Lisa Helem, editor-in-chief of the National Law Journal.June Editor's Note: In These D.C. Practices, Excellence Is the Standard
NLJ Editor-in-Chief Lisa Helem shares highlights of the NLJ's June magazine issue, including the 2020 D.C. Litigation Departments of the Year.
May 31, 2020 at 11:30 AM
3 minute read
I'm always elated when we have the chance to briefly step back from the busy news cycle to shine a light on those who are carrying the banner of excellence in our profession.
This year, in our D.C. Litigation Departments of the Year special report, we honor 13 leading firms that over the past year have excelled in general litigation, labor and employment, intellectual property, insurance, products liability/mass torts and white collar defense.
In keeping with tradition, competition was fierce this year. Three firms—Zuckerman Spaeder, Akin Gump and Kirkland & Ellis—share top honors, securing acquittals for former White House counsel Gregory Craig and Bijan Rafiekian, an ex-business partner of former national security advisor Michael Flynn, and winning more than $256 million for BNSF Railway.
Our litigation specialty honorees also successfully handled high-stakes work that included representing Gordon Sondland, former U.S. ambassador to the European Union, in the high-profile impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump and winning a full defense verdict in a class action brought on behalf of One A Day multivitamin consumers. Check out our special report to read more about all of our stellar honorees and their work.
Next, C. Ryan Barber connects with former federal prosecutor Jonathan Kravis, who resigned from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington after playing a lead role in the prosecution of Roger Stone, a Trump ally. Kravis left his former post after DOJ leaders intervened in Stone's sentencing.
Now, he's working at the D.C. Office of the Attorney General in a consulting role in which he's advising D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine Racine on structuring a new public corruption unit. Barber speaks with Kravis and Racine about their areas of focus for the new division, which include targeting campaign finance violations and fraud.
Next, following the start of the first fraud prosecution for misconduct connected with the receipt of CARES Act aid, MoloLamken partner Eric Nitz and associate Emily Damrau write about when receipt of CARES Act assistance triggers criminal liability. For more, read their column in the "Practice" section.
Finally, check out the latest in lawyer moves from across the globe in our "Movers" section, compiled by Pearl Wu.
As always, we love hearing from you. Email me at the address below or reach out on Twitter via @lhelemNLJ. Thanks for reading!
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
After 2024's Regulatory Tsunami, Financial Services Firms Hope Storm Clouds Break
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1The Key Moves in the Reshuffling German Legal Market as 2025 Dawns
- 2Social Media Celebrities Clash in $100M Lawsuit
- 3Federal Judge Sets 2026 Admiralty Bench Trial in Baltimore Bridge Collapse Litigation
- 4Trump Media Accuses Purchaser Rep of Extortion, Harassment After Merger
- 5Judge Slashes $2M in Punitive Damages in Sober-Living Harassment Case
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
