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2019 chambers.com USA www.chambers.com

Contents: How advisers are ranked Litigation Funding p.43 Every year we carry out thousands of in-depth in- rankings) include technical legal ability, profes- eDiscovery p.45 terviews with clients in order to assess the reputa- sional conduct, client service, commercial aware- PR & Communications p.47 tions and expertise of business lawyers worldwide. ness/astuteness, diligence, commitment, and Business Intelligence & The qualities we look for (and which determine other qualities most valued by the client. Investigations p.50 Leaders’ Profiles in the USA p.52 Leading Law Firms p.53

An Overview to Litigation PR & Communications Contributed by PRCG Haggerty

About the Author Thus, in the new edition of my bookI n the Court of Public James F. Haggerty, President and CEO, PRCG | Haggerty LLC, Opinion: Winning Strategies for Litigation Communications New York (ABA Books, 2019), litigation communications is defined as: Jim Haggerty is an attorney, communications consultant and author with more than 25 years of experience counseling cor- Managing the communications process during litigation or porate, nonprofit and individual clients in diverse industries, other adjudicatory proceedings so as to affect the outcome including sports, financial and professional services, tech, or its impact on the client’s overall reputation. healthcare and the environment. In the area of litigation com- Why is communicating properly important? One reason is munications, Jim has consulted on some of the largest cases that most cases will never see the inside of the courtroom—at of their kind in history, including one of the largest global least not for trial. In the US, it is estimated that more than criminal fraud cases, the largest intellectual property verdict 95% of legal actions settle before trial or other formal adju- and the largest case ever filed against the US government. In dication. Thus, the court of public opinion is often the only 2017, PR News named Jim as one of their “50 Game Chang- forum where guilt or innocence (or, in the civil sense, liabil- ers of PR” for his work as a “pioneer” in the field of litigation ity) is ultimately assigned. More than this, however, the way a communications. In 2019, the American Bar Association will case is managed publicly can have a significant impact on the publish the third edition of Jim’s landmark book In the Court perspectives and negotiating position of the parties when they of Public Opinion: Winning Strategies for Litigation Com- eventually reach the settlement table. For example, if a de- munication, which the Financial Times has called “the perfect fendant in civil litigation in the US has been publicly battered handbook for this age of show trials.” He is also the author in the media (social media included) for months, that party’s of Chief Crisis Officer: Structure and Leadership for Effective settlement posture will be far different than if such public con- Communications Response (ABA Books, 2017), which takes demnation had been avoided. Alternately, if a defendant can a broad look at crisis communications. show plaintiffs’ lawyers that their skill and ability at handling the communications aspects of litigation will make it harder What is litigation communications? To some, it is writing a to “try the case in the media,” plaintiff’s posture throughout press release or statement in response to an incendiary legal the litigation—and the level of resources opposing lawyers de- filing lodged by an aggressive plaintiff’s lawyer. Or a press vote to a particular case—can change dramatically. Put sim- conference on the courthouse steps to announce the filing of ply: without the prospect of a quick and easy payoff, plaintiffs’ a lawsuit. Or, perhaps, a late-night shouting match on a cable lawyers often lose interest. For both plantiffs and defendants news network over the latest US Supreme Court ruling. in litigation, therefore, managing the process effectively can In truth, while each of these events may occur during the have a considerable impact on its ultimate resolution. course of a legal dispute, litigation communications as a disci- This has never been more true than in this age of social me- pline is far more than this. For litigators—and particularly for dia, smartphones and a 24-hour news cycle, where lawsuits those operating in the US—litigation communications is a far are brought more quickly than ever—and launched into the broader strategic discipline. Indeed, it is often a critical part of public spotlight even faster. For defendants, a successful litiga- the overall litigation management process, as important to the tion communications strategy can help mitigate the damage case as aggressive factual investigation and legal research, re- caused by lawsuits. It can mean the difference between a “blip” taining the right experts, or utilizing effective document man- of media coverage and a full-blown reputational disaster. The agement technology. Planning and proper resources are key. key lies in effectively communicating to the right audiences, including external audiences such as the media or internal

40 www.chambers.com USA audiences such as employees or investors. Having a plan in this strategic overlay to the management of perception during place for litigation communications response can be one of litigation that is essential to success but often overlooked in the most valuable defense mechanisms against reputational the heat of an adversarial legal battle. damage as a legal dispute progresses. Framing issues properly and communicating messages quickly and clearly to the public is no easy task, but in the Lawyer and Client Resistance to Litigation Communica- digital age, when media coverage emerges just minutes or tions hours after any given development in a case, speed and clarity The above no doubt makes sense, but in many circumstances, are critical. Getting ahead of coverage by providing audiences the public aspects of legal disputes are waved away as mere with the documents and facts they need, along with a sum- window-dressing or left until after the “real” legal strategy has mary of what you want them to learn from this information, is been completed. Having worked with lawyers and their clients crucial to controlling public perception of any legal dispute. in high-profile litigation for more than 20 years now, I can firmly assert that this approach is short-sighted. . . and often Framing the Story disastrous. “Just send the media the briefs and exhibits. After the reporters This attitude is frequently expressed by lawyers and clients read all that, they’ll understand.” alike in some form of the following clichés: This, too, is a dangerous attitude. Distilling your story for 1. The best public response during litigation is “No com- outside audiences is the only way to ensure that they under- ment.” stand the strengths of your argument and your client’s reasons 2. Fighting this case only really matters in the courtroom. for taking the position they have taken in the litigation. We 3. My attorney will handle all press. want your narrative cemented in the minds of the stakehold- 4. It is unproductive to pay attention to social media during ers who will influence perceptions regarding the legal dispute. litigation. We want it repeated; we want it understood. We often call this 5. This too shall pass; all we can do is keep our heads down. the “mantra” of the case. 6. The media will write what they will; there is no way to Moreover, it is a common misconception that a particular control media coverage of this issue. event or situation either is news or isn’t, and that there’s no All of this is wrong. There is simply too much attention paid way to influence (1) whether a story is written; (2) how is- these days to commercial disputes, including those that end sues will be framed in the public’s mind; or (3) how big it will in litigation. Lawsuits of all types and sizes are becoming big be. This is the “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t news in business, trade, and general interest media. To quote a make it drink” attitude, which can lead to huge missed op- federal district court judge in New York: “advocacy of a client’s portunities for positively impacting perceptions during litiga- case in the public forum will be important to the client’s ability tion. To communicate the facts you want to get across in a to achieve a fair and just result in pending or threatened litiga- way that media and other public audiences understand, litigation” and “dealing with media in a high-profile case is not a tion communications has to be much more sophisticated than matter for amateurs.” just sending thousands of pages of court filings and back-up In truth, even the best litigators can be remarkably deaf documents to media and other audiences—the “spaghetti on to public perceptions of litigation. While they are tirelessly the wall” approach—or the traditional PR firm formula of (1) working to gain an edge on their opponents in the courtroom, writing a press release; (2) compiling a media list, (3) sending they often neglect the public relations aspects of their cases. out the release, and (4) repeating as necessary. We call this the Part of the problem is that most top litigators came out of law “lather, rinse, repeat” approach to public relations, and while school in the 1970s and 1980s (or perhaps, these days, the it may work when you are promoting a simple product like early 1990s) when there was no Internet, no 24-hour cable shampoo, it is far less effective in the face of complex litiga- news, and generally very little business news coverage of court tion, with layers of fact and law that need to be reinforced over cases. Thus, they never learned about these things during le- weeks and months as a case progresses. gal training—and were, in fact, likely mentored by litigators A much more productive strategy is to develop a core mes- who came of age in the 1960s or 1970s. Litigation communi- sage and then target specific media outlets that will be most cations professionals look to combat this problem by taking a helpful in reaching target audiences. Considering your target holistic approach to this critical aspect of modern litigation, audience first, then communicating what matters about your including by monitoring media and social media coverage, case to them can vastly impact public perceptions on your le- fostering productive interactions with reporters and editors, gal dispute and the issues at the heart of the case. It won’t make framing the issues in the mind of the public before litigation a weak argument strong, but finding the right information in is underway, and otherwise ensuring that their clients’ point the thousands of pages of documents surrounding your issue of view is presented correctly and throughout the dispute. It is can mean the difference between success and failure as a mat-

41 USA www.chambers.com ter moves forward. Litigators in the midst of their work of- facts to public audiences in an understandable fashion. Litiga- ten “can’t see the forest for the trees,” getting caught up in the tion PR specialists are therefore differentiated by their ability intricate details of the case that will help them win in court, to distill the complexities of a particular court case into an rather than the overarching message that will earn them fa- easily digestible format. Finally, while in crisis communica- vor in the court of public opinion. Curating and disseminat- tions it’s beneficial to have the CEO or organization head act ing this message is the craft of a litigation communications as the spokesperson during a crisis, the client is not always the professional, and leaving this work to seasoned professionals most appropriate spokesperson in litigation communications. saves time and effort on the part of the litigators. Trial lawyers will have the best handle on the case; thus, they are often the experts from whom reporters will most want to Trend: The Convergence of Litigation Communications hear. and Crisis Communications Litigation PR has some overlap with the broader practice of Trend: The Digital Age and the Need for Speed crisis communications—a well-known subset of public rela- In the digital age, when news outlets post new stories minute- tions since, at least, the famous US cyanide in the Tylenol in- by-minute rather than once a day, media face rolling dead- cident of the early 1980s. Crisis communications is defined lines and the looming threat that another media outlet will as the process of ensuring an effective communications re- beat them to the story. Put simply, members of the media want sponse to an unstable or critical state of affairs that threatens the truth, they want it now, and they want it in a form that’s to have an undesirable or negative impact on an organization’s useful to them and their audience. It’s crucial to organize the reputation, business or goals. Needless to say, a media circus facts into a core message so that only correct information is surrounding a lawsuit can threaten such damage to reputa- communicated to the media. tion—especially when a case involves a prosecutor willing to In addition, reporters and other key influencers face word cause a ruckus to further their career or political goals. Thus, limits and, if they engage in social media, Twitter’s 280-charac- as in crisis communications, it’s important during litigation ter limit. With an audience that is endlessly scrolling through communications to have a plan and team in place for deal- social media or news aggregator apps, reporters have only a ing with media, and it’s vital that each member of this team few sentences (or a few seconds, in the case of video-format communicates the same core message to the media. To this stories) to grab the attention of potential readers. What they effect, all facts must be assembled to ensure that only accurate need most are the bits and pieces of information about litiga- information is flowing to public audiences. tion that will interest their audience. Time is of the essence; Since legal issues are often intertwined with the physical with pressing deadlines, those influencing perceptions sur- event at the heart of what is typically considered a “crisis,” an rounding your matter have less time than ever to sift through organization’s strategy must often combine elements of both reams of highly complicated legal information to uncover the litigation and crisis PR. Additionally, in the digital age when story within. stories can be published with increasing rapidity and then go viral in a matter of minutes or hours, developments in a legal Trend: More Often Than Not, Litigation Makes the News dispute can become reputational crises themselves. Thus, the The rise of business-, legal- and social-media platforms have line between litigation communications and crisis communi- altered the landscape of the practice of law. The past few dec- cations is blurring, and experts versed in both fields tend to be ades have given rise to thousands of trade publications, now those most equipped to handle public relations throughout a all online and accessible through social media platforms. litigation. These include many media outlets devoted to legal news, as That being said, litigation communications differs from cri- well as business news in an endless variety of industries. As sis PR in several key ways. First of all, a lawsuit unfolds over litigation has become central to US commercial and economic months and years, so it can’t be treated in the same way as a life, business news in the US necessarily includes legal news. crisis that explodes over hours or days. Communication dur- Readers of business and legal trade outlets, and followers of ing litigation requires constant exertion of pressure to follow business and law reporters on social media, are specifically the ebb and flow of the litigation itself. Since the story is much interested in the stories produced around litigation. This new more stretched out, litigation PR is less event-driven than tra- supply of and demand for legal news has one inevitable con- ditional crisis communications and cannot revolve around a sequence: while you can hope that litigation will or will not one-time event that will be slowly forgotten as the case winds garner media attention, you can no longer ever assume that a its way through the legal process. lawsuit will not make the news. Additionally, since legal issues are generally more complex While these publications have smaller audiences than the than other crises, it’s even more important to work on finding major newspapers, their readers are specifically interested in a way to quickly, convincingly and effectively communicate the subject matter they are reading. This means that a story

42 www.chambers.com Litigation Funding USA in a legal news outlet may only be read by a few thousand quite naturally—coinciding with the explosion of media and people, but these readers are more engaged in the story than information over the same time period. Indeed, recent chang- the average reader of a major newspaper would be. Thus, es in media have greatly altered the practice of litigation com- these smaller outlets provide an efficient way to reach target munications. As more and more crises involve legal issues, audiences. Don’t neglect reaching out to trade publications litigation and crisis communications are converging. Digital for coverage because of their small circulation numbers; one and social media have also changed the speed at which news is interested reader can often be more valuable than a hundred released, increasing the need for rapid communication of core disinterested ones. messages. Finally, the rise of trade publications has opened a new path towards reaching target audiences. Both parties and Conclusion their legal counsel should understand the manner in which The practice of harnessing the power of media to target spe- public attention has changed the way litigation is both per- cific audiences can influence public perception of a legal issue. ceived and managed, and take all the necessary steps to ensure This practice, litigation communications, is a relatively new the proper impact on the case, as well as overall reputation. field, having appeared only within the last 30 years, and—

