Ms Sandra Goldstein > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 LEXINGTON AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10022
NEW YORK
United States

Position

Sandra Goldstein is a litigation partner in Kirkland’s New York office and was a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. She has a broad litigation practice, with a particular focus on securities, M&A, and commercial disputes. Her clients have included 3G Capital, Barnes & Noble, Constellation Brands, CrowdStrike, Grubhub, Honeywell, IBM, J. Crew, Novartis, Pitney Bowes, Qualcomm, Starwood Hotels, Target, United Airlines and Xerox.

Sandra represents clients, including corporations and their boards, in all manner of securities litigation—stock drop class actions, shareholder derivative suits, litigation demands—often securing pretrial wins, including a major summary judgment victory in a multibillion dollar securities fraud class action lawsuit. She has also regularly represented clients in contemplated or hostile transactions, with a cumulative value of hundreds of billions of dollars, and has aided clients in navigating complex corporate governance issues. Sandra is lead courtroom counsel, winning dozens of favorable decisions after oral argument at both the trial and appellate court levels concerning dispositive motions, motions for preliminary injunctions and expedited discovery. Recently, Sandra had two major victories for Constellation Brands. First, in March 2023 she secured a unanimous verdict after a two-week trial against Grupo Modelo, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch, by persuading the jury that hard seltzer is beer under the applicable contract. Then, in March 2024, Sandra successfully argued the defense of the Second Circuit appeal in that matter, which the Court affirmed in full. She also routinely advises boards, in house counsel and company executives on litigation and corporate governance considerations at various stages of a deal, in collaboration with the Firm’s transactional attorneys.

Career

Previously Cravath’s Head of Litigation (2010-2016) and Litigation Managing Partner (2005-2010).

Education

NYU Law School, J.D.; Barnard College, B.A., summa cum laude.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense

(Hall of Fame)

Sandra GoldsteinKirkland & Ellis LLP

In addition to representing clients in court, Kirkland & Ellis LLP also advises them on strategies to mitigate the risk of M&A-related litigation when conducting acquisitions. The team is experienced in handling suits initiated by activists and stockholders in the wake of both completed transactions and busted deals before both the New York courts and the Delaware Court of Chancery. Sandra Goldstein is sought after by clients facing shareholder-led derivative suits and in the wake of hostile takeovers, notably defending TKO Holdings chairman Vince McMahon alongside Stefan Atkinson following a suit launched by former WWE stockholders in relation to the merger between WWE and Endeavor Group to form TKO Holdings. Matthew Solum was able to defeat a federal securities complaint brought against Zendesk, Inc. after its acquisition by Hellman & Friedman and Permira Advisers. The highly experienced Yosef Riemer offers decades of experience in handling securities class actions and fraud allegations made against directors and officers. All lawyers mentioned here are based in New York.

United States > Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation

Kirkland & Ellis LLP assists various leading clients within the financial services sector with litigation involving shareholder derivative actions, ESG practices and M&A class actions. Mark Filip is a key authority operating between Chicago and Washington who has long-standing experience resolving disputes between financial institutions and government bodies. In New York, Sandra Goldstein is a strong litigator focusing on securities, M&A and commercial disputes whilst Zachary Brez defends securities matters and derivative financial products before the DOJ, SEC and CFTC. In Washington, Reginald Brown regularly counsels financial clients facing significant regulatory and enforcement issues. Jeremy Dresner is also an active partner involved in government and internal investigations. Nader Salehi splits his time between the two offices as a leading securities enforcement defense lawyer.

United States > Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense

(Hall of Fame)

Sandra GoldsteinKirkland & Ellis LLP

The ‘highly strategic, commercial, and efficient’ team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP provides formidable representation of corporates, private equity firms and individual officers across the panoply of securities class actions, shareholder derivative matters and M&A disputes. As well as handling its fair share of traditional 10-b 5 stock drop and IPO-related class actions, the team, which has a particularly pervasive presence on the East coast and Midwest of the country, has been at the vanguard of recent trends informing actions brought by the plaintiff bar, including with regard to ESG and SPACs. New York-based attorney Sandra Goldstein combines superb substantive legal knowledge with courtroom expertise and regularly prevails on behalf of defendant companies at both the trial and appellate court levels concerning dispositive motions, motions for preliminary injunctions and expedited discovery. Drawing upon vast expertise in private practice and as a high-ranking justice department official, Chicago-based Mark Filip is very skilled at guiding companies through DOJ probes, including with regard to potential securities fraud, and is skilled at handling parallel governmental investigations and private class action litigation. In New York, Stefan Atkinson has a broad-based securities litigation practice that includes a considerable amount of recent work arising in the aftermath of de-SPAC mergers.

United States > Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers

(Leading trial lawyers)

Sandra GoldsteinKirkland & Ellis LLP

Sandra Goldstein, a specialist in securities and M&A disputes based in Kirkland & Ellis LLP‘s New York office, handles a range of shareholder and derivative suits, including class actions, including before the Delaware Court of Chancery. Honeywell relied on Goldstein to fight derivative claims arising out of the handling of the company’s asbestos liabilities, which plaintiffs alleged constituted a breach of fiduciary duty, securing a dismissal with prejudice in February 2024.