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McDermott Will & Schulte

McDermott Will & Schulte

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United States • Dispute resolution

3

Securities litigation: defense

McDermott Will & Schulte‘s securities litigation practice acts at the intersection of corporate governance, regulation, and litigation, advising clients on a range of shareholder-related litigation matters. The team also handles government investigations and securities claims, including de-SPAC inquiries. Chicago-based Steven Scholes advises public companies in securities class and derivative actions, while Paul Helms, who splits his time between Chicago and Washington DC, has experience in internal investigations and parallel SEC enforcement actions. Boston’s Caitlyn Campbell specialises in SPAC-related litigation and SEC investigations. Joel Haims and David Momborquette, based in New York, are other key names. Timothy Hoeffner departed the team in January 2026.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Accolades

Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Client satisfaction: NPS ®

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team is incredibly competent, extremely cordial and very supportive. ’

  • ‘Paul Helms and Steven Scholes are a joy to work with. Extremely knowledgeable, tremendously helpful and have a knack for making their clients feel welcomed and heard. In addition, both partners were tremendous at making sure you are at ease, informed and comfortable throughout a process. Both partners are great lawyers with years of experience and expertise, both with a great sense of humor and are excellent storytellers. ’

  • ‘This representation involves multiple securities and shareholder derivitiva claims arising from the tragic California Wildfires. There are multiple cases, in multiple courts involving a complex set of claimants and defendants. The representation has been superb.’

  • ‘Steve Scholes has put together an excellent team to work on an incredibly complex set of litigation matters. He is an outstanding communicator of complex issues, providing neither too much or too little detail.’

  • ‘The MWE securities litigation defense practice performs at the highest level and is easily one of the top practices in the space. They have extensive SEC regulatory and litigation defense experience and are top practitioners. ’

  • ‘The top attorneys in that practice are Steve Schole and Paul Helms. Both outstanding. ’

Key clients

  • Andrew Hall
  • Argo Blockchain, PLC
  • BDO USA, P.C.
  • Deloitte and Touche LLP
  • Dentsply Sirona/Bret Wise and Chris Clark
  • Enzo Biochem, Inc.
  • FGMK, LLC
  • First Energy
  • Forge Trust Company
  • Inspired Entertainment
  • Oak Management Corporation
  • PG&E

Work highlights

Representing eight current and former officers and directors of PG&E Corp. in a securities class action alleging misrepresentations related to the company’s wildfire safety practices, with estimated damages exceeding US$18 billion.
Representing longstanding client, BDO USA P.C. in a high-stakes putative securities class action claim involving allegations of audit failures and material misstatement in connection with AmTrust Financial’s public filings (In re AmTrust Financial Services Inc., Securities Litigation (2d Cir.)).
Advising Robert Reffner (Former Chief Legal Officer of FirstEnergy Corp.) on a federal securities class action, derivative action, SEC investigation, and state and federal criminal investigations involving allegations that FirstEnergy engaged in a years-long corruption scheme to influence Ohio legislation and regulatory actions in its favor.
Practice head

Steven Scholes; David Momborquette

Other key lawyers

Joel Haims