LITIGATION FUNDING

Litigation Funding since the late 1990s. Burford Capital Leading Firms They have US offices in New York, Los Burford Capital are the largest litigation Band 1 Angeles, San Francisco and Houston, and funder in the world and are publicly listed Bentham IMF * are known as “top-notch” operators with on the New York Stock Exchange. With over Burford Capital “insightful and experienced” lawyers working USD3 billion in capital committed, they are a Band 2 for them. heavyweight player in the litigation funding Lake Whillans Litigation Finance LLC Strengths space. Longford Capital Management * Clients are impressed with their style of work They provide a range of additional services Therium Capital Management * and flexibility, with one commenting that besides litigation finance, including balance Band 3 they “have been very responsive, diligent and sheet capitalisation, claim monetisation and a Parabellum Capital helpful in analysing the claims. They spot issues top-tier asset tracing team. Vannin Capital LLC we don’t see on the first read-through.” Strengths Woodsford Litigation Funding They often go beyond simply providing They are widely recognised for their “sophis- funding for a case, with one insolvency lawyer tication and expertise,” with one client saying Leading Individuals commenting: “They helped the client remain that they are “the absolute best choice for a Band 1 solvent through proceedings. I was shocked that bespoke approach to litigation funding.” Their Bogart Burford Capital Christopher they were accommodating enough to do that.” expertise particularly draws praise, with com- Band 2 Work highlights mentators saying: “They have subject matter Blinderman Eric Therium Capital Management Funded a matter involving antitrust claims experts in both litigation and arbitration.” Chock Allison K Bentham IMF relating to price fixing and collusion, com- A number of clients who have worked with Will Aviva Burford Capital mitting to the provision of USD1.5 million. them indicate that Burford would be their Band 3 * Notable practitioners “first port of call for litigation funding.” Nicolas Michael A. Longford Capital Management Allison Chock is the chief investment officer Work highlights Shams Howard Parabellum Capital and legal counsel for IMF Bentham’s US sub- Entered into a portfolio agreement with ◊ * Sutton Ralph Validity Finance LLC (ORL) sidiary. She brings to the role her experience Hausfeld worth EUR30 million to fund Weinstein Boaz Lake Whillans Litigation Finance LLC as a trial attorney first with Latham & Wat- claims and to help with their expansion in the * Indicates ﬁrm / individual with proﬁle. kins and then with the boutique litigation German market. ◊ (ORL) = Other Ranked Lawyer. firm Hennigan, Bennett & Dorman. She per- Notable practitioners Alphabetical within each band. Band 1 is highest. sonally manages a multimillion-dollar invest- Christopher Bogart is one of the co-founders ment portfolio for Bentham. of Burford Capital and its CEO. Prior to Band 1 She is a respected figure in the US market and starting Burford in 2009, he was executive has “done a great job of keeping Bentham at vice president and general counsel of Time Bentham IMF the front of the conversation,” while enabling Warner. He also brings substantial experience See profile on p.54 a culture that is “exceptionally client-focused as a litigator from his time at Cravath, Swaine Bentham IMF is the US arm of IMF Bentham and takes every relationship seriously from the & Moore. Limited, which is listed on the Australian first call.” Market sources say he is “to the point and Securities Exchange. They are the longest- incisive. He possesses first-rate legal ability and established major funder, having been around provides top-notch legal analysis.” His pio-

43 USA Litigation Funding www.chambers.com neering approach sets the tone for Burford as and supportive” team featuring lawyers with Band 3 an organisation. significant trial experience who, clients say, Aviva Will is the senior managing director “understand the issues and strategy, and get to Parabellum Capital at Burford responsible for the fund’s under- the heart of the matter quickly.” Parabellum Capital are a funder with a great writing and investment activities. Her experi- They are also praised for the quality of their deal of experience in the US market. They ence as a senior litigator at Cravath, Swaine due diligence processes and their use of both have been in the market since 2012 and & Moore and as assistant general counsel at “internal and external sources to get a clearer recently raised a new fund worth USD300- Time Warner gives her a deep understanding picture of the matter at hand.” 500 million. of both the corporate and legal sides of a case. Notable practitioners Strengths She receives praise from clients, with one Michael Nicolas (see p.52) is a co-founder Commentators speak highly of their experi- saying: “She is excellent, with a really good and the managing director at Longford. He ences, saying the firm “definitely knows what demeanour about her. Extremely responsive was formerly a trial attorney with more than it is doing” and is “a fine group – I think highly and always willing to work with us to figure 15 years of experience dealing with corporate of them as professionals.” Parabellum’s senior out a way to fund matters in a way that works clients at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg. figures are among the pioneers of litigation for everyone.” Market sources describe him as “terrific – he funding in the USA, and the fund are among She is also the driving force behind Burford’s understands the dispute, the client and the the few firms that do not shy away from Equity Project, an initiative designed to help process. Supportive but not a micromanager, funding patent litigation cases. close the gender gap in law by providing a he trusts the attorneys to do what they think They also provide insurance coverage with USD50 million pool of capital earmarked for is right.” every funding arrangement originating from financing matters led by women. their most recent fund. Therium Capital Management Notable practitioners See profile on p.39 Howard Shams is the co-founder and CEO of Band 2 Therium is a a well-known UK funder that has Parabellum Capital. He formerly co-founded significantly built up its presence in the USA the legal risk strategies and finance business Lake Whillans Litigation Finance over the past few years. They are described at Credit Suisse in 2006, which was the first LLC as “constructive and flexible,” with substantial institutional commercial litigation finance Lake Whillans Litigation Finance is a well- experience in international disputes. group of its kind in the USA. respected litigation funder with offices on Strengths He is recognised in the market as “an inno- both the East and West Coasts. It is known Therium are recognised as a “highly sophis- vator in this asset class and one of the top as a “selective” and “smart” outfit that usually ticated player in the international arbitration people in the space.” targets cases the USD1-15 million range. space.” Practical and flexible when it comes Their relatively smaller size allows them to be to negotiations, they “understand that no two Vannin Capital LLC flexible and to react faster than some of the disputes are ever the same – they take a more Vannin Capital enjoys a growing reputation bigger funders. They have a focus on trans- nuanced approach to every case.” in the US market, in which it operates from parency and tend to concentrate on cases Unlike many other funders, they are often two offices in New York and Washington, DC. where there is a core business dispute. willing to completely underwrite the value of Clients remark that their substantial expertise Sources remark that “they are very sophisti- a case if it passes due diligence. “Their willing- in the UK and in international arbitration cated, good people there. An example of patient ness to be flexible on various terms both finan- gives them credibility in the USA. capital.” cial and other stands out in the market,” say Strengths Notable practitioners interviewees. Commentators are appreciative of the care Boaz Weinstein is one of the co-founders of Work highlights taken in Vannin’s due diligence process, with Lake Whillans and was formerly a litigator at Therium funded thousands of shareholders, one saying: “They have a deep understanding Cleary Gottlieb. He is experienced in han- including a significant number of pension of the case law and evidentiary requirements. dling high-profile securities class action liti- funds and institutional investors from the They made our case better by really drilling gation and complex commercial arbitrations. USA, in a class action against Lloyds Banking down into the important aspects of it.” Boaz is widely recognised as a “great operator” Group with regard to breach of fiduciary duty. Clients also tout their expertise in interna- and praised for deploying “patient capital and The claim is for up to GBP600 million. tional arbitration matters, lauding them as handling sophisticated matters.” Notable practitioners “creative and extremely knowledgeable about Eric Blinderman leads Therium in the US, international arbitration funding.” Longford Capital Management and brings a wealth of international experi- Work highlights See profile on p.59 ence to the role from his former positions Vannin has recently backed a variety of claims Longford Capital Management are experi- with the US DOJ and Proskauer Rose. He from a bilateral investment treaty dispute to enced litigation funders based in Chicago, served as the principal US attorney respon- a case involving technology licensing. Both with total capital raised exceeding USD500 sible for advising on all matters of law and matters are valued at over USD100 million. million. They are known for their“significant procedure in the trial of Saddam Hussein and flexibility and willingness to structure funding seven co-defendants. Woodsford Litigation Funding deals to the matter at hand.” He is praised for being a “cut above the rest” Woodsford Litigation Funding are a privately They fund a wide range of matters but are one and for having “a unique profile in litigation backed UK litigation funder making inroads of the few funders to back significant num- funding.” into the US market. Interviewees remark that bers of intellectual property cases. they are “without question an emerging fund Strengths in the US litigation funding space.” Commentators highlight their “responsive They offer both single-case funding as well as

44 www.chambers.com eDiscovery USA firm-wide portfolio funding deals. Other Ranked Individuals Sutton is described as “a veteran of the space” Strengths and “one of the elder statesmen.” One appre- Along with their ability to draw on their Ralph Sutton (see p.52) is the founder and ciative client says: “He had all the character- global offices for cross-border cases, clients CEO of Validity Capital. Having previously istics I was looking for. He was genuine about report that they are “very easy to work with” worked at Bentham IMF, and before that the understanding the cases and showed a willing- and “quick to turn around an opportunity.” legal finance department at Credit Suisse he ness to look at a matter from both his and my co-founded in 2006, he is vastly experienced perspectives.” in the field. eDISCOVERY

eDiscovery as “doing great work, especially on the collec- into improper diagnosis practice, which may Leading Firms tion side and forensics.” Their services run the have amounted to a violation of the False Band 1 gamut of eDiscovery, including TAR, foren- Claims Act. H5 applied its Key Document EY sics and managed document review, imple- Identification process in reducing over 2.3 FTI Consulting menting a number of vendor products where million documents to around 5,000 docu- H5 appropriate. ments of direct pertinence to the investiga- Stroz Friedberg Notable practitioners tion. Band 2 Eric Schwarz is a principal at EY with nearly BDO USA LLP 30 years’ experience in the eDiscovery space. Stroz Friedberg Deloitte He is described by one admiring interviewee A global technical consultancy specialising iDiscovery Solutions, Inc. as “a w e s o m e ,” while another client remarks in cybersecurity, Stroz Friedberg has an out- KPMG that “Eric has a good reputation – he’s in the standing market reputation in the fields of Band 3 top tier.” Schwarz is a founding member of the digital forensics and eDiscovery. The firm has AlixPartners * first and sixth Sedona Conference Working four international eDiscovery data centres, Consilio * Groups. twelve forensic labs and over 500 employees. Epiq One source reports: “They are my go-to for HaystackID FTI Consulting forensic work,” saying: “I would consider them Lighthouse International consultancy FTI provides a vast for really complex data.” Meta-e Discovery LLC * array of professional services with the firm’s Peers say: “Stroz Friedberg has great capability, PwC practices combining to create solutions for excellent experts, good scale and is excellently Band 4 clients. FTI is described as a “consulting con- positioned in the top tier in the US.” Driven sortium with smart people” and has a strong KLDiscovery reputation in the eDiscovery space. The firm Band 2 NightOwl Discovery is held in especially high regard for its global scale and reach, with 17 global locations, Leading Individuals including ten in the USA, employing more BDO USA LLP Band 1 than 500 eDiscovery specialists. BDO’s forensic technology services practice Prasad Ashish HaystackID has a well-regarded group of eDiscovery Regard Daniel iDiscovery Solutions, Inc. H5 experts, with key strategic relationships with Schwarz Eric EY H5 is at the forefront of advances in tech- a plethora of digital forensics and eDiscovery Band 2 nology assisted review and offers a unique service providers. The firm is praised for both Favro Philip Driven blend of linguistic and statistical analysis as its international and domestic capability, with McVoy Paul Meta-e Discovery LLC part of its sophisticated services. 60 US offices and in excess of 100 forensic Socha George BDO Sources roundly praise H5’s practice, with technology specialists. Clients describe BDO Band 3 one peer reporting: “I love those guys and as having “really strong consultants – when Emory Tara S. Driven how they implement their search. I’ve been you need expert witnesses and the data inter- * Kruse II Warren G Consilio impressed whenever I get to go against them rogated, I think BDO is the right choice.” * Indicates ﬁrm / individual with proﬁle. in cases. They’re easy to work with and a good Notable practitioners Alphabetical within each band. Band 1 is highest. model of how you should be in our market.” George Socha is “well known in the industry” A client expands, stating how “H5’s analytics and the managing director of BDO’s forensic Band 1 are very much top of the market, they are technology services practice. He is a senior unmatched. Also, their tools are highly repli- figure with a strong reputation for his expe- EY cable and perform in a lot of different contexts, rience in giving expert testimony. One inter- EY boasts a market-leading eDiscovery prac- which is important to us. On the eDiscovery viewee states: “He is known as an expert, both tice with digital forensics team members side they are one of the top firms, but what dis- on the speaking circuit and also as an expert located in 75 locations around the world sup- tinguishes them is their analytics.” w i t n e s s .” ported by 19 data centres. EY services a wide Work highlights range of corporate legal departments and Supported counsel for a large healthcare pro- law firms, and is known among interviewees vider in conducting an internal investigation

