Michael S. Snarr co-heads the department and is acting alongside Elliot J. Feldman, also in DC, to represent its Central Canada lumber clients in antidumping and countervailing duty administrative reviews. DC-based counsel Ronald Baumgarten is also a key contact for trade litigation.

Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design Tier 4

BakerHostetler handles employee benefits and executive compensation aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Focusing on health plans, the firm has counseled clients through pandemic-related shifts in employment and employee benefits. In relation to retirement plans, the firm has extensive experience in assisting employers with ESOPs, multiemployer plans and not-for-profit and governmental employer retirement plans, alongside executive compensation, handling issues such as the drafting of partnership interest compensation plans. Its client list includes multi-employer plans, major healthcare-sector organizations and a number of nationwide employers. Susan Lubow, based in the firm’s Columbus office, specializes in all areas of employee benefits law, with significant experience in ERISA compliance and disputes and complex benefit plan structuring work, while Cleveland’s Jennifer Mills is particularly experienced in the field of healthcare.

Labor and employment > Immigration Tier 4

Led by Chicago’s David Serwer and Amy Traub in New York, BakerHostetler represents public and private businesses across a variety of industries including automotive, energy, engineering, financial services, health care and tech. The team also routinely assists clients with compliance mandates including I-9 and E-Verify employment verification, in addition to gaining temporary work visas and secure lawful permanent residence visas for employees. Michelle Barhorst in Columbus is primarily engaged in issues pertaining to the insurance industry, while John Foerster, also in Chicago often advises clients with Blanket L-1,H-1B, O-1, P-1 and program electronic review management filings.

Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling Tier 4

BakerHostetler advises employers on a range of workplace issues including hiring and onboarding, work visas, employee complaints, background checks and compensation. The firm drafts employment-related documents, guides clients through every phase of investigations, and advises on regulatory compliance matters. Practice head Amy Traub is based in New York and focuses on the management side with particular expertise in the healthcare, hospitality and retail industries.

Real estate Tier 4

With decades of experience in  acquisition, disposition, financing, leasing, and development, BakerHostetler’s multidisciplinary group is well-equipped to handle any time of real estate instruction. Based in Atlanta, Wendy Markham leads the practice and, often works alongside the office’s managing partner, Joann Gallagher Jones. Both are highly experienced across all real estate transactions, and have a strong following among clients in the healthcare sector.

Tax > International tax Tier 4

The international tax team at BakerHostetler assists clients with a range of matters including structuring inbound and outbound business and real estate investments, cross-border mergers, spin-offs and restructurings. The practice also handles forensic tax controversies before the IRS and transfer pricing matters. Brian Davis heads the team, with experience in tax reform and global debt issues, while Paul Schmidt handles tax controversies. Lawyers mentioned are in Washington DC.

Tax > US taxes: contentious Tier 4

BakerHostetler’s full-service tax practice covers the full spectrum of tax controversy, including IRS appeals, tax audits, and litigation. The team has strong coverage of SALT issues, a key offering for foreign clients unfamiliar with tax requirements across US states. Jeffrey Paravano, in Washington DC, acts as firm-wide chair of the tax group, covers a broad range of tax controversies and litigation, and is particularly active on multi-jurisdictional matters. Also based in DC are firm chair Paul M. Schmidt, a key name for IRS audits and appeals, Alexander Reid, a specialist in federal tax matters, and Nicholas Mowbray, who made counsel in January 2022. SALT expert Edward Bernert works from Ohio alongside associate David Ebersole.

Healthcare > Service providers

International Trade > CFIUS

Intellectual property > Patents: licensing

Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage) Tier 5

The intellectual property litigation team at BakerHostetler appears in courts throughout the country, ranging from Delaware to Texas, and Virginia to California, as well as in private mediations and arbitrations, with Abbreviated New Drug Applications a particular strength of the group. Philadelphia-based Daniel Goettle and Cincinnati-based Kevin Kirsch co-lead the national patent litigation team. In Chicago, Leif R. Sigmond Jr. is the firmwide co-chair of the patent litigation group, with long-standing experience in high stakes IP litigation. In Washington DC, Mark Tidman is another head of the team.

Tax > US taxes: non-contentious Tier 6

BakerHostetler‘s nationwide practice works on the full-scope of tax-based mandates. Practice head and managing partner of the firm’s Washington DC office Jeffrey Paravano navigates complex tax issues relating to acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings and tax planning. In Cleveland, Michelle Hervey advises on the full scope of federal tax issues, while Alexander Szilvas focuses on tax credit finance matters for real estate projects, an area in which Nathan Ware is also an expert. John Lehrer is a regular port of call for clients operating in the media and hospitality sectors. Other recommended individuals include Alexander Reid and Matthew Elkin. All named lawyers are based in DC unless noted otherwise.