Mr Stephen Blake > Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP > Palo Alto, United States > Lawyer Profile
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Offices
2550 HANOVER STREET
PALO ALTO, CA 94304
CALIFORNIA
United States
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Mr Stephen Blake
Work Department
Litigation
Position
Steve Blake is a Litigation Partner in our Palo Alto office. Steve has extensive experience resolving high-stakes shareholder litigation and securities regulatory matters. Steve regularly advises corporations, financial institutions, funds and their advisors in connection with mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, legal compliance and commercial disputes. Steve also regularly represents entities and individuals before the SEC, FINRA and stock exchanges. Steve frequently writes and lectures on shareholder litigation, fiduciary duties and issues under the Securities Act, Exchange Act, Investment Company Act and Investment Advisors Act. Steve is the author of the quarterly “Stock Block” column in The Recorder. His recent columns SPAC Action, Litigation and Regulatory Reaction” and “Inside the ‘Circle of Confidentiality’: Protecting Privilege in Transactional Stockholder Disputes” have been widely read. Recognized as a one of Bloomberg Law’s “40 Under 40” for 2022 and 2021 Law360 “Rising Star” in Securities, Steve is also a repeat honoree on Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List,” and was honored by the Daily Journal as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” lawyers in California in 2018. Steve is consistently recognized by The Legal 500 in both M&A Litigation and Shareholder Litigation, and as a “Rising Star” in Northern California securities litigation by Super Lawyers.
Memberships
New York and California Bar.
Education
University of San Francisco (J.D., summa cum laude, 2008); Cornell University (B.A., With Distinction in All Subjects, 2005).
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
(Next Generation Partners)At Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, ‘the team has great industry experience, which puts them in a position to provide deep insight into risks and opportunities associated with securities litigation matters’. One client remarks that the lawyers are ‘very thorough and provide timely advice’ and benefit from ‘extensive experience and a sensitivity to clients’ practical needs and goals’. The firm has a stellar roster of clients, among them major corporates such as Alibaba Group and financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley. New York partners Jonathan Youngwood, who is ‘superior in securities litigation’, leads the practice with Lynn Neuner. Youngwood and senior counsel Janet Gochman are representing Twitter in a derivative action alleging breach of fiduciary duty by founder Jack Dorsey. Also in New York, Peter Kazanoff is ‘second to none in his experience, attention to detail and practical guidance’. He is currently handling a complex derivative action for KKR Biomet, which alleges that the company’s board knew it was facing regulatory compliance challenges concerning one of its facilities, but hid those facts from the market. Emerging partner talents Stephen Blake in Palo Alto (‘a very practical lawyer who is able to apply deep experience and substantive knowledge to very difficult problems’) and Craig Waldman in New York play pivotal roles in the practice. Palo Alto-based James Kreissman is now of counsel.
United States > Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
(Next Generation Partners)Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP ‘has great industry experience, which puts them in a position to provide deep insight into risks and opportunities associated with securities litigation matters‘, and clients remark that the partners are ‘very thorough and provide timely advice‘. The practice is led by Jonathan Youngwood and seasoned trial lawyer Lynn Neuner. Youngwood and Palo Alto-based Stephen Blake are ‘very practical lawyers who are able to apply deep experience and substantive knowledge to very difficult problems and find the best possible outcomes, even when no good options are apparent‘ – they have been active in SPAC cases of late. Peter Kazanoff is ‘second to none in his experience, attention to detail and practical guidance‘, and Craig Waldman also plays a key role in the practice. James Kreissman is now of counsel. All lawyers are in New York unless otherwise stated.
Lawyer Rankings
- M&A litigation: defense United States > Dispute resolution
- Next Generation Partners United States > Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Next Generation Partners United States > Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- Securities litigation: defense United States > Dispute resolution
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Insurance > Advice to insurers
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: global offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- International Trade > CFIUS
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Tax > Not-for-profit (nonprofit and tax exempt organizations)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
Firm Rankings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Tax > International tax
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Finance > Financial services regulation
- Insurance > Insurance: non-contentious
- Finance > Project finance
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Finance > Structured finance: derivatives and structured products
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Finance > Fintech
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)