45 USA eDiscovery www.chambers.com

Deloitte tions in the Americas. point.” They are well regarded as a“known Professional services giant Deloitte offers One lawyer reports: “I especially like AlixPart- quantity” in the market structured in such a a high-level eDiscovery practice in the US ners for database work.” Another interviewee way as to be able to offer competitive pricing market. Their international reach makes the recounts: “I like them a lot, they do a great job. for their services. firm attractive to global corporations, partic- Their service is consistent, which is important Work highlights ularly those facing multi-jurisdictional mat- for us.” HaystackID assisted a large financial services ters. One peer reports: “I consider Deloitte our corporation in the collection, processing and top competitor due to their global reach, their Consilio hosting of a large amount of data in prepara- capability and the number of professionals.” See profile on p.56 tion for an SEC investigation. A client says: “Deloitte is an international, Described by peers as “big players in our Notable practitioners across-the-spectrum group that can also do industry,” Consilio merged with Advanced Ashish Prasad is the vice president and gen- review.” Discovery in March 2018 to create a team of eral counsel of Haystack ID. He is an expe- over 2,500 employees operating in 11 coun- rienced operator and recognised thought iDiscovery Solutions, Inc. tries. The firm also recently acquired Dis- leader in the eDiscovery market. He is well A highly regarded player in the US market, coverReady, an eDiscovery, document review regarded as a consultant and is described as iDiscovery Solutions provide a full range of and compliance solutions provider. An inter- “having a broad swathe of consulting skills, eDiscovery services, excelling at consulting viewee states: “I’ve had a good experience while being very experienced in the managed and the provision of expert witness testimony. with Consilio. I’ve worked with them a couple document review space.” Clients praise iDiscovery, calling them their of times, mostly for managed review pieces – “go-to firm for forensic analysis,” highlighting they are service-oriented and try hard,” with Lighthouse how “one of their big strengths is visualising another citing their strong reputation, “espe- Lighthouse is a fast-growing eDiscovery and mining data.” cially for international work.” company that provides information govern- One interviewee reports: “They have good Notable practitioners ance and eDiscovery services to Fortune 500 reputations. Dan and his team do some very Warren Kruse (see p.52) is a well-known companies and leading law firms. They are cool things with structured data – quite com- individual in the eDiscovery industry and known for being able to handle heavy work- plex, niche eDiscovery.” described by interviewees as “a go-to, espe- loads, with one lawyer saying: “They are one Notable practitioners cially for forensics. If I have a thorny case that of the firms we see all day long in our practice. Daniel Regard is well regarded as “one of the requires a testifying expert who will write a Our clients go to them time and time again.” early pioneers” in the eDiscovery industry and report and ultimately back it up with effective Lighthouse has developed a strong reputation draws particular praise for his forensic skill testimony, I’d go to him.” in the market, receiving praise for its “deep and for giving expert testimony. One source Another source reports: “He is very, very bench of strong professionals who are super remarks how “Dan is a respected thought leader. smart with forensics, very knowledgeable and responsive and get things done effectively.” He’s well known for expert defence process.” has the right temperament – since you go to him when things are going to hell.” Meta-e Discovery LLC KPMG See profile on p.60 International professional services firmEpiq Based in New York and Connecticut, Meta-e KPMG’s eDiscovery team is integrated into With over 30 years of experience, Epiq is a Discovery is a firm that predominantly a wider forensics group, offering clients a full well-established name in the global eDis- focuses on the plaintiff side of the eDiscovery array of discovery services. KPMG’s global covery market. They offer a full range of Bar. They are a well-respected firm, roundly presence of 42 forensic practices and forensic discovery services alongside other admin- praised by the market for their technical professionals in more than 100 countries istration and business operation functions. strength. One commentator says: “They know makes them a valued eDiscovery service With over 80 offices and 5,500 employees how to slice and dice data – they are one of the provider for large international corporations, worldwide, they are well suited to handling premier experts on technology-assisted review.” especially for cross-border matters. almost any scope of matter. One commen- They receive glowing praise for their flexible One eDiscovery lawyer reports that Deloitte tator describes them as “a larger player that and responsive approach, with numerous cli- “has a strong offering with good consultants handles a wide variety of matters, both small ents expressing great satisfaction. One says: alongside good project management, which is and large-scale, while also providing advanced “They are fantastic. There are so many choices, something that is overlooked a lot.” analytics services.” yet I continue to go with them,” with another Epiq have particularly made a name for saying: “They help us make sure we are putting themselves in the bankruptcy space, being the process in the correct way, and ensure that Band 3 described by sources as the “go-to provider” when it gets to the back end, it is organised in a in the field. logical and coherent way.” AlixPartners Work highlights See profile on p.53 HaystackID Meta-e Discovery continued to assist on AlixPartners co-ordinates a large global team HaystackID was set up in Boston more than behalf of plaintiffs in the Flint water litigation, of over 250 eDiscovery specialists from its ten years ago and has since established offices collecting data and managing the review of New York headquarters, complemented by in multiple countries around the world. client documents for production. They have the firm’s strong capabilities in computer With the acquisition of eTera Consulting in also helped draft and negotiate the ESI pro- forensics and structured data analysis. The January 2019, they strengthened their suite of tocol, the search protocol and the technical firm is able to handle complex cross-border services in the eDiscovery space. Commenta- production specifications. mandates, drawing on offices in Europe, Asia tors remark that they are “capable of handling Notable practitioners and the Middle East in addition to its loca- a big case from a logistics and capability stand- Paul McVoy is the CEO and founder at

46 www.chambers.com PR & Communications USA

Meta-e Discovery. He receives much praise Band 4 KLDiscovery for his expertise in the sector, with one client KLDiscovery was formed when two industry calling him “a wealth of knowledge,” while Driven veterans, Kroll Ontrack and LDiscovery, another says: “When I have a question, I can A boutique eDiscovery firm based in the merged in 2016. They are a well-respected either look it up or I can just email Paul and get DC area, Driven provide a complete suite firm with a global reach spanning 20 coun- a response quickly.” Along with his expertise of products and services to help clients with tries and over 40 offices. They are recognised he is also well recognised as being a pleasure information governance and eDiscovery mat- as “one of the biggest players” in the space, with to work with, with one client remarking: “He ters. Their market profile has grown in recent the size and expertise to handle a wide range has a powerful combination – someone who months, with one interviewee reporting: of matters of differing scale. Sources remark: is sophisticated and has seen a lot of what “We’re starting to hear more from them.” They “They’re a huge giant – they’re great and have defendants have done to try to hide the ball.” are especially well known for the quality of some very, very smart people.” their commodity and attorney review ser- PwC vices. NightOwl Discovery As one of the Big Four auditing firms, Price- Notable practitioners Founded almost 30 years ago, NightOwl is waterhouseCoopers provides eDiscovery Philip Favro is a consultant at Driven, and an eDiscovery firm headquartered in Minne- under its digital forensics arm. They are able brings years of experience in the eDiscovery sota with offices across the USA and Europe. to leverage their global capabilities to help space. He is well regarded by those in the They have garnered a good reputation in find bespoke solutions to clients’ eDiscovery market as a “top-notch practitioner” and as a the market for their “collaborative” working issues. They are known for their strong track “thought leader” in relation to the processes style, and for “taking on a lot of work that has record in assisting in the defence and for and technical elements of technology assisted international exposure.” One peer reports: “I working in conjunction with their investiga- review. am impressed with NightOwl. I have become tions practice. PwC are well regarded by the Tara Emory is the director of consulting at more familiar with them over the past couple market for their “awesome capabilities along Driven. She is able to draw on experience of years, and some of the things they are doing with the size, scale and range of matters” that gained in her former role as an antitrust asso- are very good.” they do. ciate at Skadden to bring practical litigation experience to the table, and attracts praise from interviewees, who say: “She is awesome – she’s building a really great consulting group there.”

PR & COMMUNICATIONS

PR & Communications PR & Communications Band 1 USA – Nationwide USA – Nationwide Leading Firms Leading Individuals Brunswick Group See profile on p.55 Band 1 Band 1 Brunswick Group is a prominent com- Brunswick Group * Davis Lanny Trident DMG munications consultancy, internationally Ripp Media Moskowitz Ellen Brunswick Group * renowned for its corporate reputation man- Sard Verbinnen & Co * Ripp Allan Ripp Media agement. Brunswick’s litigation and disputes Band 2 Sitrick Michael Sitrick and Company clients are typically blue-chip multinationals Edelman Band 2 facing high-profile commercial crises and Infinite Global Fielding Jeremy Kekst CNC cross-jurisdictional legal proceedings. PRCG Haggerty * Haggerty James F. PRCG Haggerty One lawyer reports: “Brunswick are top tier. Sitrick and Company * Sard George Sard Verbinnen & Co They are an expert, elite firm with global capa- Trident DMG Band 3 bilities. Brunswick is our top choice. In my view Band 3 Diaferia Jamie Infinite Global they are the best at handling litigation commu- Finsbury * Hellerman John Hellerman Communications nications.” FTI Consulting Loeb Harlan Edelman Work highlights Hellerman Communications Band 4 Brunswick advised AT&T on its communica- Kekst CNC Frank Andrew KARV Communications tions strategy for the telecom giant’s acquisi- Band 4 Frank Joele Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer (ORL) ◊ tion of Time Warner and the subsequent legal KARV Communications * Goldberg Adam Trident DMG proceedings initiated by the United States Levick Heller Risa Risa Heller Communications (ORL) ◊ Department of Justice. Rubenstein * Holmes Paul Finsbury * * Notable practitioners Indicates firm / individual with profile. Ellen Moskowitz (see p.52) is a co-leader of ◊ (ORL) = Other Ranked Lawyer. Brunswick’s global litigation communications Alphabetical within each band. Band 1 is highest.

47 USA PR & Communications www.chambers.com and crisis teams. The in-demand Moskowitz number one.” Another lawyer praises their Inﬁnite Global expertly advises multinational compa- “superb client counsel, proactive reputation Infinite Global is a British-American strategic nies through complex, multi-jurisdictional and deep bench.” communications consultancy. Members of criminal, civil and regulatory proceedings. Work highlights the firm’s litigation communications team are “Moskowitz has incredible connections with Sard Verbinnen & Co assisted Pabst Brewing frequent commentators and speakers on such top-tier media. They trust her and respect her,” Company with its reputation management topics as crisis communications, cybersecu- notes one client. and communications strategy throughout rity and reputation management. Another source comments: “Moskowitz is the brewing giant’s two-year contract dispute One client comments: “Infinite Global are both a very talented lawyer and a very talented with MillerCoors. great, I would recommend them to anyone. I communications professional. That blend of Notable practitioners felt like they were committed to me personally skills allows her to build relationships with George Sard is co-founder and chair of the and committed to the firm professionally, and counsel and with communications people. She firm. Sard’s internal and external communi- that made all the difference.” is an exceptional team leader.” cations expertise is regularly called upon by Work highlights Fortune 500 companies facing high-profile Infinite Global, alongside Reid Collins Tsai, Ripp Media litigation and crisis situations. One lawyer assisted Kainos Capital co-founder Sarah Ripp Media is a New York-based legal PR says: “George is very knowledgeable and con- Bradley with her ownership dispute against the and litigation communications boutique. Its nected. The longevity of his experience helps private equity firm and her former colleagues. experienced staff consists of former journal- him give a good estimation of how something Notable practitioners ists and attorneys who advise clients across is going to play in the press.” Another says Sard Jamie Diaferia is the CEO of Infinite Global. multiple industries and jurisdictions. “understands the business and understands The attorney and former journalist provides One lawyer client comments: “I can always how law firms work. He has a really effective strategic litigation, crisis and media com- count on Allan and his team to be really smart communication style, especially with lawyers.” munications counsel to professional services and really connected. Their client service is out- Before the founding of Sard Verbinnen & Co firms. Diaferia was previously a media rela- standing. They are excellent in terms of coun- in 1992, Sard was a chair of financial public tions specialist at Levick. One lawyer com- selling, planning and knowing the best places to relations firm Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart. ments: “Diaferia is collaborative, thoughtful go with stories.” and works well as part of a team. He under- Work highlights stands how the press think, how lawyers think Acted for Labaton Sucharow in publicising Band 2 and he understands the realities of business. He a securities class action against Tesla and its is able to pull all that together to provide good CEO Elon Musk following Musk’s August Edelman judgement and good counsel.” 2018 tweet speculating on the privatisation Edelman is the world’s largest marketing and of Tesla. advisory firm, renowned for their dedication PRCG Haggerty Notable practitioners to litigation and related public matters. They See profile on p.61 Allan Ripp is the founder and principal of offer a wealth of experience in dealing with PRCG Haggerty is a New York-headquartered Ripp Media. The former journalist has 30 complex matters in such fields as higher edu- legal public relations and litigation commu- years of public relations and communica- cation, bankruptcy and corporate litigation. nications boutique. Founded in 1999, the tions experience, particularly in legal public Peers praise their “very strong litigation sup- agency has built a reputation for executing relations and litigation and crisis communi- port function,” while one client reports: “creative and lively” media relations strategies cations. “Ripp has an incredibly fertile mind “Edelman are great, one of the best. They are for its diverse and international client base. and is extremely resourceful. He has a superb very reasonable, bring high value and deliver “What separates PRCG Haggerty is their sharp- ear for what a story will sound like and how a good product.” ness. They go right to the heart of an issue; they it needs to resonate and land with different Work highlights understand the issue on the legal front, on the audiences,” report clients. One lawyer says: Edelman was engaged by PwC to handle the public front, and the way it impacts the client,” “He is a good writer. He is able to synthesise firm’s public relations strategy in relation to affirms one client. complex legal statements quickly, distil them a USD3 billion trial against the bankruptcy Work highlights into English and make them understandable court-appointed Plan Administrator for MF PRCG Haggerty advised financier Low Taek to the media.” Global, in which PwC was sued for alleged Jho, who was accused of embezzling USD4.5 professional malpractice in its former role as billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund Sard Verbinnen & Co MF Global’s external auditor. 1MDB. See profile on p.63 Notable practitioners Notable practitioners Sard Verbinnen & Co is a strategic com- Described by one peer as “one of the smartest PRCG Haggerty CEO James Haggerty is a munications and media relations advisory guys in the field,” Harlan Loeb chairs Edel- celebrated and proficient litigation commu- firm. The firm’s interdisciplinary litigation man’s litigation, crisis and reputation risk nications professional known as “one of the support team attracts a diverse clientele of advisory practice in the USA. Loeb is a founders” of the field of litigation PR. This international corporations, high net worth professor of crisis litigation and the court year will see the publication of the third edi- individuals, private and public companies, of public at Northwestern University Law tion of Haggerty’s seminal book ‘In The Court and educational institutions. Sard Verbinnen School. Clients remark: “Loeb thinks like a of Public Opinion’. One attorney notes: “Hag- & Co is recognised by peers for its excep- lawyer, while at the same time having a whole gerty engenders a sense of trust and fairness, tional financial PR and crisis management expertise in crisis communications. He under- an overall sense of integrity. Coupled with his capabilities. stands the balance between the legal strategy very canny and sophisticated understanding “I think they are the best, full stop,” says one and a crisis communications strategy.” of the way the press and media operates, for a attorney; “if I have a choice, they are my lawyer he is a very valuable resource.”

