Back to rankings
Winston Taylor

Winston Taylor

More information

United States • Dispute resolution

3

Securities litigation: defense

The team at Winston Taylor demonstrates particular expertise in advising clients from the cryptocurrency industry. The practice is led by the trio of James Smith, William O'Neill and John Schreiber. Smith, in New York, is adept at trying numerous cases and argued notable appeals before state and federal courts and arbitral tribunals throughout the United States, including in the Delaware Court of Chancery, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the New York Court of Appeals. Schreiber leads the west coast securities litigation group from Los Angeles, acting in the defense of public companies and their boards and executives in securities class and derivative disputes. O’Neill, in Chicago, is often engaged in warranty and fraud claims. Other individuals within the team cover a wide array of matters, including Matthew DiRisio, who handles SPAC litigation from New York, and Joe Motto, who represents various underwriting syndicates from Chicago.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team I worked with had a deep bench and a well of expertise. If an issue arose, they had seen it before.’

  • ‘I dealt mostly with Matthew DiRisio. Matt is a true expert in securities and M&A litigation defense. He demonstrated tremendous legal acumen as well as poise, even in front of a challenging audience. I was also impressed by how Matt could discuss and describe complex issues in a well-reasoned, succinct, and straightforward manner. He is an all-around great attorney and was a pleasure to work with. ’

  • ‘The Winston team is very talented, knowledgeable and experienced. But what sets them apart is their judgment. The team is exceptional at identifying and pursuing the right litigation strategy.’

  • ‘Jim Smith has a wealth of knowledge of Delaware law and remarkable judgment. The Winston team also includes other very talented partners, including Matt DiRisio, John Schreiber, Jeff Steinfeld, and Kerry Donovan. Their associates are very good as well. ’

  • ‘Experience in the northern district of IL, lower rates than other large firms with comparable experience, appreciate the bench of experience, appreciate the prior experience on the team of a GC of a public company navigating a board and securities litigation.’

Key clients

  • B. Riley Financial, Inc. (Audit Committee)
  • BAM Trading Services, Inc. aka Binance US
  • Becton, Dickinson and Company
  • Binance (BAM Trading Services, Inc.)
  • Caitlyn Jenner (f/k/a Bruce Jenner)
  • Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.
  • The Chamber of Digital Commerce
  • Consensys Software Inc.
  • Discover Financial Services’ former CEO Roger Hochschild
  • enCore Energy Group
  • Grindr, Inc.
  • Jernigan Capital, Inc., n/k/a NexPoint Storage Partners Inc.

Work highlights

Secured a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court victory for Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. and its former officers and directors in a securities class action stemming from a nearly US$2B stock drop.
Secured complete dismissal with prejudice for Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., and eight other defendants, including Cantor’s CEO and Chairman Howard Lutnick (now U.S. Secretary of Commerce), in a multi-billion-dollar securities class action arising from the $1.6B de-SPAC merger between CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II and View, Inc.
Represented Becton, Dickinson and Co. and certain current and former officers and directors in federal and state derivative actions stemming from a securities class action related to FDA discussions about BD’s Alaris infusion pump.
Practice head

James Smith; William O'Neil; John Schreiber

Other key lawyers

Matthew DiRisio; Jeffrey Steinfeld; Joe Motto; Kerry Donovan