We’ve never granted Honorable Mention kudos to as many Litigation Department of the Year contenders as we have this year–but that’s because we’ve never before seen such stellar results from so many firms. Our Honorable Mentions go to litigation departments that won billion-dollar awards, that exposed high-level prosecutorial misconduct, that headed off potentially ruinous mass torts. Their cases spanned the globe, demonstrating more convincingly than ever that for American firms, litigation is an international growth opportunity. There’s been a lot of talk since the recession hit about how litigation has not been the countercyclical hedge it was in other downturns. That may be true. Nevertheless, the results obtained by the firms on our list loom large as they and their clients begin to creep tentatively into recovery.
• Baker Botts
Baker’s $6 billion bankruptcy court win for Asarco LLC was the biggest award of the last two years, but the firm also represented Halliburton Company in its settlement of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act charges; Credit Suisse Group and Deutsche Bank AG in Huntsman Corporation’s breach of contract trial in Texas; and Ford Motor Company in a contract dispute with Navistar International Corp.