48 www.chambers.com PR & Communications USA

Sitrick and Company as a White House spokesperson during the fessional services firms. Based in Washington See profile on p.64 Clinton administration. He is particularly DC, Hellerman is a pioneer in litigations Sitrick and Company is a pre-eminent stra- sought after to advise on politically sensitive communications. A co-founder of the CLCA, tegic communications agency specialised in crisis and reputation management cases. One Hellerman’s purpose is to create an interna- corporate, financial and crisis communica- client notes: “Goldberg is incredibly smart, tional network of crisis and litigation com- tions. The consultancy is known nationwide careful and deliberate. A great strategist, he munications specialists. for crisis and reputation management for was very reasoned with his approach to a sen- Notable practitioners celebrities and entertainment moguls, and sitive, front-page story.” John Hellerman is the president and founder in bankruptcy cases. Sitrick has devised and of the eponymous boutique. The former implemented communication strategies for Levick executive leverages two decades of some of the most scandalous, high-profile Band 3 industry experience to counsel his profes- and complex legal proceedings of the past 30 sional services clients on media relations, years. Finsbury litigation communications and reputation One peer comments: “Sitrick is always at the See profile on p.57 management. “Hellerman understands our top of any list for crisis communications. They Finsbury is an internationally recognised goals. He is a big idea guy, he is very creative, are absolutely one of the most respected.” global leader in strategic communication, he comes up with out-of-th- box ideas,” says Notable practitioners with three US offices and a further nine one client. One peer describes him as “a really Founder, chair and CEO Michael Sitrick is worldwide. They specialise in crisis matters serious student of media relations. He is true to a celebrated guru in the communications, and litigation, in which regard clients praise his clients and he is passionate about PR.” public relations and reputation manage- the firm for being “extremely impressive – they ment sector. A “legend in the industry,” Sitrick have a depth you don’t usually see in commu- Kekst CNC boasts over 30 years of experience. He is nications firms.” Kekst CNC are an international strategic renowned for his exemplary, effective and Work highlights communications agency best known for their aggressive communications strategies for Finsbury has acted on behalf of Volkswagen dedication to providing clients with advice high-profile private clients in crisis. “Sitrick AG as its agency of record for all litigation on high-stakes matters including social com- is regarded as the absolute pinnacle for hand- matters since 2016, including a range of mat- munications, litigation support and investor holding and strategy,” praises a peer. “He is ters stemming from the high-profile emis- relations. Lawyers praise Kekst as “one of the a standard setter for individuals’ reputation sions scandal. most esteemed” international communica- management and crisis communications.” Notable practitioners tions agencies. Paul Holmes (see p.52) is Finsbury’s North Notable practitioners Trident DMG America CEO. Holmes specialises in strategic Jeremy Fielding is co-CEO of Kekst CNC and Trident DMG is a public affairs, crisis man- and crisis communications and has a par- regularly provides financial, crisis and litiga- agement and strategic communications con- ticular knack for cases of political, interna- tion communications counsel to the C-suites sultancy founded by three attorneys and a tional and regulatory import. Before joining of Fortune 500 companies. The former Fins- journalist in 2016. While its founders boast Finsbury in 2007, Holmes was Reuters’ editor bury partner is described as “fantastic” by a wealth of public affairs and governmental of political and general news. “When you are peers, while clients report: “Fielding and his policy experience, the agency’s mandates and trying to develop a strategy, Holmes will be the team are great – the best I’ve ever worked with. expertise span a diverse range of sectors. first to point out the ways you are being overly They know how to work all of the major, minor One lawyer says: “Trident DMG are ter- optimistic or unrealistic. He is a cool-headed and niche press outlets. Fielding is a master, he’s rific. They are bright, experienced and super realist when it comes to evaluating proposed one of the best.” familiar with the legal process. They are the strategies and proposed talking points. He only PR firm I like to use.” understands what will pass muster with the Work highlights media and what will be dismissed,” notes one Band 4 The four founders of Trident DMG acted for client of the former journalist. ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen. KARV Communications Notable practitioners FTI Consulting See profile on p.58 Lanny Davis, co-founder and partner of FTI Consulting is a global advisory firm pro- KARV Communications is a New York-based Trident DMG, is a venerated lawyer, crisis viding services across a very wide range of strategic communications boutique. Its highly manager and communication consultant. business needs. Among the litigation com- experienced practitioners have held commu- Davis is renowned for delivering sage counsel munications services on offer are media nications positions in the Clinton adminis- during ultra-sensitive and politically charged strategy, training and relations, courtroom tration, management positions at esteemed crises. Formerly Special Counsel to President monitoring and message development. public relations agencies and editorships at Clinton, Davis is currently communications They are recognised for their commitment to print media companies. adviser to ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen. providing litigation support for their clients, One client says of the team: “They are very “From a reputation and experience standpoint, with one interviewee commenting that “they easy to work with and in the context of litiga- there is no one better than Davis,” comments are a huge firm that does a lot in all areas, tion they are respectful of the lawyers. They one peer, while another reports: “Davis is on including litigation and investigations.” understand that it is the litigation and the legal everyone’s shortlist.” work that is driving the matter.” Adam Goldberg is partner and co-founder Hellerman Communications Work highlights of Trident DMG. Goldberg was a director for Hellerman Communications is a boutique KARV supported fintech entrepreneur the Democratic National Committee during strategic communications agency, repre- Dmitri Galinov in his unlawful termination the 1996 presidential election and later served senting a number of the world’s leading pro- lawsuit against the forex trading startup he

49 USA Business Intelligence & Investigations www.chambers.com founded, FastMatch. Levick Other Ranked Individuals Notable practitioners Levick is a US strategic and communications President and founder of KARV Communi- firm. Founded in 1998, Levick is recognised Joele Frank boasts 25 years of strategic com- cations Andrew Frank is a respected crisis for its ability to deliver sophisticated public munications experience. The founder and management, financial communications and relations services to some of the world’s pre- managing partner is widely known for her litigation PR professional. In the past, Frank mier law firms. The agency is known for effec- proficiency in corporate and financial com- has been a communications adviser to the tively handling “company-reputational, red munications, particularly in relation to M&A. Clinton administration, a managing partner zone danger crisis work – the hard to contain Frank has formerly served as a vice chair of of Kreab Gavin Anderson and a professor of nuclear-type reactions.” Abernathy MacGregor and as the managing crisis communications at Fordham Univer- director of Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart. One sity. “He has a wide set of connections,” says Rubenstein impressed peer comments: “Frank is good one interviewee. “He is very easy to work with See profile on p.62 – she is aggressive and that is what you are and is helpful in putting the case into a broader Founded in 1954, Rubenstein is a strategic signing up for when you hire her.” context, and thinking about how that broader communications and reputation manage- Risa Heller is an experienced crisis com- context might be communicated to the press or ment firm. Clients draw on the substantial munications and public relations profes- public.” expertise in the firm to minimise exposure sional based in New York. Heller has been from disputes. Rubenstein is recognised for the communications director for a number of its capability across a diverse range of sectors, notable American politicians. According to including education and real estate. one lawyer, Heller is “superb” and “extraordi- narily sophisticated. She knows everyone and everything.”

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE & INVESTIGATIONS

Business Intelligence & Investigations admits: “For complex asset investigation they “coined the idea of the investigations business.” Leading Firms are top of the chain.” As one of “the biggest players in the market,” Band 1 Key contact: Jim Mintz, founder and CEO with 33 offices in North America alone, Mintz Group Kroll is utilised by clients for major pro- Nardello & Co. Nardello & Co. jects. “They’re always a reliable choice,” says Band 2 Founded by Dan Nardello, a highly respected an interviewee. One leading fraud lawyer Kroll, a Division of Duff & Phelps former federal prosecutor, Nardello & Co. reports: “They’re a highly reputable firm. I’ve K2 Intelligence operates out of offices in New York, Atlanta used them for a major internal investigation Band 3 and Washington, DC. The firm has a sig- where lots of people had to be interviewed and FTI Consulting, Inc nificant litigation support practice, alongside lots of documents had to be reviewed, with lots The Risk Advisory Group offering assistance with anti-corruption and of bodies on the ground.” TDInternational fraud investigations and due diligence mat- Key contact: Betsy Blumenthal, Senior Man- Veracity Worldwide ters. “They are the pre-eminent firm in the US aging Director and head of San Francisco market,” says an industry insider. “We intro- office Alphabetical within each band. Band 1 is highest. duce them to our most important clients.” The firm’s familiarity with the legal profession K2 Intelligence Band 1 is considered a distinguishing feature of the K2 Intelligence has played a significant role organisation. “They’re sophisticated players,” assisting major investigations over recent Mintz Group one interviewee remarks: “Dan hires people years, from uncovering issues related to the Mintz Group assists law firms and legal who have a view of what the criminal justice presidency of The International Boxing Asso- counsels with litigation matters across a wide system is actually like.” One client reveals they ciation to unravelling an impersonation scam variety of practice areas. The firm has five “can always trust Nardello to handle things conning Hollywood industry insiders out of offices across the USA, from New York to San professionally and discreetly. They are the best thousands of dollars. Francisco. “They’ve got a good reputation and for complex issues.” Headquartered in New York, with additional they’re ethical,” says a major competitor. Key contact: Daniel Nardello, founder and offices in both Los Angeles and Chicago, K2 Multiple sources commend them for being CEO has a central investigatory focus. The firm “investigators through and through,” and supports governments, public and private praise the fact that investigatory work is a companies, and high net worth individuals in central pillar of the firm’s practice. A market Band 2 litigation, as well as law firms. One peer says: source enthuses: “They’re not trying to do all “They’re a good organisation. I know some things, which a lot do in this sector. They know Kroll, a Division of Duﬀ & Phelps people there and have sent referrals there. I what they are, which is an investigative shop, Kroll was the first mover in the intelligence trust them. I give work to them and I know it’s and that’s their pitch. They have been doing this and investigations industry, having been going to be done well.” for a while now, they have strong leadership founded in 1972. Sources describe the firm Key contact: Snezana Gebauer, Executive and they’re highly competent.” One competitor as “a founding father” and praise it for having Managing Director, Americas

