Back in 2004, when they filed a gender discrimination suit against Novartis on behalf of three female sales reps, the Sanford Wittels partners had no idea they'd make history with a record-setting $250 million punitive damages verdict. They offer penetrating insights about Novartis's handling of the case--and the ruling's impact on future employment discrimination suits.

After months of reading submissions, vetting, and interviews, The American Lawyer has announced the winners of the magazine's sixth biennial Litigation Department of the Year contest. Gibson Dunn cinched the top billing for the second time in a row, but plenty of additional firms and more than a half-dozen individual litigators shared in the spotlight.

There's a reason Lumish has been a hot ticket lately on the lateral market: In his first trial since joining Latham in May, the IP litigator knocked out patent claims against TransPerfect Translation International that had threatened to derail the company's business, leaving his adversaries saddled with a $1 million damages award instead.