NEW YORK- Jan. 2, 2006- LAWFUEL – The Law News Network -The American Lawyer(R) today named the litigation department of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as the magazine’s 2005 Litigation Department of the Year. In addition, the magazine named law firm winners in three specialty litigation areas: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner (intellectual property); Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (labor and employment); and Kaye Scholer (product liability). The winners were selected by the magazine’s writers and editors following a four-month evaluation of 120 entries submitted by the Am Law 200(R), the nation’s top-grossing law firms. A special report in the January 2006 issue of The American Lawyer, available today, profiles the four winners and 12 finalists. Complete listings of winners and profiles are also available at www.americanlawyer.com and www.law.com.
Paul, Weiss’ recent litigation achievements included its successful representation of Citigroup Inc. The New York financial services giant faced more than $150 billion in potential total exposure from shareholder class actions arising from questionable investments and allegedly misleading analyst recommendations. Thanks to Paul, Weiss, Citigroup closed a painful chapter in its history without devastating damage to its balance sheet or reputation.
Citigroup is just one of the Fortune 100 companies that turned to Paul, Weiss for litigation assistance in “bet-the-company” cases. Since 2004, the firm’s litigators have guided high-profile clients such as Hollinger International, American International Group and Merck through corporate minefields, business scandals, criminal and regulatory investigations and tag-along civil suits.
“Over the competition period, no law firm handled cases with higher stakes than Paul, Weiss–and no law firm has been as successful at saving its clients, in and out of the courtroom,” said Aric Press, editor in chief of the magazine.
Finnegan, Henderson (intellectual property) was selected for its success in court defending key patents of clients including Eli Lilly and Company and Guidant Corporation, winning all five of its major trials during the competition period. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (labor and employment) was cited for its expertise across employment niches and a creative approach to employment litigation that headed off class actions, won international contract disputes, and successfully countered ERISA claims for clients including American Airlines, Blockbuster and Telemundo. Kaye Scholer (product liability) was named a winner for victories achieved for clients, including Novartis, Pfizer and Boston Scientific, that demonstrated remarkable success in cutting-edge product liability defense work in the complex world of pharmaceuticals.
Other law firm finalists that are profiled in the issue include the following:
— Litigation Department of the Year: Jenner & Block; Latham & Watkins; Munger, Tolles & Olson; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
— Intellectual Property: Heller Ehrman; Kirkland & Ellis; Weil, Gotshal & Manges; and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
— Labor and Employment: Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker; Seyfarth Shaw
— Product Liability: Reed Smith; Jones Day
The American Lawyer is the legal industry’s leading monthly magazine. Read by partners at corporate law firms, in-house counsel, government lawyers, and litigators at firms of all sizes, its trailblazing features about attorneys and the work they do has led to 23 National Magazine Award nominations and five coveted awards for general excellence, essays and criticism, and single-topic issues. To subscribe or request back issues of The American Lawyer, including copies of the January issue, please call (800) 755-2773. The magazine is published by ALM.
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