Dispute resolution
Freshfields‘s shareholder litigation team offers considerable trial experience to clients facing suits linked to both M&A activities and corporate governance issues, including allegations of breaches of fiduciary duties by company directors and officers. In New York, Meredith Kotler and Mary Eaton specialize in defending stockholder challenges to M&A deals and tackling securities class actions; recently they secured the dismissal of several claims brought by Viela stockholders against AstraZeneca, alleging that its 2018 spinoff of Viela was done at below market value and under pressure from AstraZeneca officers. Kotler and Eaton spearhead the firm’s M&A litigation alongside Silicon Valley-based Boris Feldman, who represents an impressive roster of tech clients in securities and M&A disputes, notably advising Tesla in response to shareholder claims that the board failed to act in relation to a number of business indiscretions committed by CEO Elon Musk.
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Profile
Work Department
Litigation
Position
Partner and Co-Head of Securities and Shareholder Litigation
Career
Mary Eaton is co-head of the securities and shareholder litigation practice at Freshfields, and has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation, with a focus on securities class actions, shareholder derivative claims and other complex business disputes. Mary regularly represents issuers, boards of directors, board committees and senior management across a broad spectrum of industries (including financial services, private equity, asset management and technology) in a wide variety of disputes in federal and state courts across the country. In addition to her substantial trial experience, Mary regularly counsels clients on litigation avoidance and corporate governance matters.
Among her many accolades, Mary is perennially ranked among leading litigators by Chambers USA, Legal 500 US and Best Lawyers in America. In 2019, the American Bar Association awarded Mary the Stonewall Award for her contributions to the advancement of LGBT individuals and issues.
Education
- LLB, Queen’s University
- JD, Columbia Law School
- LLM, Columbia Law School
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'I think the Freshfields litigation practice is outstanding due to the strength and depth of the team, their vast experience and global reach. They are simply better all around than their peers.' 'The two standout partners are Mary Eaton and Meredith Kotler. Mary is a world class litigator, extremely responsive, great judgment. Meredith Kotler is a superb writer, a great courtroom lawyer and utterly tenacious.' 'We have found the entire team, but especially the partners, to have fantastic subject matter expertise and great knowledge of the people and personalities, whether it be opposing counsel or the judges. The team has taken the time to really understand our complicated business model, which enables them to provide useful advice and counsel.' 'The advice provided is practical, actionable and efficient. We are usually presented with options and the pros and cons of each of the options. The partners are available as needed.'
Key clients
- AstraZeneca PLC, its CEO, and several other executives Tesla, several executives and its board Buzzfeed and certain officers Omar Johnson, former director of Qualtrics International, Inc. Penske Automotive Group and its board Current and former independent directors of Jacobs Solutions PubMatic, Inc. and its directors Next Fifteen Communications Corporation and its CEO Sumitomo Pharma UK Holdings, Ltd./Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc./Myovant Sciences Ltd.
Work highlights
Represented AstraZeneca and several of its executives in obtaining the dismissal of all claims against it as alleged controlling stockholder of Viela Bio in a challenge to Viela’s $3bn sale to Horizon.