Bracewell LLP’s litigation team is best known for its commercially grounded advocacy, with specific strength in energy and infrastructure disputes, bet-the-company contract and tort matters, multidistrict and class actions, and appellate advocacy. The group is led in Houston by Stephen Crain, whose practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, energy-related disputes, and large-scale multidistrict proceedings. He is joined by Bradley Benoit, also based in Houston, who is recognized for guiding clients through high-exposure, bet-the-company disputes. In New York, office managing partner Daniel Connolly advises on bankruptcy litigation, white-collar defense, and regulatory compliance investigations, while ‘first-class litigator’ Rachel Goldman is instrumental in breach of contract and fraud claims, construction disputes, and False Claims Act matters.

Holwell Shuster & Goldberg LLP advises a roster of blue-chip – often highly regulated – institutions, such as Visa, HSBC Bank, Chubb and H.I.G. Capital. Recent high-value work includes representing Chubb in an insurance coverage battle against Meta/Instagram with exposure in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The New York-based practice is headed by Richard Holwell, nationally recognized for his deep trial expertise spanning securities, antitrust, and bankruptcy disputes; Michael Shuster, who spearheads bet-the-company commercial litigation for financial institutions and corporates, including insurance coverage, contract and restructuring fights; and Daniel Goldberg, who navigates conflicts at the intersection of finance and business torts, including commercial contracts, leases and partnership disputes. The group draws on the support of Dorit Ungar Black, who is known for financial services and securities litigation, including RMBS and structured-finance trials, and Blair Kaminsky,who focuses on complex commercial litigation and investigatory matters, often tied to large-scale transactions and the financial services sector. Brian T. Goldman is a key contact for breach of contract, trade secrets, and restructuring-related matters.

Recognized by clients as ‘first rate’, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer’s disputes team litigates a broad spread of commercial, bankruptcy, antitrust, securities, fraud, and cross-border issues. Its leadership combines complementary strengths across three key US hubs: New York office managing partner Scott Balber is a standout in commercial, securities, and financial services disputes; New York-based Kerri Ann Law handles a wide-ranging docket spanning breach of contract and fiduciary duty matters; and Washington DC office managing partner Ariel Lavinbuk, who is a key bankruptcy litigation figure, especially in fraudulent transfer battles. Further New York talent includes Daniel Goldman, who leads the antitrust and competition litigation practice, and Michael Dell, who focuses on complex business disputes, including financial services and professional liability matters. In DC, Brandon Arnold and Roy Englert are trusted for civil and commercial litigation, with especially strong appellate and Supreme Court firepower. Also in DC, Ralph Mayrell is regarded as ‘indispensable’ in bet-the-company disputes. In Chicago, Jeffrey Bushofsky maintains a thriving litigation practice, with particular depth in lender liability and high-value contract conflicts.

McDermott Will & Schulte harnesses its ‘outstanding talent pool’ in delivering litigation services to businesses across healthcare, financial services, technology, transportation, and energy. The practice is managed globally from New York by Joshua Simon, who leads complex commercial litigation and class actions involving breach of contract, RICO, and other business torts. In Los Angeles, Jason Strabo co-heads the practice and steers securities class actions and crypto/NFT-related disputes, while Matthew Madden co-leads from Chicago, with strength in bet-the-company commercial litigation and antitrust disputes. In New York, co-leads William Gussman and Andrew Kratenstein anchor the firm’s deep bench in financial services and investment management disputes. The management group is completed by Dallas’ Richard Salgado, who focuses on trade secrets, toxic tort, and antitrust cases. The department also benefits from the expertise of Chicago’s Daniel Campbell, who handles disputes involving government contracting, product liability, and bankruptcy litigation; New York’s John Calandra, whose skillset is geared towards breach of fiduciary duty and negligent misrepresentation; and LA’s Jonathan Hawkswell, always ‘reachable and flexible’ in his handling of privacy, cyber and technology-related disputes. Seth Friedman departed the team in January 2026.

