Litigation
We practice in both state and federal courts (jury and non-jury trials) and in alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation. Although we do not limit ourselves to a particular specialty, we have extensive experience in a number of areas, including those indicated below.
Products Liability and Toxic Torts
We have a wide-ranging, defense product liability and toxic torts practice. The cases we handled have involved, among other things, pharmaceutical products, medical devices, chemicals, automobiles, swimming pools, industrial gases and equipment, and a variety of other products. They have included claims for death, severe birth defects, systemic neurologic and rheumatologic diseases, quadri-and paraplegia, allergies, severe burns, cancer and an assortment of less severe injuries. Our defenses in some of these matters have involved the use of sophisticated demonstrative aids, mock juries, and the interpretation for lay people of complicated expert scientific testimony. We have coordinated defenses and served as lead counsel in multi-defendant cases, national coordinating counsel in “mass tort” litigation, and national scientific evidence counsel for a major pharmaceutical company.
Our products liability practice encompasses sophisticated approaches to product risk assessment and litigation risk management. Our lawyers work with companies to assess scientific, technical, regulatory, marketing and sales activities, and provide concrete recommendations for minimizing risks to the business and managing litigation risks.
Commercial
Our attorneys have defended and instituted a wide variety of commercial actions including or involving the following subject matters: contracts of many sorts, distributorship agreements and terminations; defective delivery of products, including representation of an inspection company against such claims; municipal affairs, including zoning, government contracting and civil rights (including false arrest and malicious prosecution); government proceedings; healthcare litigation, including HMO’s; professional liability, including attorney malpractice; corporate litigation, including mergers and acquisitions; and insurance coverage.
Financial Services
Our attorneys have represented financial institutions in federal and state litigation (in both individual and class actions), arbitration before the NYSE and NASD, and in connection with SEC, NYSE, NASD, CFTC and NYMEX investigations. We have handled claims under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as well as banking, trading, clearing brokerage and customer-broker disputes.
Employment
We counsel businesses, schools, universities, executives, officers, directors, trustees and employees on employee relations. Our employment practice includes the representation of our clients in employment cases, at the administrative and court levels and in state and federal forums. Claims litigated have included wrongful termination; sexual harassment; stalking; and discrimination on the basis of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and national origin.
Real Estate
We handle a variety of real estate litigations, including cooperative corporations and condominiums litigation, representing secured lenders in foreclosures (both Uniform Commercial Code foreclosures of cooperative apartments and mortgage foreclosures), and litigating the status of buildings and units under the Interim Multiple Dwelling Law (the Loft Law) and the Rent Stabilization Law. We have also litigated commercial landlord-tenant disputes and partition actions.
Antitrust, Unfair Competition
We have represented a variety of clients accused, both civilly and criminally, of anti-competitive practices. Clients have included defendants in the publishing, copper products, nuclear power, real estate, beverage, and chemical industries.
Arbitration/Alternative Dispute Resolution
We explore with our clients options to resolve disputes in ways that are suited to their needs and goals and handle arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.