From left, seated are partners William Komaroff, Seth Schafler, Michael Cardozo, partner and vice chair of the litigation department Margaret Dale, partners Steven Obus, and David Picon. Standing in first row are associates Alexander Skellet, Samantha Springer, Lindsey Olson Collins, Jennifer Tarr, Kelly Landers-Hawthorne and Anisha Shenai-Khatkhate, partner Gregg Mashberg, senior counsel Steven Holinstat, associate Julie Ansanelli, partners Jonathan Richman, David Lederkramer, Baldassare Vinti and Steven Kayman, associates Abigail Cousins, Bela Amladi, Alyse Stach and Peter Fishkind. Second row: litigation department legal director Daniel Goldsmith, law clerk Carl Mazurek, associates Shiloh Rainwater, Seth Fiur and Stacey Eilbaum, law clerk Tara Brailey, partners James Shalek, Mark Harris and Bradley Bobroff, associate Seth Fier, senior counsel Nolan Goldberg, partners Lawrence Weinstein, Alexander Kaplan and John Failla, associates Evelyn Pang, Lee Popkin, Brittany Benavidez, Russell Kostelak and Brian Hooven. Last row: associates Fabio Tarud, Edward Canter, Joshua Newville, Om Alladi, Matthew Rotbart and Russell Gorkin, partner Peter Doyle, associate Matthew Morris, partner Anthony Coles, associates Daniel Werb, Adam Deitch and Marissa Tillem (Photo by David Handschuh/NYLJ)

Q: What are some of the department's most satisfying successes of the past year and why?

A: Puerto Rico faces a historic restructuring as the largest ever U.S. local government to file for bankruptcy. We are proud of our work serving as lead outside counsel to the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. Our team is helping the oversight board review and restructure $74 billion of bond debt and $50 billion of underfunded public pension liabilities and advising on active litigation. Our successes include defeating a motion for a preliminary injunction which would have forced Puerto Rico's Highways and Transportation Authority to turn over $100+ million in toll revenue to pay bondholders instead of using the money to maintain highways and dismissing two different Puerto Rico bankruptcy cases filed by insurers of over $2 billion in bonds.

Achieving a trial win for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), litigators Margaret Dale, Jennifer Roche and Kelly Curtis secured a unanimous jury verdict for FIFA in a multi-million dollar breach of contract suit in California, brought by Worldwide Subsidy Group.

We served as lead trial counsel for Johnson & Johnson in two widely publicized product liability trial victories relating to J&J's talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products and their alleged link to ovarian cancer.

Q: A prospective client in crisis calls and asks why your team should be retained. What is your answer?

A: We are a full-service firm with extensive trial experience across global forums. Leveraging our experience in managing crises for clients, we believe it is critical to identify the best and most experienced lawyers to work on particular matters. We always act in the best interests of our clients and believe collaboration is a key to success.

Q: What traits do you respect most in opposing firms and lawyers?

A: We appreciate business-savvy, sophisticated lawyers who think big-picture for their clients. Additionally, we highly regard lawyers who consistently maintain a high level of professionalism and civility.

Q: What sorts of trends are you seeing in litigation, and what do you think will be the most important development in the law/legal business that will impact your field in the next 10 years?

A: Artificial intelligence and machine learning will have an impact on many litigation tasks and increase the volume of trials in the future. In preparation for this we invest in the best people and have built, and will continue to build, a team of highly experienced and world class trial stars. There is no replacement for human thinking and judgment that enables us to make the best decisions for our clients.

Q: What is the firm doing to ensure that future generations of litigators are ready to take the helm?

A: We focus on the skills to develop top litigators, such as trial advocacy and deposition skills and also believe in creating a supportive environment and culture. We give our associates high levels of responsibility and substantive work early on in their careers.

One of our marquee training programs is Columbia@Proskauer, created in partnership with Columbia Business School. Our third, fourth and fifth year associates experience executive MBA-style training sessions, enabling them to truly partner with clients on their business objectives.

We also have a series of programs designed to retain and support our talent. Our women's sponsorship program pairs rising-star female lawyers with senior partners who advocate for their protégés and ensure that they are maximizing their potential. Our diverse mentoring circle program gives junior-level diverse associates one-on-one support from designated partner mentors who help through coaching, counseling and networking. Furthermore, our caregiver return program allows lawyers returning from parental leave to work on a 75% schedule while receiving 100% of their pre-leave compensation for the first six months.