50 www.chambers.com Business Intelligence & Investigations USA

Band 3 TDInternational TDInternational is an intelligence firm oper- FTI Consulting, Inc ating out of Washington, DC, with an addi- FTI Consulting provides litigation support tional office in Texas. It is considered by through its broader global risk investigations sources to be “very good on anything to do practice. The team draws on its multidiscipli- with Washington,” alongside its broader inter- nary, international group of more than 250 national expertise. experts to assist its US clients. Human intelli- The firm provides strategic advisory services gence, public record investigations and expert and due diligence, as well as litigation sup- witness testimony make up the core of FTI’s port to clients. “I think highly of them,” says offering for its corporate, government and a local competitor. “I would place them as one private clients. of the top five we work with or know of in the One satisfied client recalls their support in a market here,” remarks a leading white-collar major case, where FTI’s expert witness tes- crime lawyer. timony “did an absolutely fantastic job” for Key contact: Ron Slimp, Managing Partner the successful conclusion of the matter. “The and founder judge completely agreed with what the witness said, accepted everything and we won every- Veracity Worldwide thing imaginable – in part because they agreed Veracity Worldwide is a New York-based with what FTI said.” intelligence firm that assists clients with Key contact: Andrew Rosini, Senior Man- investigations through evidence identifica- aging Director, co-leader of GRIP tion and verification, asset recovery, witness assessment and vetting. They are regarded The Risk Advisory Group by interviewees as an “internationally- The Risk Advisory Group provides litigation reaching company,” with a particular focus on support among a wide range of other services, emerging markets. including pre-transactional due diligence Clients speak highly of the firm’s work and political risk profiling. The firm serves product, with one lawyer saying Veracity domestic clients out of its Washington, DC carries out “extremely detailed investigative and New York offices. work at a higher standard than other firms.” The Risk Advisory Group garners respect The firm has previously been involved in a among sources for its “strict ethical code” and highly publicised legal case, in which it was “local understanding” of foreign markets in engaged by DLA Piper to investigate alleged multi-jurisdictional matters. As one lawyer corruption in the sale of a majority stake in a says, their “experience all around the world Guinean iron ore mine. means they can be quick and efficient because Key contact: Steven Fox, founder and CEO they know everybody. As soon as you call them they already have a sense of who to go to to get more information.” Key contact: Chris Rowley, Head of Business Intelligence and Investigations

51 USA Leading Individuals www.chambers.com Leaders’ Proﬁles in the USA

HOLMES, Paul provider of eDiscovery, compliance tions and lobbying firm. Previously, of Law in 1998, where he was named Finsbury, New York investigations and computer forensic she was a litigation partner in the New to the Order of the Coif and was a Featured in PR & Communications (USA services. He has spent the last twenty- York office of Kirkland & Ellis special- member of the Kent Legal Scholars, – Nationwide) five years between law enforcement ising in antitrust, securities, products the Chicago-Kent Law Review and Practice Areas: Paul Holmes special- and as a consultant supporting various liability, regulatory, and other complex the Chicago-Kent Moot Court Honor izes in strategic and crisis communi- agencies with incident response, com- commercial matters. From 1989 to Society. Michael graduated cum laude cations. He provides companies and puter forensics, and eDiscovery. Mr. 1994, Ellen was a litigation associate from Northern Illinois University in their boards with communications Kruse, author of “Computer Forensics: at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in counsel and support for high profile, Incident Response Essentials”, is the Garrison. Ellen graduated magna Business. complex civil and criminal litigation, past International President of the cum laude from Princeton University High Crime Investigative Association and received a J.D. cum laude from SUTTON, Ralph enforcement actions, governance Validity Finance LLC, New York (htcia.org) and Past President of the Harvard Law School. matters and regulatory and internal 646 644 8366 investigations. Paul has represented Digital Forensics Certification Board ralph.sutton@validity-ﬁnance.com (www.DFCB.org). He has supported NICOLAS, Michael A. many of the world’s largest companies Longford Capital Management, Career: Validity Founder and CEO projects across a wide range of major in the financial services, media, retail, Chicago Ralph Sutton is a litigation finance insurance, healthcare and transporta- U.S. corporations and agencies. In 312 971 4242 industry pioneer and his strategic tion sectors, among others. Select addition, he led a team of com- [email protected] and operational experience make representations include: -- Lead computer forensic experts in a three-year Featured in Litigation Funding (USA – him a trusted investment manager to munications adviser to Volkswagen engagement in support of a fraud Nationwide) clients and law firms across a variety AG on U.S. and global litigation and investigation task force at the world’s Career: Michael A. Nicolas is a found- of practices areas. Following an 18- regulatory investigations arising from largest international cooperative er and Managing Director of Longford year career as a trial attorney, Ralph its diesel crisis. -- Litigation, regula- organization; Recipient of the 2001 Capital Management, LP, one of the co-founded Credit Suisse’s Litigation tory and governance communications HTCIA “High Tech Case of the Year” largest providers of litigation finance in Risk Strategies Group, one of the first counsel to Moody’s in the fallout from award, Kruse was recognized for his the world, and a leader in the litigation dispute funding entities in the U.S. the financial crisis. -- Communications forensic analysis conducted on a case finance industry. Michael is respon- In 2011, Ralph launched the US arm counsel to a leading oil & gas company surrounding allegations of theft of sible for Longford Capital’s portfolio of Bentham IMF. During his tenure, in its settlements of civil securities intellectual property and trade secrets management, including underwriting, Bentham’s U.S. operation expanded litigation and U.S. government inves- on the billion dollar “Comtraid” mat- investment selection, and overseeing to Los Angeles, San Francisco and tigations arising from a multi-national ter; was a court appointed expert, and the efforts of independent attorneys Houston from its New York base. Mr. corruption investigation. testified as a computer forensic expert and other professionals. Michael also Sutton also assisted in the establish- Career: Before joining Finsbury in for the US Securities and Exchange serves on Longford Capital’s Invest- ment of offices in Toronto and Lon- 2007, Paul had a successful career Commission (SEC). ment Committee.For the past several don. In 2018, Ralph founded Validity years, Michael has been recognized by in international journalism. He has MOSKOWITZ, Ellen Finance, inaugurating a new wave of Chambers and Partners, Lawdragon, worked in more than 50 countries and Brunswick Group, New York litigation finance putting clients at the was the Political and General News +121 2333 3810 IMN Strategy 300 and others as one heart of funding. With more than 13 Editor at Reuters for five years. [email protected] of the top executives in the litigation years experience financing litigation, Publications: Latin Lawyer – The Career: Ellen co-leads Brunswick’s finance industry. Michael is also an Ralph maintains over a 70% success Guide to Corporate Crisis Manage- global litigation communications and industry thought leader, speaking rate on resolved cases. Ralph is a ment: “Singing from the Same Song crisis practices. In that capacity, she regularly at industry conferences champion of increased access to civil Sheet: How Collaboration Between Le- has counselled both public and private and authoring numerous articles on justice and has lectured at Harvard, gal and Communications Can Mitigate companies on critical enterprise- issues pertinent to the industry. Prior Stanford, and other law schools. Ralph a Crisis” (January 2019) threatening issues, including some of to launching Longford Capital in actively supports the Center for Civil the largest civil, criminal and regula- 2011, Michael was an accomplished Justice at New York University and in KRUSE II, Warren G trial attorney for over 15 years at two Consilio, Eatontown tory cases of the last ten years. Ellen 2016, under his leadership, Bentham prominent national law firms. Michael [email protected] joined Brunswick in 2007 and was IMF helped found a new Civil Justice earned his law degree with highest Practice Areas: Warren Kruse formerly a Managing Director at Clark Research Institute at the University of honors from Chicago-Kent College is a vice president with Consilio, a & Weinstock, a boutique communica- California, Irvine School of Law.

52 www.chambers.com Leading Law Firms USA

ALIXPARTNERS HEad OFFICE USA www. alixpartners.com Tel: 212 490 2500 NEW YORK: 909 Third Avenue, CEO: Simon Freakley NY 10022 Tel: 1 212 490 2500 Number of professionals: 2000+ Fax: 1 212 490 1344 Languages: 60+ The ﬁrm also has ofﬁces in the following Overview & History: locations: Abu Dhabi, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Dubai, AlixPartners is a global consulting firm that has worked with clients around the world for Dusseldorf, Hong Kong, Houston, Los nearly 40 years, helping businesses respond to challenges when everything is on the line — Angeles, London, Manchester, Milan, from urgent performance improvement to complex restructuring, from risk mitigation to Munich, Paris, Riyadh, San Francisco, accelerated transformation. Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, Washington, DC, Zurich While the firm pioneered the approach to turnaround and restructuring, today AlixPartners has a diverse service offering, including Digital, Investigations, Disputes & Risk, Mergers & Acquisitions, Organization and Transformative Leadership, Performance Improvement, and COnTaCT Turnaround and Restructuring. The firm regularly works with law firms, corporate boards Tom Antisdel and management, investment banks, and investors on navigating business challenges. The Email: [email protected] firm has deep industry expertise embedded within its services, with consultants who have served as senior industry leaders, and the teams regularly work together across services and geographies.

Services:

Investigations, Disputes & Risk Practice & ■ Economics Consulting: AlixPartners’ ■ Valuation: AlixPartners values a wide Services: team consists of antitrust and regulatory range of public and private companies and AlixPartners Investigations, Disputes, and economists, econometricians, financial are experts at determining the value of a Risk practice offers capabilities across a economists, and academic affiliates who business, as well as component assets and broad spectrum of offerings that encompass provide litigation support and expert testi- liabilities. The firm offers valuation services every stage of the legal and regulatory mony in connection with antitrust matters, to address disputes, M&A, strategic plan- process, striving to maximize value and commercial and class action litigation, and ning, IP and licensing, tax planning and minimize risk. damages quantification. Areas of expertise transfer pricing, collateral valuation for lenders, purchase price allocations, ■ Corporate Governance, Risk, and include antitrust damages, M&A, cartel and anti-competitive agreements, and goodwill impairment, and ESOP and stock Operational Compliance: AlixPartners options evaluates and develops compliance monopolization and abuse of dominance ■ Transactions: The firm provides advisory governance programs, financial controls ■ e-Discovery: The AlixPartners team utilizes best-in-class e-Discovery tools and CFO support on M&A, private equity and KPIs, training, and communication and debt-raising, refinancing, and debt programs in connection with regulatory to provide data collection, processing, analytics, and hosting across the world — restructuring transactions. It helps clients changes and inquiries understand the options available to and in multiple languages, through eight ■ Data Analytics: AlixPartners’ teams preserving, enhancing, or realizing value include subject matter experts, data data centers. Their customizable solutions are leveraged by lawyers and consultants to and have a long track record of providing analytics professionals, and software and time-critical advice coupled with deep database developers who master any increase efficiency and reduce cost ■ Forensic Investigations: AlixPartners’ transactions, operational, and restructuring amount of structured and unstructured expertise data to produce actionable and defensible forensic accountants help clients conduct insights. They leverage knowledge of investigations, uncovering insights Investigations, Disputes & Risk Practice complex data management systems to and developing strategies to navigate Leaders: Steven Ambort and Louis Dudney reconstruct data flows and consolidate data challenges. The team consists of forensic from disparate sources. Areas of expertise accountants, former regulators, certified include machine learning, predictive ana- fraud examiners, industry experts, and lytics, robotic process automation, business forensic technology specialists. They work intelligence and dashboard visualizations, on investigations related to AML, asset and data convergence solutions recovery, backdating, embezzlement, fraud, ■ Litigation and Arbitration: Alix- financial reporting, FATCA, FCPA, insider Partners’ accountants, economists, and trading, OFAC and sanctions violations, financial analysts serve as expert witnesses Ponzi schemes and kickbacks, price-fixing, in litigation and international arbitration revenue recognition, securities enforce- matters. They consult and testify on ment, theft and misuse of corporate assets, bankruptcy litigation, class actions, class whistleblowing and white collar defense, certification, cross-border disputes, pur- and act as monitors chase price disputes, securities litigation, solvency, and fraudulent conveyance

53 USA Leading Law Firms www.chambers.com

SErvICES BENTHAM IMF Commercial litigation and dispute www.benthamimf.com tel: +1 212 488 5331 resolution funding for matters involving antitrust, breach of contract, breach of fi- Chairman: Allison K Chock (Chief Investment Officer) duciary duty, trade secret theft, copyright/ Number of employees: 22 in the United States and 108 globally (including the United States) trademark/patent infringement, complex Languages: Afrikaans, Arabic, Cantonese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, business disputes, environmental, bank- Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Spanish, Tamil ruptcy and whistleblower claims, appeals, as well as domestic and international Overview & History: arbitration. Bentham IMF is the US arm of IMF Bentham Limited (ASX: IMF), the founders of the global Law Firm Financing commercial litigation finance industry, actively funding commercial litigation for 18 years and counting. The company’s combined investment portfolio has a total estimated recoverable OFFICES amount of $5.6 billion AUD. It has 14 offices throughout the world and provides funding to clients around the globe including in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong UNITED STATES and Singapore. HOUSTON: LyondellBasell Tower, 1221 McKinney Street, Suite 2860, Bentham’s funding works to level the playing field by providing the resources to pay for the TX 77010 soaring costs of high-stakes commercial litigation, including capital to hire the best legal counsel Tel: +1 713 965 7919 and experts. Its funding can also be used to finance operating or working capital during lengthy Email: [email protected] legal proceedings, to move litigation expenses off a company’s income statement and improve its LOS ANGELES: 555 W. Fifth Street, bottom line, or to monetize a judgment while it is being appealed or in the collection process. Suite 3310, CA 90013 Tel: +1 213 550 2687 Bentham works with individual claimants and law firms, corporations, and partnerships of all Email: [email protected] sizes. The company offers risk-sharing and seeks an alignment of interests. NEW YORK: 437 Madison Avenue, 19th Floor, Bentham’s funding models and method of operation can be described in three simple words: NY 10022 simplicity, transparency, and fairness. Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 212 488 5331 Services: SAN FRANCISCO: Two Rincon Center, 121 Spear Street, Suite 405 Commercial Litigation & Dispute Law Firm Financing: CA 94105 Resolution Funding: Bentham’s non-recourse funding is also Tel: +1 415 231 0363 Bentham IMF provides non-recourse available for law firms seeking to monetize Email: [email protected] funding for all types of commercial cases, portfolios of litigation claims focused including breach of contract, breach of solely on plaintiffs’ matters, or portfolios InTErnaTIOnal OFFICES fiduciary duty, trade secret theft, copyright/ containing a combination of plaintiff and ASIA trademark/patent infringement, complex defense-side cases. The financing Bentham Hong Kong, Singapore business disputes, environmental, bankrupt- provides allows firms to share risk, improve cy, whistleblower, appeals, antitrust as well the bottom line, deliver service at competi- AUSTRALIA as domestic and international arbitration. tive prices, smooth cash flows while handling Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Its funding can be used to monetize single cases on contingency, increase revenues with Sydney measured risk and grow their practices. cases or portfolios of litigation. Bentham’s CANADA clients typically seek funding to pay legal fees Montreal, Toronto and costs for expensive litigation, monetize litigation assets for business purposes, UK obtain working capital, preserve resources London and move litigation off corporate income statements. COnTaCTS Allison K Chock, Chief Investment Officer - US Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 213 550 2687 Andrew Saker, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Email: [email protected]

