DC Rising Stars: Kristin Shapiro, 36
Dive in. By far the most rewarding experiences I have had in my career have occurred when I stopped waiting for someone to tell me what to do.
July 24, 2019 at 09:30 AM
2 minute read
Employer: U.S. House of Representatives
Title and Practice Area: Assistant General Counsel, Litigation
What was the most valuable lesson you learned in your first year of practice? Being a practicing lawyer is much harder than being a law clerk. Lawyers must identify all of the potential issues in a case, create a record, and dot every I and cross every T, even with technical matters that are unlikely to affect the outcome of the case.
Describe your biggest win or accomplishment in practice. My favorite litigation victory is drafting a motion to dismiss that convinced opposing counsel to dismiss the case. As to my work with Independent Women's Forum, my biggest accomplishment is having multiple members of Congress introduce legislation modeled after my proposal for a federal parental leave policy.
Who do you consider to be your greatest lawyer mentor? This a tough one because I have worked with amazing attorneys—Kannon Shanmugam, Tom Hungar and Doug Letter, just to name a few. Shanmugam's career advice has been particularly helpful, and if I can someday write even half as beautifully as him I will die proud.
Please share a key to your success. Dive in. By far the most rewarding experiences I have had in my career have occurred when I stopped waiting for someone to tell me what to do and instead started directing myself.
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Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
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Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.