With a significant core securities capability, as well as being able to leverage the expertise of complementary strength in other key areas, including white-collar, employment law, life sciences regulatory and funds-related transactional work, Arnold & Porter provides a one-stop-shop service to clients across a myriad private securities litigation class actions, as well as accompanying regulatory probes, including in tightly regulated industry sectors. As well as handling core securities fraud matters (including 10-b 5 issues), often involving SEC agency involvement, the team, under the guidance of Veronica Callahan, has niche strength in relation to accountancy liability, most notably in the context of the heightened scrutiny placed on accounting firms in relation to public company auditing by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Kathleen Reilly is also pivotal to the accountancy-related work, regularly assisting Callahan in PCAOB-initiated lawsuits, as well as excelling in enforcement actions brought by the SEC, DOJ and State Attorneys General. Callahan, Reilly and recently promoted Chicago-based partner Stephanna Szotowski have also been very engaged on thought leadership and advising clients in relation to the recent consequential Supreme Court decisions handed down in Loper Bright and Jarkesy, with Loper Bright, in particular, going to the core of the previously longstanding presumption of agency precedence particularly where statutory authority appears ambiguous and in turn causing somewhat of a faultline to develop in the judicial landscape as federal courts have begun scrutinizing agency actions with increased rigor. Aaron Miner is also a key member of the team who regularly handles securities fraud class actions impacting life sciences and hi-tech companies, while out of Washington DC Christian Schultz and Daniel Hawke, both former SEC lawyers, are the key contacts. All named practitioners are located in New York unless otherwise indicated.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Accolades

Client satisfaction

Key clients

  • New York Community Bancorp (NYCB)
  • RSM US LLP
  • Leila Vespoli, former Chief Legal Officer of First EnergyCorp.
  • Atlantic Security Bank
  • Aegis Capital Corp./Greenwich Investment Management
  • National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa. – Towers Watson
  • HF Foods Group Inc.
  • Acme Business Holdco
  • Michael Moro, the former CEO of crypto firm Genesis Global Capital
  • National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa. –In re FairPoint

Work highlights

  • Scored a significant trial victory at NY State Court for New York Community Bancorp. The Department of Labor’s Administrative Review Board (ARB) affirmed the Administrative Law Judge’s decision denying the employees’ claims in their entirety.
  • Obtained affirmance by the Delaware Supreme Court of the lower court’s dismissal of Stillwater’s multi-million-dollar D&O coverage suit against National Union and AIG Claims.
  • Defending former Chief Legal Officer of FirstEnergy Corp., Leila Vespoli, in an ongoing criminal investigation by the SDOH U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office of First Energy and an ongoing federal securities class action involving Section 10(b) and 20(a) claims.

Lawyers

Practice head

Veronica Callahan

Other key lawyers

Jeffrey Fuisz; Daniel Hawke; Scott Schreiber; Christian Schultz; Arthur Luk; Aaron Miner; Kathleen Reilly; Stephanna Szotkowski