Cadwalader Expands Litigation Capabilities

Cadwalader is pleased to announce the arrival this week of a preeminent, nationally renowned four-partner litigation team from Boies Schiller, led by former co-managing partner Nicholas Gravante and including partners Philip Iovieno, Karen Dyer and Lawrence Brandman. Our new partners further establish Cadwalader’s Global Litigation Group as a destination practice for clients involved in high-stakes litigation and other matters, bolstering a practice that is recognized as a transatlantic powerhouse with market-leading trial capabilities.

Nick, who will head Cadwalader’s Commercial Litigation practice, is widely recognized as one of the top litigators in the country. He joined Boies Schiller shortly after its creation and quickly become one of that firm’s most preeminent lawyers. Nick was recognized as well as one of those responsible for Boies’s transformation into one of the country’s leading litigation firms, later becoming the firm’s co-managing partner. Nick has decades of trial experience focused on the most complex, high-stakes commercial, securities and antitrust litigation, as well as with criminal cases and appeals. He is renowned for his work on behalf of clients, handling high-profile cases and highly sensitive, confidential matters resolved behind the scenes. Recently, Nick won a $663 million jury verdict for a plaintiff in a case against the manufacturer of highway guardrails, the biggest award ever in a whistleblower action without intervention by the U.S. Department of Justice. His trial victories have included winning an acquittal for three leading New York City real estate companies indicted under the Martin Act, and a jury verdict that vindicated foreign exchange traders at Banque Indosuez accused of executing hundreds of millions of dollars of unauthorized trades. In addition, Nick has negotiated non-prosecution agreements for publicly traded companies and won exoneration of numerous individuals, non-profit entities, Fortune 500 companies and a major national university in federal and state grand jury and regulatory investigations.

Phil will serve as the co-leader of the Antitrust Litigation practice, which he will lead along with Cadwalader Washington, D.C. partner Brian Wallach. Phil’s practice focuses on representing plaintiffs and defendants in antitrust and other complex commercial litigation. He has litigated in federal and state courts throughout the country, including having led or co-led multiple jury trials through verdict. Phil also maintains an active traditional antitrust litigation practice, and has represented a number of leading corporations for many years. In one noteworthy matter, he represented 12 corporate opt-out plaintiffs who were victims of a price-fixing cartel involving LCD panels, achieving total settlements of more than $500 million, exceeding 150 percent of the plaintiffs’ damage claims and more than 5 times what they would have recovered from the class action.

Karen is a leading trial lawyer, representing various Fortune 500 companies and other multimillion and multibillion dollar entities in all aspects of commercial litigation, including antitrust, civil RICO, securities and bankruptcy law. She has led a number of significant representations, including her recent work on behalf of a client in connection with a multibillion dollar antitrust group boycott case involving securities trading products, and previously worked on the Name Brand Pharmaceuticals opt-out case. Karen obtained a directed verdict for a nationwide hospital chain in an antitrust case that sought to preliminarily and permanently enjoin that chain’s merger with another major hospital system. She has also represented Florida Power & Light in connection with antitrust disputes with other power suppliers. In addition to her antitrust work, she has represented private equity and venture capital firms in large U.S. and international disputes, recently representing a private venture capital firm in a proxy dispute with a worldwide rental car company.

Larry has practiced for more than 35 years, with a focus on bankruptcy, restructuring, antitrust, complex financial products, securities, complex litigation, and dispute resolution. He has served in senior roles in-house and as outside counsel and advisor to diverse organizations. Larry served for a decade as a Managing Director and Head of Bankruptcy Strategic Advisory, Derivatives at Lehman Brothers Holdings, and was responsible for developing legal strategies and resolving disputes arising from the unwinding of Lehman’s derivatives book.