More Stars: Litigation Department of the Year Honorable Mentions
These 10 runner-up law firms handled groundbreaking cases, got results that made headlines, and saved clients from uncertain futures.
December 20, 2017 at 12:55 PM
5 minute read
Cooley Cooley's push to be the top firm at the intersection of law and technology is paying off. In the past two years, the firm has beaten back privacy class actions against clients Facebook and Sony Computer Entertainment and saved Google's $113 billion trademark on the company name. But technology isn't all the firm knows. Among its other matters in 2016 and 2017, the firm handled big antitrust, intellectual property and recovery cases, and also secured the dismissal of 77 suits filed by Verizon and Sprint over fees they paid to Cooley client CenturyLink.
Covington & Burling The Washington, D.C.-based firm is steeped in regulatory experience and brought that to bear frequently in the past two years. Covington is often called in when things are bleakest for its clients, as it did when it negotiated a $25 million criminal fine with the DOJ on behalf of client Takata Airbags in the massive criminal and civil litigation over the manufacturer's faulty design. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder helped steer Uber in the right direction after the ride service was accused of a discriminatory culture. Covington also helped defeat a $500 million award for client McKesson in a trade secrets case, among other recent victories.
Kirkland & Ellis Kirkland & Ellis is no stranger to a courtroom, whether it be trial courts or the U.S. Supreme Court. The firm racked up 27 jury wins, 106 appellate victories and 11 arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in the last two years. Its appellate department was bolstered by the addition of former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement and his firm Bancroft. Kirkland beat back voting restrictions in North Carolina, earned a defense win in a $1 billion False Claims Act suit against Abbott Pharmaceuticals and made headway into bringing sports betting to New Jersey. And when General Motors opted to defend itself in court in the high-stakes ignition switch litigation, it turned to Kirkland.
O'Melveny & Myers In the last two years, O'Melveny & Myers left a lasting impact on U.S. law with the far-reaching cases it took to trial or up on appeal, with some of its largest victories coming after the firm took over from other counsel. In the past two years, the firm garnered a ruling that client Sirius XM could broadcast pre-1972 recordings without paying royalties; it won for the entire airline industry in an antitrust suit against a trip-booking agent; and helped Donald Trump and Trump University reach a $25 million settlement in a high-profile fraud case occurring in the midst of the election and presidential transition.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison When the stakes are high, whether in major financial litigation or with a corporation's reputation at stake, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrisson is a go-to firm. In the past two years, Paul Weiss has represented the NFL in concussion litigation, shepherded 21st Century Fox through the Roger Ailes sexual harassment scandal, and represented Citigroup in a multibillion-dollar arbitration over Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's stake in the bank. The firm also represented JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the U.S. government's investigation into its alleged hiring of "Chinese princelings," the children of senior government officials in China.
Sidley Austin Sidley Austin showed off its well-known appellate chops with an influential victory in the U.S. Supreme Court in a patent case for Life Technologies; with a New York appellate ruling for Kenneth Cole Productions directors that better defined the role of the business judgment rule in going-private transactions; and with a pro bono win that ended unlawful lethal injection policies in Arizona. Other successful results came for clients Microsoft in a patent case over XBox One controllers; for China in Vitamin C antitrust litigation; for Sirius XM in disputes over royalty payments and for American Honda Motor Co. in the Takata airbags litigation.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Some of Simpson Thacher's biggest cases come through the firm's top-tier corporate practice: After leading Alibaba through its $25 billion IPO, Simpson turned back a wave of securities litigation when an Internet white paper accused the company of selling counterfeit goods. The firm obtained a full recovery for the unsecured creditors in the Gawker Media bankruptcy, won a $525 million cross-border arbitration for Daiichi Sankyo, and ended a 15-year fight over $400 million in reinsurance claims with a major settlement for Travelers.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges Weil Gotshal distinguished itself in product liability litigation, but it didn't stop there. Its high-impact cases included an appellate win for Marsh & McLennan Companies that allows businesses to terminate employees who refuse to cooperate with internal investigations and a settlement that ends indefinite solitary confinement in California prisons.
White & Case White & Case's international orientation means that its cases and clients come from all over the world. The firm's litigators successfully represented France-based cable maker Nexans in a global antitrust investigation, the Republic of Sudan in U.S. federal court, Japan's Toshiba Corp. in securities litigation, and a Finnish utility in an international arbitration, among others.
Williams & Connolly This Washington, D.C.-based powerhouse focuses almost exclusively on litigation, and that shows in the results the firm obtains for clients. Williams & Connolly helped overturn a $1.3 billion judgment against client Bank of America Corp., won summary judgment for Merck & Co. Inc. in a products liability suit over diabetes drug Januvia and staved off a $20 billion antitrust suit against client AstroZeneca.
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