Brown Rudnick LLP > Hartford, United States > Firm Profile

Brown Rudnick LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate Tier 2

Brown Rudnick LLP’s bankruptcy and corporate restructuring practice advises a wide range of clients, including debtors, ad hoc committees, equity security holders, and unsecured creditors, in relation to corporate restructurings, commercial bankruptcy litigation, and mass tort bankruptcy litigation. The practice boasts an especially strong reputation for representing official committees in Chapter 11 cases and has recently represented the official committee of unsecured creditors in relation to the Chapter 11 reorganization of multinational cosmetics and personal care conglomerate, Revlon. Robert Stark, in New York, chairs the department, while Catherine Castaldi, in Orange County, is practice group leader. Stark has extensive experience advising official committees in litigated bankruptcies, and, alongside New York-based chair of cross-border, mass tort, and restructuring litigation David Molton, recently led a team that successfully represented the official committee of talc claimants in connection with the high-profile bankruptcy of Johnson & Johnson subsidiary LTL Management LLC.

Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: plaintiff Tier 3

Brown Rudnick LLP has two skilled partners based in Hartford who handle focus on M&A and private equity litigation, both on the defense side and for plaintiffs. Though the practice is small, Mark Baldwin and Dylan Kletter have significant experience and clients remark that they are ‘tough-minded, fight tirelessly and are clearly smart on all issues and strategy‘. Frequently active in the Delaware Court of Chancery and in the Southern District of New York, as well as other fora across the US, the firm is a key adviser to one of the country’s largest professional shareholder representative service providers. This gives the firm a prominent role in fraud claims, earnout disputes, pre- and post-closing litigation, and disputes concerning breaches of representations, warranties and covenants.

Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense Tier 4

Brown Rudnick LLP in Hartford has an M&A and private equity litigation practice that handles high-profile, high-stakes commercial litigation disputes for both plaintiffs and defendants. It is active in the Delaware Court of Chancery and in the Southern District of New York, but also in courts across the US, particularly for matters involving representations and warranties insurance. Mark Baldwin and Dylan Kletter, who also works from the New York office, are the lead partners. Anthony Boccamazzo is a key counsel and the associate bench in the team includes Kelsey Bond.

Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters) Tier 4

Prominent New York-based intellectual property practitioner and head of the firm’s IP litigation group Ian DiBernardo leads Brown Rudnick LLP‘s trade secrets team, which has strong capabilities handling strategic matters for its clients who span such industries as tech, biotech, software and finance, with a view to protecting and maintaining their trade secrets. In addition, the team investigates and litigates in high-value contentious situations. Jason Sobel, also based in the New York office, is a key name to note, frequently acting in collaboration with DiBernado on  the team’s most notable work.

Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation Tier 4

A key destination for leading artists and high-net-worth individuals, Brown Rudnick LLP  handles defamation suits, copyright disputes, class actions and various other litigations in cases that frequently attract media scrutiny.  The firm has a particular focus on the reputational management aspect of high-profile cases. Benjamin Chew co-heads the practice in Washington- a renowned litigator, he recently represented Johnny Depp in a widely publicized defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard. Camille Vasquez who litigated alongside Chew in the Depp defamation case, co-chairs the practice from the firm’s Orange County office; she is also representing Q’orianka Kilcher in a white collar matter pertaining to worker’s compensation fraud. Further recommended is IP specialist Peter Willsey, who, among other matters, handles trademark prosecution work for the film production company Infinitum Nihil.

Real estate Tier 5

Brown Rudnick LLP has a strong track record working with creditors and borrowers, landlords and tenants, and sellers and purchasers, throughout the New England region as well as with national clients. Thomas Phillips in Boston chairs the leasing practice, and draws upon his expertise in retail, leisure, hospitality, and mixed-use properties. Hartford-based co-head Thomas Regan represents private equity funds, corporations, private developers, institutions, and not-for-profits in the development, leasing, and financing of commercial real estate projects and energy facilities.  

Tax > US taxes: non-contentious Tier 7

Brown Rudnick LLP has a strong reputation in restructurings, debt workouts, and bankruptcy reorganizations, with recent highlights including a series of high-stakes Chapter 11 cases. With Nicole Bouchard at the helm, the firm’s capabilities extend to domestic and international corporate transactions, many of which involve private equity funds, hedge funds, and other ownership structures. In addition to his transactional and restructuring acumen, Vincent Guglielmotti specializes in executive compensation, an area in which Boston-based Barbara Klepper is also an expert. Barbara Kelly is also recommended for her deep experience in bankruptcies and restructurings. Boston-based Rodney Bedow joined the practice from Burns & Levinson, LLP in October 2022. All named individuals are based in New York unless stated otherwise.