54 www.chambers.com Leading Law Firms USA

BRUNSWICK GROUP OFFICES UNITED KINGDOM www.brunswickgroup.com tel: 020 7404 5959 LONDON: 16 Lincoln’s Inn Fields WC2A 3ED Overview & History: Tel: (020) 7404 5959 Fax: (020) 7831 2823 Brunswick is a leading international advisory firm that helps businesses and other organisa- Email: www.brunswickgroup.com tions address critical communications and reputational challenges. Since 1987, Brunswick has been helping clients navigate the interconnected financial, political, and social worlds to build trusted relationships with stakeholders. A global partnership with 23 offices in 14 countries, it operates as a single profit centre — allowing it to respond seamlessly to the needs of its clients, wherever they are in the world. The firm has senior advisers who specialise in all major sectors and communications disciplines, including Litigation, Crisis, Public Affairs & Regulatory, Investor Engagement, Employee Engagement, Cyber & Privacy, and Geopolitical. Brunswick also deploys Digital, Creative (through MerchantCantos), and Data & Analysis (through Insight) to support clients and their communications strategies. Clients rely on Brunswick for advice, planning, preparedness, and campaigns. litigation, Investigations & disputes Practice: The firm provides specialist communications Brunswick has that combined expertise, It also ensures that the legal advisers advice relating to litigation, investigations, having worked on some of most significant themselves understand Brunswick’s role legal proceedings, and other disputes as a high-stakes and high-profile legal matters in and that the firm remains sensitive to core practice area in the UK/Europe, US, and recent years for global corporate clients. It points of legal constraint. Brunswick has around the world. believes that three points in particular make considerable experience working directly The firm has directed communications it leading advisers in the field: with clients’ legal advisers and global strategies related to some of the largest ■ The Team: Brunswick has a truly global law firms, as well as with clients’ own and most complex legal matters of the last litigation and disputes team that includes public-facing functions. decade. This has included handling more qualified lawyers familiar with operating ■ Audiences: While publicity and media than 100 investigations, litigation cases, and in complicated legal contexts and working engagement are of course a key concern, other legal matters, all involving high-profile closely on cross-border situations. The the communications planning process issues, crises, and enterprise-threatening team is jointly led out of the US and the should also consider what clients are saying situations. In addition to strategic advice UK by two qualified and experienced to other key audiences and stakeholders and planning, the firm provides full-service attorneys (Ellen Moskowitz and Charlie who may be interested in a case or issue to support, including: Potter). They are joined by specialist manage expectations and maintain mes- advisers around the world in offices such sage discipline. Print and broadcast media ■ Drafting messaging and materials as Washington, DC; Singapore; Mumbai; are clearly an essential audience, but so too ■ Media and social media monitoring Hong Kong; Beijing; São Paulo; Munich; are industry peers, investors, customers, ■ Digital communications and Brussels. With one profit centre glob- regulators, political audiences, and ■ Media handling and engagement ally, the firm supports client mandates with employees. The firm knows that navigating ■ Public affairs and government/regulatory relations; and tailored teams from across Brunswick’s a high-stakes legal matter requires a careful sector and practice groups to achieve the balance of competing priorities. The right ■ Reputational rebuild campaigns right mix of professional experience and communications strategy helps a company Unlike other communications firms, expertise for the particular mandate. achieve a careful balance by supporting Brunswick does not combine ‘litigation’ and ■ The Approach: Brunswick believes it is the company’s legal position while also ‘crisis’ as one overall practice group because essential that communications advisers protecting its wider corporate reputation it knows that while the two may overlap in a work as part of an integrated team with across numerous audiences. given situation, not all crises lead to litigation the in-house communications leadership, Brunswick has extensive experience and not all litigation involves a crisis. Com- inside and outside counsel, and the municating effectively about legal issues and working across multiple jurisdictions and client’s other public-facing functions (e.g., areas of law. It is especially experienced in processes — corporate litigation, criminal government relations, investor relations, prosecutions, government investigations, matters involving foreign companies that etc.). This ensures that the communications are litigating disputes in US and UK courts. judicial reviews/constitutional challenges, strategy and messaging are consistent with employment proceedings — requires special- The team’s familiarity with US and UK and fully supportive of the legal strategy in litigation procedure and its understanding ist expertise from experienced advisers with securing wider reputational objectives. a range of relevant backgrounds, including of complicated legal issues and sensitivities law, media, regulation, and politics. allow it to provide specially tailored support to foreign headquartered companies.

55 USA Leading Law Firms www.chambers.com

SErvICES CONSILIO •eDiscovery Consulting, Services & www.consilio.com tel: 877 714 6204 Analytics •Document Review Languages: English •Risk Management & Compliance •Data Forensics & Investigations Overview & History: •Law Department Management Consilio is a global leader in eDiscovery, risk management and compliance, document review, and legal consulting services. The company assists legal departments of multinational OFFICES corporations and their outside counsel to respond to legal matters, reduce legal spend, mi- UNITED STATES nimise risks, and operate more efficiently using innovative software, cost-effective managed WASHINGTON, D.C.: 1828 L St. NW, services, and deep legal and regulatory industry expertise across a spectrum of industries. Suite 1070, 20036 Consilio and its global family of companies, DiscoverReady, Advanced Discovery, Altep, Tel: +1 202 822 6222 Millnet Document Services and Legal Placements Inc., employ leading professionals in the Email: [email protected] industry, applying defensible workflows with patented and industry-proven technology The firm also has locations in Nevada, Texas, across all phases of the eDiscovery and risk management lifecycle. The company operates Washington, Michigan, Georgia, Minnesota, offices, document review facilities, and ISO-certified and audited data centers across Europe, New York, Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Asia, and North America. California, District of Columbia, Beijing, Tokyo, Gurgaon, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangalore, Paris, Dublin, Zurich, Munich, London, Services: Frankfurt, and Brussels. eDiscovery: Risk Management & Compliance: Includes collections, data processing, Consilio helps clients identify, prevent and COnTaCTS secure data hosting, production and project even predict risk. Its mission is to help clients Tel: 1 732 403 4743 management. The firm’s worldwide data find what matters, when it matters — with Email: [email protected] operations and team bring the scale, cover- an expanding set of solutions designed to age and local experience needed to support minimize the potential for financial and your next eDiscovery matter. reputational damage arising from sanctions, civil penalties, and criminal judgements Document Review Services: due to risk and compliance challenges. It Over 75 full-time Review Managers across offers a suite of services and expertise to 19 review centers blend recruiting expertise, help streamline, secure and strengthen your project management and workflows to overall GRC program. improve review quality and deliver cost savings for matters of all sizes. Expert review Law Department Management: services and tools assist specialty needs like Consilio understands the changing pressures priv log redactions, deposition prep, foreign and increasing enterprise implications of languages & audio reviews. Proven, tightly decisions brought to bear on the Office of integrated review and analytics (TAR1/ General Counsel and Legal Operations TAR2) along with per-document pricing Directors. It takes a 360o approach to options provide total cost transparency & identifying and implementing significant and value. impactful ways to leverage people, process and technology. Its solutions are designed Discovery Consulting: to deliver tangible results that lead its clients Consilio’s expert advisors provide clients to maximised cost efficiencies, streamlined with relief from many of the burdens operations and enhanced positioning of the associated with discovery by helping to law department as a strategic, value adding reduce litigation costs while bolstering the business partner. legal team’s competitive advantage. With a wide range of offerings, the firm can tailor its approach to meet your greatest need, from legal hold, to forensics and analytics consulting, to project management and beyond.

56 www.chambers.com Leading Law Firms USA

FINSBURY OFFICES UNITED STATES www. finsbury.com tel: +1 646 805 2000 NEW YORK Chairman: Roland Rudd 3 Columbus Circle, 9th Floor, NY 10019 CEO, north america: Paul Holmes Tel: +1 646 805 2000 Number of employees: 280 Email: enquiries-us@finsbury.com Languages: 25+ LOS ANGELES Overview & History: 6300 Wilshire Boulevard, 19th Floor, Finsbury is a global leader in strategic communications, serving as a trusted advisor to boards of CA 90048 directors, senior executives and legal counsel to many of the world’s most successful companies, Tel: +1 310 633 9597 institutions and organisations. Email: enquiries-us@finsbury.com With a particular expertise in supporting companies’ responses to emerging issues, crisis situa- WASHINGTON, DC tions, major litigation and periods of intense scrutiny, Finsbury has managed some of the most 1025 F Street NW, 9th Floor, DC 20004 complex communication challenges across borders and markets within the last three decades. Tel: +1 202 741 1984 Finsbury entered a strategic partnership with Hering Schuppener Consulting in 2016 and with Email: enquiries-us@finsbury.com Glover Park Group in 2017 to offer a unified global platform that provides clients with unrivaled INTERNATIONAL OFFICES advice and execution in the major centers of business, finance and policymaking across Asia, London, Abu Dhabi, Brussels, Beijing, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, Singapore, With 12 offices that comprise teams that include former journalists, lawyers, bankers and corpo- Tokyo rate communications executives, Finsbury delivers expert counsel and support to clients around the world on interactions with the media, financial markets, employees, customers, governments COnTaCTS and other vital stakeholders. CEO, NORTH AMERICA Paul Holmes Tel: +1 646 805 2029 Services: Email: Paul.Holmes@finsbury.com Finsbury is a trusted adviser, offering insights ■ IP/patent/trade secret cases PARTNER, GLOBAL CRISIS & ISSUES and support based on deep expertise in the ■ Bet-the-company litigation MANAGEMENT PRACTICE HEAD following core areas: ■ Environmental litigation Jeff McAndrews

■ Crisis & Issues Management ■ Defamation and libel suits Tel: +1 646 805 2079

■ Capital Markets ■ Discrimination and harassment suits Email: Jeff.McAndrews@ﬁnsbury.com

■ Corporate & Leadership Positioning ■ Employee and labor issues

■ Employee & Change Communications ■ US Supreme Court and Appellate cases ■ Settlement and contract negotiations ■ Tax issues Finsbury’s Crisis & Issues Management ■ Monitorships practice counsels clients on a wide range of Crisis Preparation: special situations and legal matters, including: Crisis Management: Finsbury’s crisis preparation curriculum helps clients avoid or mitigate a potential crisis by Finsbury is a leader in helping clients manage learning and exercising the skills they will need Compliance & Litigation Communications: the complex and fast-breaking issues and before a serious issue arises. The curriculum Finsbury has deep experience developing intense scrutiny that arise in times of crisis. — tailored to the unique needs, priorities and communications strategies for managing high- Working closely with legal counsel, senior stakes legal and enforcement actions. In these management, boards of directors and in-house corporate culture of each client — is designed situations, companies require an approach that communications teams, Finsbury designs and to encourage teamwork, information-gathering considers not only the traditional courtroom implements strategic communications plans and analytical thinking while helping ensure but also the court of public opinion. Finsbury’s to stabilize critical relationships — ultimately our clients have best-in-class systems and approach to litigation focuses on working reaching key stakeholders to achieve their processes in place to respond quickly, closely with clients’ leadership and in-house goals. Finsbury also provides ‘on the accurately and appropriately to emerging and outside legal teams to coordinate, integrate ground’ support — including monitoring issues, wherever and whenever they may occur. and vet all communications efforts in support developments in real time and proactively Core components include: of their litigation and business goals, including communicating or responding as quickly and ■ Research and audit in: aggressively as appropriate. ■ Risk assessment, scenario development and ■ Government and regulatory investigations Finsbury’s areas of expertise include: message development ■ Response and escalation protocol ■ Foreign Corrupt Practices and RICO ■ Compliance and regulatory matters ■ Crisis manual development ■ Whistleblower cases ■ Environmental issues ■ Crisis training and simulation ■ Corporate governance disputes ■ Corporate and other leadership issues ■ Media training ■ Securities and other financial-related ■ Safety issues litigation ■ Cybersecurity events ■ Bankruptcy ■ Corporate restructurings ■ White-collar crime ■ Financial crises ■ Cross-border litigation ■ Product and recall issues ■ Product liability and class action suits ■ Labor and employment issues ■ False advertising

