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DLA Piper

DLA Piper

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United States • Dispute resolution

3

General commercial disputes - premium ($500m+)

DLA Piper LLP (US)‘s business and commercial litigation practice counts consumer and product-facing class actions as a particular forte, alongside fraud, misrepresentation, and breach of contract claims. The practice is driven by Baltimore-based Brett Ingerman, who also chairs the bankruptcy litigation group, and is recognized for steering bet-the-company M&A disputes. He is joined by Los Angeles’ John Samuel Gibson who represents major corporations and public figures in large-scale civil conflicts. San Francisco’s Isabelle Ord co-chairs the firm’s class action litigation group. Also integral to the team are Chicago-based John Hamill, who advises on complex commercial litigation and arbitration, while New York’s Colleen Carey Gulliver and Los Angeles’ Angela Agrusa are both highly effective in product liability and consumer class actions. In Washington DC, Mary Gately is active in product liability and class actions. The team expanded in March 2025 with the addition of Austin’s Gregory Casas, who maintains a busy antitrust and competition litigation practice.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Accolades

Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Responsiveness, breath of knowledge and expertise.’

  • ‘Colleen Carey Gulliver is an excellent litigator, and her team is consistently good.’

  • ‘DLA Piper is a diverse firm that provides the entire network of legal and professional expertise to resolve any of the situations, in which you may find yourself or your company.’

  • ‘All partners, associates, legal assistants and experts were skilled, caring and knowledgeable.’

  • ‘Always make repeated attempts to keep me informed.’

  • ‘Mary Gately is respectful, attentive to communication, and the needs of her clients.’ 

  • 'I could not be more impressed than I have been with DLA's litigation capabilities. They are responsive, efficient, dependable, and knowledgeable. I consider them trusted advisors on all litigation matters.'

  • 'Chris Young is one of my most trusted advisors. He is incredibly practical and efficient. His knowledge base is incredible and he works tirelessly on our behalf. I am grateful to have him on my team.'

  • 'DLA has been a wonderful partner in contentious and complex commercial litigation matters. We have great confidence in their team, and they have developed deep relationships with our business clients. I would trust them to try any case for us.'

  • 'Brett Ingerman is an absolutely first-rate trial lawyer. His courtroom skills are truly exceptional. Our business clients love him and ask for him any time we have a legal dispute that is heading for court. He is also a great strategist and a strong partner on matter and expense management.'

Key clients

  • BASF Corporation
  • Bayer Corporation
  • British Airways plc
  • Chicago Fire Soccer Club
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
  • CrowdStrike
  • Danone
  • Danielson Insurance Company
  • Deere & Company (John Deere)
  • Deutsche Lufthansa Group
  • Farmers Group, Inc.
  • Ferragamo USA Inc.
  • Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. [FINRA]
  • G6 Hospitality LLC
  • Graphika, Inc.
  • Inteliquent, Inc.
  • Japan NuScale Innovation
  • Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.
  • KLM Airlines
  • Merlin Entertainments

Work highlights

Secured a significant victory for Tyson Foods, Inc., one of the world’s largest food companies, in obtaining a damages award of $55 million in benefit-of-the-bargain damages, plus pre- and post-judgment interest, following an eight-day trial in November 2024 in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware.
Secured a complete dismissal with prejudice for the founders of Flywheel Digital in a highly contentious case alleging federal and state trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, fraud, and numerous other contract and tort-based claims and sought $24 billion in damages.
Obtained a victory at the motion to dismiss stage for the former CEO of GrafTech International, Ltd. in a consolidated securities fraud class action suit alleging that GrafTech and its directors and officers, including the former CEO, defrauded investors by allegedly failing to disclose environmental issues associated with a Mexican plant, allegedly misrepresenting the capabilities of another plant, and otherwise allegedly making false and misleading statements in earnings calls and SEC filings. Plaintiffs further alleged that the former CEO sold stock while possessing knowledge that the company’s disclosures were misleading and asserted damages in excess of $500 million.
Practice head

Brett Ingerman; John Samuel Gibson

Other key lawyers

Isabelle Ord; John Hamill; Colleen Carey Gulliver; Angela Agrusa; Gregory Casas; Mary Gately; Chris Young