Combining exceptional tactical/procedural nous with in-depth knowledge of the substantive law concerning securities litigation, New York-based “white-shoe” firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP excels in defending corporates and individual officers spanning a range of industries in high-profile class and individual actions at both trial and appellate level. The ‘tremendously creative’ team is adept at handling traditional Rule 10-b 5, as well as Section 11 and 12 cases, in the process at times developing new law. This was recently exemplified by Wes Earnhardt’s victory at trial and appellate level for Root, securing the dismissal of a putative class action for alleged false/misleading statements following the company’s IPO, and in the process of the successful appellate defense creating new circuit law on the pleading standard for negligence claims under the federal securities laws. The team also stands out for its ability to try cases should the need arise, with the firm being able to call upon the expertise of several high-profile trial lawyers, including the vastly experienced Daniel Slifkin. As one of only a handful of lawyers who have tried a securities litigation matter to a verdict before a jury, Slifkin is highly sought after in the field, with clients including Tesla regularly seeking out his counsel for their highest-profile matters. Co-head of the firm’s overarching litigation offering, Kevin Orsini also stands out for his trial skills, including his recent work as lead trial counsel for Robinhood as defendant in the sprawling “meme-stock” litigation. The vastly experienced Antony Ryan also had a key role in the Robinhood litigation, and as well as being very skilled in handling private litigation is also adept at handling SEC, DOJ and other governmental investigations and enforcement matters, which often accompany such disputes. Other core members of the team include Lauren Moskowitz, who has developed a particularly strong reputation for financial institutions; Lauren Rosenberg, whose work covers the full spectrum of complex securities matters, including alleged disclosure deficiencies, fraud allegations and corporate governance disputes; and Karin DeMasi, whose varied securities litigation practice, includes representing clients in derivative actions, post-IPO and M&A litigation, and ERISA class actions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Cravath has a particularly deep bench of securities litigators who can be trusted to outthink and outwork their adversaries. They are also tremendously creative; they would be my first call for an important securities litigation.'
Key clients
- Blackstone Inc.
- British American Tobacco p.l.c.
- Deutsche Telekom AG
- Dfinity Foundation
- Endava, plc
- Forward Air Corporation
- Mylan N.V.
- Occidental Petroleum Corporation
- Qualcomm Incorporated
- Robinhood Markets, Inc.
Work highlights
- Represented Robinhood as lead counsel in the sprawling “meme stock” litigation, which encompassed dozens of lawsuits, including numerous putative class actions, involving securities, antitrust, negligence, contract and various other state and federal claims—securing a series of victories to dismiss or otherwise resolve all claims against the company.
- Won a complete summary judgment victory for Mylan (now Viatris), defeating a securities class action asserting numerous violations of the federal securities laws, all premised on other allegations related to Mylan’s marketing, pricing and classification of EpiPen. The decision, which was affirmed on appeal to the Second Circuit, represents one of the few resolutions of a federal securities fraud litigation at summary judgment entirely in favor of defendants.
- Won the complete dismissal of putative class action securities litigation filed against Root which alleged Root made false or misleading statements and omissions in connection with the company’s IPO.
Lawyers
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Leading partners
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Other key lawyers
Daniel Slifkin; Antony Ryan; Karin DeMasi; Kevin Orsini; Wes Earnhardt; Lauren Rosenberg; Lauren Moskowitz