57 USA Leading Law Firms www.chambers.com

CRISIS MANAGEMENT KARV COMMUNICATIONS •Hands-On Crisis Counsel www.karvcommunications.com •Message Development •Media Relations Founder & President: Andrew Frank •Crisis Communications Plans & Training Number of employees: 6 •Reputation Rebuilding Campaigns Languages: English •Spokesperson Training •Recall Management: Logistics & Com- Overview & History: munications Founded in 2012, KARV Communications Crisis Management: LITIGATION SUPPORT is a strategic communications firm with a The KARV Communications team has •Complex Litigation proven success in guiding companies through focus on litigation support, corporate and •Cross-border Arbitration financial communications, crisis management the morass of scrutiny and questions that •SEC Violations and public affairs. KARV is led by a team can emerge quickly from the public, press, •FCPA, CFIUS & Other Government/Regu- of talented professionals with substantive investors, governmental/regulatory agencies, latory Investigations experience in a variety of industries: finance, customers, employees and other constituencies •Holocaust Asset Litigation media, government, energy, consumer goods, as crisis erupts. Most significantly, KARV’s •Art Ownership Disputes technology, healthcare, gaming, entertainment counsel has enabled companies not only •Product Recalls and more, with experience working around to survive the crisis, but to put in place a •Bankruptcy/Restructuring the world. The firm’s philosophy is simple — foundation from which to rebuild reputation •Politically Sensitive Legal Disputes achieve the goals set by its clients, through and an increased sense of trust between clients •Labour-Related Matters high-level strategic counsel, an extensive global and their key audiences. •Employment Law Disputes network and an unbiased approach to solving CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Brand Rebuilding: problems. •Strategic Counsel Once the litigation case has concluded or •Positioning & Thought Leadership Services Oﬀered: the crisis has begun to pass, KARV helps •Financial Communications Around companies plan and implement brand Transactions Litigation Support: rebuilding or confidence building campaigns. •Message Development KARV has particular expertise in developing The team has undertaken many such projects •Media Relations effective communications strategies around for clients throughout the world that are •Media Training complex legal and litigation related matters emerging from crisis and seeking to reestablish •Internal Communications/Employee that can bring about, or emanate from, a crisis their reputations. KARV has worked hand Engagement situation. The firm’s executives draw from in hand with senior management to develop GOVERNMENT & REGULATORY a deep understanding of the media and the and implement action plans that reestablish AFFAIRS client’s business goals to craft and implement the brand and the company’s position with its •International, State & Local Outreach communications campaigns that support the critical stakeholders. •Executive Office & Federal Regulatory litigation strategy. KARV’s ability to assist Agency Outreach, Including NHTSA, CPSC, clients and their lawyers in thinking through Contacts: FDA & others how communications can advance a client’s ■ Andrew Frank, Founder & President •Congressional Outreach litigation goals, as well as the communication Email: [email protected] •Issues Management Campaigns ramifications of the legal steps they may take, ■ Eric Andrus, Executive Vice President •Policy Messaging & Briefing Materials is among the reasons why clients engage with Email: [email protected] REPUTATION MANAGEMENT KARV and law firms recommend it. •Partnership with digital reputation management firms •Services available in any language

OFFICES

UNITED STATES NEW YORK CITY: 122 East 42nd Street Suite 2005, New York, NY 10168 Tel: +1 (212) 333 0275 LOS ANGELES: 1513 Sixth Street, Suite 204 Santa Monica, CA 90401 Tel: +1 (301) 260-3331

58 www.chambers.com Leading Law Firms USA

SErvICES LONGFORD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP Longford Capital Management LP is a www.longfordcapital.com tel: 312 212 8240 leading private investment company that provides capital solutions to leading law Chairman: William H Strong firms, public and private companies, universities, government agencies, and other Number of employees: 12 entities involved in large-scale, commercial Languages: English legal disputes. The firm manages a diversified portfolio and considers Overview & History: investments in subject matter areas where Longford Capital Management has always been at the leading edge of commercial litigation it has developed considerable expertise, finance in the United States. When the firm opened in 2011, it was among the first invest- including, business-to-business contract ment managers to provide litigation finance in the U.S. It remains one of the largest managers claims, antitrust and trade regulation claims, intellectual property claims (including patent, in the asset class, with more than $550 million in assets under management. Longford has trademark, copyright, and trade secret), helped lead the expansion of litigation finance from single-case investments to law firm and fiduciary duty claims, fraud claims, claims corporate portfolios. in bankruptcy and liquidation, domestic and Longford focuses on business-to-business disputes, providing non-recourse capital solutions international arbitrations and a variety of others. to entities with $25 million to more than $2 billion in controversy. The firm funds cases involving three broad substantive areas of the law: commercial disputes, including breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, partnership/joint venture disputes, qui tam actions, OFFICES and others; antitrust and trade regulation claims; and intellectual property actions, such as UNITED STATES infringement of patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and theft of trade secrets. CHICAGO: 35 West Wacker Drive Suite 3700, Illinois 60601 Each of the firm’s investments concerns highly meritorious claims which may be pursued in Tel: 312 212 8240 state and federal courts throughout the United States and abroad. Longford also considers Email: [email protected] investments in domestic and international arbitrations and cases before regulatory bodies. DALLAS: 1700 Pacific Avenue Longford expects that the litigation finance industry will grow across all sectors; law firm Suite 1035, Texas 75201 portfolios and corporate portfolios for sure will continue to become more common. Longford Tel: 972 761 5115 also sees opportunities to expand with initiatives targeting private equity, research universi- Email: [email protected] ties, and companies in bankruptcy or distressed situations.

Services: Longford Capital Management understands Longford has expanded to include former And it is rewarding to be at the leading edge how to construct law firm portfolio invest- partners of other major law firms who have of a new asset class that helps deserving ments and is among only a few firms that also litigated and tried cases in these areas – companies. In additional to former litigators, have sufficient capital and experience to select Cindy Ahn, formerly with Schiff Hardin and Longford’s leadership team includes former and invest in a portfolio of cases. Portfolio Kirkland & Ellis; Justin Maleson from Jenner & c-level executives from top global business, investments enable law firms to spread risk and Block; and Russell Genet from Nixon Peabody. private equity and banking institutions. satisfy client demands. Leading law firms are In April 2019, Chicago-based Longford Longford always conducts itself pursuant to approaching Longford at an increasing rate to added John Garda, former office managing the highest ethical standards. The team is achieve these benefits. For example, Longford partner for K&L Gates in Dallas. John opened well prepared, responsive, and delivers value closed on a series of portfolio investments in Longford’s first regional office in that city, beyond its capital. 2018 with the potential to total nearly $150 establishing a critical beachhead in a thriving Longford is a passive investor; it is not involved million. legal market in which Longford Capital has in setting litigation strategy or making Longford works with law firms from the Am extensive relationships and many successful settlement decisions, and its team doesn’t look Law 100 and with leading litigation boutiques, investments. over the litigator’s shoulders. If corporate claim as well as public and private companies of all Members of the underwriting team have been owners or their law firms seek input, everyone sizes, including firms from the Fortune 500. recognized among the top consultants to the on the underwriting team has litigated cases Its diverse portfolio includes claims across legal industry by Lawdragon and the world’s very similar to those for which they now business contracts, antitrust and trade regula- leading IP strategists by IAM Strategy 300. provide capital, and their input is and always tion, IP, fiduciary duty, fraud, bankruptcy and Everyone on Longford’s team enjoyed appreciated. Corporate claim owners and liquidation and arbitration. practicing law and working in the courtroom. leading law firms appreciate this approach. Longford Capital’s greatest strength is the Their day-to-day responsibilities at Longford diverse and complementary skills of its team. Capital enable them to stay close to what they Before launching the firm, Michael Nicolas love about complex commercial litigation. It and Bill Farrell practiced law for many years at is exciting to help a business owner access the Neal Gerber, representing companies involved justice system after her invention has been in commercial disputes, antitrust and trade stolen or contract breached. regulation claims and intellectual property actions.

59 USA Leading Law Firms www.chambers.com

SErvICES META-E DISCOVERY LLC Discovery Consulting www.metaediscovery.com tel: 203 544 8323 fax: 1 844 855 9490 Data Collection Data Hosting Chairman/CEO: Paul H McVoy Technology Assisted Review including Number of employees: 11 Continuous Active Learning

Overview & History: OFFICES Meta-e Discovery was founded in November 2015 by Ariana J Tadler, Esq and Paul H McVoy, UNITED STATES spun off from litigation support department of Milberg LLP, which Ms Tadler and Mr McVoy MILFORD: 93 River Street had developed into a cutting-edge department sought after to help with the discovery workflow. CT 06460 Meta-e was created to empower small and medium law firms and corporations to be able to Tel: 203 544 8323 litigate large complex matters with the same expertise and advanced computing power as used by Email: [email protected] the largest law firms and corporations. Since that time, Meta-e has grown to be the service vendor NEW YORK: 42 West 38th Street of choice in some of the United States’ largest, most notable litigations. Meta-e’s clients range from Suite 602, NY 10018 single practitioners to large international law firms, all of whom come to Meta-e not only for their Email: [email protected] mastery of the discovery processes, but for their practical, economical approach to each matter.

Services: Application of Multiple Technology Early Case Consulting: Negotiating ESI Protocols: Assisted Review Tools and Approaches for Meta-e’s team of professionals is often engaged Meta-e has developed a draft ESI protocol Document Review: to assist its clients assess their data sources at based on years of negotiating similar protocols Meta-e has long advocated for the application the outset of a matter to effectively begin the in Federal and State courts around the US. of some form of technology assisted review process of setting up defensible legal holds. Meta-e frequently leads the discussion on for its clients. Meta-e offers several options This may include constructing a data map to behalf of its clients with regards to drafting an and customized workflows unique to Meta-e be used in the meet and confer process. effective protocol that not only protects the rights of Meta-e’s clients, but also benefits both to enable its clients to review more quickly and less expensively than with other service Data Collection: parties by making the process efficient and providers. Some examples include: reviewing Meta-e works with clients of all sizes to focused on only the data necessary to advance 500,000 documents in four weeks with only plan and perform proper data collection, the case. The model protocol has been partially four reviewers in the BP Oil Spill Securities working with a client’s information technology affirmed in the humorous decision Rockford litigation and digesting and prioritizing department or directly with end clients one on v. Mallinckrodt ARD Inc., where the judge review of 12 million documents in a very large one. Data collections are handled by Meta-e’s praised the protocol and affirmed the need for antitrust matter in 24 hours. This latter process Director of Information Technology, A. Joe quality checking of key words, a pillar of what also included the identification of the best Flowers, Esq. Meta-e advocates for on behalf of its clients. Paul H. McVoy, Meta-e’s CEO leads the efforts documents for the team to use in depositions and trial. Discovery Consulting: in this area. Meta-e has become known for its advanced level of consulting at all stages of the discovery Hosting Data in Relativity and One process, from attending 26(f) and discovery Discovery: meet and confers to appearing in court as Meta-e offers two options for document technical advisers advocating on behalf of our review software: a customised version of clients. Meta-e professionals will frequently Relativity and a new tool, One Discovery. assist its clients in drafting correspondence, Meta-e tailors its approach to each matter, briefs, and preparing affidavits regarding offering tools to fit each case’s needs and the technical aspects of discovery. Meta-e budgetary constraints. also provides ongoing consultation during the discovery process to ensure agreements are adhered to and that its client’s rights are adequately protected.

