New York, NY — As the legal industry gathers for The American Lawyer’s Industry Awards this Wednesday, anticipation builds around the announcement of the Litigator of the Year. Among the distinguished finalists are attorneys whose recent landmark cases have made significant impacts on corporate governance, antitrust regulations, intellectual property, and more.
Jeroen van Kwawegen, a partner at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann, enjoyed a notably active year. Heading the firm’s corporate governance department, he presided over 45 cases, taking lead roles in significant plaintiff motions and various class action suits. His notable achievements include playing a pivotal role in a governance trial that culminated in the rescission of Elon Musk’s $55 billion compensation package with Tesla, and securing a historic $350 million judgment against TC Energy following the completion of its acquisition of Columbia Pipeline Group.
Beth Wilkinson’s year was highlighted by her successful representation of Microsoft in federal court. Wilkinson managed to foil the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard valued at $68.7 billion. The victory came swiftly, only four weeks post the FTC’s complaint, and was further solidified when Wilkinson thwarted attempts to stay the district court’s decision. Besides this, Wilkinson defends the NFL in a comprehensive antitrust class action concerning exclusive distribution deals with DIRECTV.
Gary Bornstein, of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, has also been nominated due to his trailblazing role as a litigator and milestone achievements as the firm’s first openly gay department head. Last December, Bornstein won a notable victory for Epic Games against Google, accusing them of anticompetitive conduct within mobile app distributions and in-app payments management. His ongoing representation of Deutsche Telekom and British American Tobacco also highlights his versatility and command in high-stakes corporate law.
Justin Nelson of Susman Godfrey marked this year with significant courtroom victories. These included a defamation lawsuit win for Michael Cohen against the One American News network, and an ongoing copyright class action against OpenAI and Microsoft. Additionally, Nelson achieved a landmark $787.5 million settlement for Dominion Voting Systems in their defamation case against Fox.
Kannon Shanmugam of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, added to his impressive portfolio with multiple appellate victories. His success in compelling arbitration for former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s dispute with the NFL was particularly noteworthy, alongside reversing the criminal conviction of U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.
Tarek Ismail of Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum, solidified his reputation by defending major corporations in high-profile cases. This included verdicts favoring Bayer/Monsanto and GlaxoSmithKline, with the latter related to the cancer risks allegedly linked to the heartburn medication Zantac.
Irell & Manella partners Jason Sheasby and Lisa Glasser also had a successful year, securing significant patent damages for G+ Communications from Samsung, and delivering multiple victories for Netlist Inc. against major tech companies over intellectual property disputes.
These exemplary attorneys reflect the legal profession’s evolving landscape, showcasing a blend of rigorous advocacy, skill, and strategic litigation that shape significant jurisprudent outcomes.
It should be noted that this article was generated with the assistance of automation and may contain factual inaccuracies. Any errors can be reported and requests for corrections or removals should be directed to [email protected].