60 www.chambers.com Leading Law Firms USA

PRCG | HAGGERTY LLC OFFICES USA www. prcg.com NEW YORK HEADqUARTERS: 45 Broadway Suite 3140, NY 10006 CEO: James F Haggerty Tel: +1 212 683 8100 Languages: English, French Email: [email protected] WASHINGTON, DC: 1101 Pennsylvania Overview & History: Avenue N.W. Suite 300, 20004 PRCG | Haggerty LLC (PRCG) is a specialist communications consultancy with a worldwide Tel: +1 202 888-8171 reputation in Crisis & Litigation Communications, as well as other ‘sensitive’ communica- LOS ANGELES, CA: 801 S. Figueroa Street, tions issues. With offices in New York, Washington, DC and Los Angeles, PRCG has worked CA 90017 across the United States and around the globe on major litigation PR assignments. The firm’s Tel: +1 213 335-2441 many successes include work in some of the largest cases of their kind in history, including: ■ One of the largest global financial fraud cases ■ The largest intellectual property verdict and appeal ■ Several of the largest antitrust and product liability cases ■ The largest-ever single-family Holocaust restitution claim; and ■ The largest class action lawsuit ever filed against the United States government Founded in 1993 and led for more than 20 years by attorney and author James F (‘Jim’) Haggerty, the firm has been recognized both in the United States and internationally for a depth of expertise and breadth of resources few other firms of any size can match. Haggerty is the author of the landmark treatise In The Court of Public Opinion: Winning Strategies for Litigation Communications, which will be published in its third edition by the American Bar Association (ABA) in mid-2019. Financial Times has called In the Court of Public Opinion ‘the perfect handbook for this age of show trials,’ while PR trade publication The Holmes Report stated that Haggerty ‘literally wrote the book on litigation public relations.’ Jim Haggerty was also honored by PR News in 2017 as a ‘pioneer’ of litigation communications, and the firm was recognised in 2018 by The New York Times for its leadership of ‘sophisticated’, ‘round the clock’ global PR campaigns in legal-related matters. PRCG is a proud member of The Crisis Protection Network, a global network of affiliated firms equipped to offer comprehensive crisis and litigation communications services specially-tailored to the needs of each individual client. In 2019, the firm launched PRCG | Sports, a practice dedicated to representing sports owners, brands, media companies and individual athletes. For more information, visit www.prcg.com.

Services: ■ Litigation Communications ■ Crisis Communications ■ Reputation Management ■ Thought Leadership ■ SEO and Social Media Strategies

61 USA Leading Law Firms www.chambers.com

RUBENSTEIN OFFICES GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS www.rubenstein.com tel: 212 843 8000 NEW YORK: Worldwide Plaza, 825 Eighth Avenue, NY 10019 President: Steven Rubenstein Tel: 212 832 8000 Founder & Chairman: Howard Rubenstein Fax: 212 843 9200 Email: [email protected] Overview & History: RUBENSTEIN is the independent strategic communications and reputation management COnTaCT firm founded by Howard J Rubenstein in 1954, and led today by his son Steven. With over 60 ExECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS years of experience and deep media relationships that are unparalleled, the firm is known for DEVELOPMENT: Peter Foley helping clients build and protect their reputations with services that range from crisis and media Tel: 212 843 8308 relations work to integrated marketing campaigns, social media strategy and online reputation Email: [email protected] management. The firm works globally, providing senior-level strategic counsel to clients across more than a dozen sectors. Their crisis and litigation practice is a model for the industry, drawing on decades of experience, rapid response, and media relations. Working around the clock, the crisis management team counsels clients on the right actions to take and the messages to communicate to reduce the intensity of a crisis and protect their reputations. With a deep understanding of the mechanisms of litigation, RUBENSTEIN supports the legal strategy and manages communication on matters ranging from local environmental disasters to global public health emergencies, and from personal conduct to international data breaches. leadership: Steven Rubenstein, President, leads the agency’s day-to-day operations, driving innovation and growth for its 13 practices. A trusted counselor to CEOs, entrepreneurs, founders, and organiza- tions, Steven is adept at creating, enhancing, and protecting awareness and reputation. Under his leadership, the firm services national and international clients across a range of sectors, including business, media, entertainment, technology, real estate, sports, healthcare, education, culture, crisis, and philanthropy. Since joining in 1992, Steven has worked as a practitioner across a breadth of industry sectors, including personally representing many of the firm’s clients. Marcia Horowitz, Managing Director, oversees RUBENSTEIN’s litigation and legal public relations practice. For more than 30 years, Ms. Horowitz has been involved in many of the agency’s most challenging and high-profile assignments, providing senior-level counsel to hundreds of clients.

Services: Clients: ■ Strategic Counsel RUBENSTEIN’s roster of more than 400 clients ■ Crisis Planning & Management includes leaders and groundbreakers across ■ Media Relations industries on some of the most interesting ■ Media Training projects imaginable – from life-saving research ■ Digital to complex global crises. Select clients include, ■ Online Reputation Management News Corp., the Fox Corporation, Apollo ■ Content Global Management, Bill and Melinda Gates ■ Messaging & Brand Positioning Investments (BMGI/Cascade), JP Morgan Chase, Elliott Management, Uber, The Breakthrough Prize, Tishman Speyer, Vornado, New York-Presbyterian, Netflix, AEG, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, and the New York Yankees. In addition to litigation support, the firm’s legal public relations group represents more than a dozen law firms ranging from boutiques to large, global full-service firms.

62 www.chambers.com Leading Law Firms USA

SARD VERBINNEN & CO OFFICES UNITED STATES www. tel: sardverb.com 212 687 8080 NEW YORK Co-Founders and Co-CEO’s: George Sard and Paul Verbinnen CHICAGO Number of employees: 200 HOUSTON Languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, Portuguese, Greek, German, Korean, LOS ANGELES Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi SAN FRANCISCO Overview & History: WASHINGTON, D.C. Since its founding nearly 30 years ago, SVC has provided strategic communications support and counsel to Fortune 500 companies and other public and private multi-national corporations, INTERNATIONAL OFFICES educational and cultural institutions and high-profile individuals in connection with a vast CHINA array of matters that affect reputation, business and market value. A preeminent global litigation HONG KONG and financial public relations firm, SVC specialises in high-stakes situations and long-term UNITED KINGDOM positioning and reputation management. The firm has deep experience advising on government/ LONDON regulatory litigation matters and private civil litigation matters, crises, financial transactions, senior management changes, proxy contests, data breaches, and long-term corporate positioning. CONTACT relevant Services Oﬀered: Email: [email protected]

Litigation Support: Cybersecurity & Privacy Issues: Notable Assignments Include Advising: ■ SVC’s Litigation Support practice is unique ■ SVC has deep expertise helping companies ■ Elon Musk/Tesla in connection with SEC among peer firms as it includes a senior team prepare for and respond to data privacy is- enforcement action and settlement of former practicing attorneys with strong sues and cybersecurity incidents. SVC’s team ■ Qualcomm in connection with antitrust legal backgrounds in civil and criminal litiga- is distinguished by our breadth of experience litigation in various countries tion and investigations, government affairs, and includes former cybersecurity lawyers, ■ Fitbit in connection with intellectual transactional law and intellectual property. IT security engineers, government officials property, consumer and antitrust securities Notably, several of these attorneys also spent and corporate executives. SVC brings a full litigation portions of their careers working in journal- suite of capabilities to help public and private ■ Facebook in connection with intellectual ism as reporters, producers and/or on-air companies across all major industries protect property lawsuit and subsequent settlement commentators. The team works closely with reputation through strategic communica- with ConnectU counsel to distil complicated legal arguments tions planning, effective incident response ■ Takata in connection with airbag inflator into accessible and persuasive messaging and post-breach reputation-tracking and malfunctions and related auto manufacturer for media, investors, employees, customers, rebuilding recalls business partners, industry thought leaders ■ HNA in connection with various litigation and other stakeholders, with the overarching Public Affairs: matters ■ SVC’s Public Affairs practice draws goal of advancing its clients’ legal strategy ■ PG&E in connection with legal, reputa- while simultaneously advocating for them in upon decades of high-level government, tional and public affairs issues resulting from the court of public opinion campaign and policy experience to provide the Northern California wildfires and the fully integrated public affairs counsel in company’s Chapter 11 filing Crisis Management & Special Situations: transformative high-stakes situations that ■ Pabst Brewing Company in connection ■ SVC provides candid, pragmatic can affect reputation and value. These efforts with contract litigation against MillerCoors counsel on a wide range of crises and special — whether proactive or, when necessary, ■ DraftKings in connection with litigations situations, from product recalls and reactive — are seamlessly integrated into our and government investigations into legality industrial catastrophes to sudden leadership strategic communications work of fantasy sports and related consumer changes and major regulatory events. SVC protection concerns understands the critical importance of Digital Capabilities: ■ Wynn in connection with litigation speed, combined with sophisticated strategic ■ SVC’s communications efforts are sup- regarding FCPA and breach of fiduciary duty thinking and robust, agile execution. Its role ported by a Digital Communications Group by a Board director includes strategy development and ongoing that is unique to the firm and includes a team ■ Nikon in connection with a series of global counsel, research and message testing, of highly skilled social media and design legal actions intended to halt the infringe- preparation of multi-audience communica- experts who help it amplify its messages and ment of Nikon’s intellectual property tions, development and execution of social directly target the appropriate audiences, media and digital strategies, media relations, when appropriate. An example of the ground investor relations, on-site support, and breaking and innovate ways in which the post-event reputation tracking firm has effectively deployed a digital strategy on behalf of a litigation assignment involved Martha Stewart, the founder of Martha Stewart Omnimedia, when she was on trial for perjury. It was essential for her business that she continued to speak to her audience and SVC were the first PR firm to create a litigation website that enabled her to do so in a controlled environment

63 USA Leading Law Firms www.chambers.com

SITRICK AND COMPANY OFFICES UNITED STATES www. sitrick.com tel: 310 788 2850 fax: 310 788 2855 BOSTON: One Post Ofﬁce Square, Suite 3618, MA 02109 Chairman: Michael Sitrick Tel: 617 897 0326 Number of Employees: 50 DENVER: 1200 17th Street, Suite 600. Languages: English CO 80202 Tel: 720 904 8560 Overview & History: LOS ANGELES: 11999 San Vincente Blvd., Sitrick and Company is not a traditional public relations firm. Its practice has a specialised focus, CA 90049 concentrating in corporate, financial, transactional, litigation support, reputation and crisis Tel: 310 788 2850 NEW YORK: 7 Time Square, 37th Floor, communications. Since the firm’s founding more than 30 years ago, it has consistently ranked NY 10036-6579 among the top crisis and strategic communications firm in the nation. TheNew York Times Tel: 212 573 6100 called it, ‘The City’s Most Prominent Crisis Management Firm.’ The majority of the firm’s senior SAN FRANCISCO: 90 New Montgomery executives are former editors and reporters from news organisations that include the Wall Street Street Suite 1301, CA 94105 Journal, the New York Times, Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, CBS News, ABC News and Tel: 415 3698470 NBC News. The firm also has former practicing attorneys and business executives.. WASHINGTON DC: Steven Blum (Lt. Gen. USA, ret.): 443 977 7215 Services: The firm concentrates in corporate, financial, This includes providing evidence to convince COnTaCT transactional, litigation support, reputation media organisations they have incorrect CHAIRMAN & CEO: Michael Sitrick Tel: 310 788 2850 information about a client. The end result and crisis communications. It provides advice, Email: [email protected] counsel and implementation of internal of these efforts ranges from modifications and external communications efforts and — sometimes significant modifications — in The firm continues to be led by its founder, programs. It has a legacy media practice, a the stories to articles not being published chairman and CEO, Michael Sitrick, who digital media practice and does media training, at all. Sitrick was active on this front in the was the subject of numerous profiles this speech writing and crisis management. past year achieving results for its clients; it year for the successes the firm has achieved. was also active in generating positive news The profiles ranged from articles in the New Sitrick has been involved in litigation support coverage for its clients. York Times to the Columbia Journalism of all kinds, including allegations of intellectual Review to Lawdragon. Lawdragon said, ‘To property theft, stock manipulation, wrongful The firm’s litigation practice was also very state the obvious: The world of public rela- termination, sexual harassment, breach of active this year, both inside and outside tions and crisis communications have had contract, fraud and fraudulent inducement, of the US. Clients included Toshiba V. few legends like Mike Sitrick, the founder wrongful death, illegal drug use, SEC Western Digital, Vantage Drilling V. and CEO of Sitrick and Company. For violations, and a variety of other white-collar Petrobas, Rizal Commercial Bank Corp decades, the Los Angeles-based media expert crimes. The firm has also handled criminal V. Bangladesh Central Bank, The Michael has been wielding his talents and influence and civil cases against companies and their Jackson Estate V. HBO, McKinsey RTS V. in disputes ranging from the highest of executives for such things as price fixing, Jay Alix’s Mar-Bow, Silence Therapeutics v. high-profile to the potential embarrassments insurance fraud, options backdating, antitrust Alnylam, Woodstock50 V. Dentsu, as well forever kept under the rug.’ violations, race and sex discrimination, racism as clients involved in the college admissions and #MeToo matters. Sitrick has a significant and #MeToo scandals, various intellectual mergers and acquisitions and corporate property and labor issues, environmental Key Clients: governance practice and has done extensive issues, regulatory matters for both small and The firm served roughly 200 clients last year, work combatting short sellers and dealing Fortune 100 companies and a number of including Guggenheim Partners, Cerberus, with data breaches. Other issues include Chapter 11 reorganizations, including First KKR, McKinsey, Qatar, Motley Crue, environmental matters, racketeering cases, Energy Solutions. Woodstock 50, The Michael Jackson Estate, family disputes, and high-profile divorces. The firm does not discuss the details of what Toshiba, Thomas H. Lee Equity and Rizal it does for clients because of client confi- Commercial Bank Corp. recent Works: dentiality. But in a nutshell, its professionals While the media often writes about the help clients achieve their objectives both in results Sitrick achieves for its client, perhaps the court of law and in the court of public more impressive is the work the firm does opinion. Nearly all of the firm’s clients come outside of the public eye. from referrals that emanate prior successes.