Commercial litigation, regulatory disputes, class actions, and international arbitration are the preserve of Reed Smith LLP‘s global commercial disputes group. At the helm are James Hultquist in Chicago, who marshals bet-the-company intellectual property and trade secret fights, and Elizabeth Brandon in Dallas, who brings strength in securities and product liability disputes. In New York, department vice chair Casey Laffey is a go-to advisor on high-stakes financial services litigation, while office managing partner and co-head of the financial services litigation group John Scalzo is trusted with complex business torts. Further south, Miami’s Edward Mullins brings breadth across contentious mandates, and Illinois-based Michael Galibois likewise handles a broad spectrum, from breach of contract and joint venture fallouts to energy and construction lawsuits. In 2025, the Denver office added momentum with the arrival of Adam Massaro, known for IP and corporate litigation, and Joyce Williams, who supports breach of contract and fiduciary duty matters alongside fraud and misrepresentation claims. James Duffy departed in June 2025.

Withers’ US dispute resolution division attracts high-net-worth individuals, multinational businesses and financial institutions seeking high-level commercial litigation and arbitration counsel. Typically, its clients operate across the tech and crypto, financial services, real estate, aviation, and consumer-facing sectors. New York-based department spearhead Christopher LaVigne is widely recognized for delivering first-rate advocacy in securities class actions, high-value contract disputes, and business tort actions. In San Francisco, Jessica Nall joined the practice in May 2025 and runs the executive crisis management and defense group, guiding clients through government investigations, litigation, and reputational crises. Also in San Francisco, Kimberly Pallen is adept in crypto and tech battles, particularly employment and trade secrets disputes. Situated in New York, Dean Nicyper‘s practice traverses partnership and fiduciary duty fallouts alongside product liability and securities litigation.

Akin is a mainstay for a wide range of banks, creditors, and public companies and boards in sophisticated commercial fights. New York-based spearhead Joseph Sorkin focuses on disputes for investment funds and financial institutions, including restructuring litigation. Also in New York, Douglas Rappaport drives the firm’s investment funds litigation practice and co-heads the shareholder activism group, while Stephen Baldini brings similar strength in investment funds litigation and related bankruptcy and securities disputes. In Texas, Scott Barnard co-heads the nationwide complex commercial litigation department and leads business-critical disputes, while Washington DC’s Chuck Connelly co-leads the white-collar defense and global investigations practice. In March 2025, the Los Angeles team added Laura Smolowe, whose forte is trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, and employment disputes, including trial and arbitration matters.

Duane Morris LLP is widely known for handling commercial conflicts, business torts, and bet-the-company matters, and is equally comfortable in courtrooms, arbitrations, and regulatory-adjacent proceedings. The trial practice group is co-chaired by Philadelphia’s Sharon Caffrey, who is closely associated with transportation and catastrophic-tort defense, and San Francisco’s Stephen Sutro, who wields his white-collar and investigations experience to defend clients in criminal cases and government-facing disputes. Meanwhile, the commercial litigation team is anchored by James Steigerwald in Philadelphia, who represents major enterprises in complex litigation, including corporate negligence and veil-piercing defenses, and Courtney Baird in San Diego, who fights trade secret and restrictive covenant battles. Also Philadelphia-based, Matthew Taylor takes on product liability class actions and disputes between manufacturers and distributors. Both described as ‘stellar’, Florida-based Harvey Gurland is immersed in real estate and business disputes, including high-stakes trial and appellate work, while Julian Jackson-Fanin is adept in commercial disputes, investigation-facing litigation, and regulatory matters.

Jones Walker LLP is ‘solution-focused’ and always ‘exceptional’ at guiding clients through drawn-out litigation. The practice is anchored by New Orleans’ Michael Drew, who brings extensive experience handling commercial disputes involving health and disability insurance, government contracting, and construction projects. He is complemented by Patrick Vance, whose practice centers on internal business disputes, particularly partnership and director fallout, as well as creditors’ rights and bankruptcy litigation. Also in New Orleans, Mark Cunningham is proficient in antitrust and securities disputes, while Brett Vann concentrates on energy and environmental litigation and appeals. In Jackson, Adam Stone is noted for service contract and trade secret litigation, and W. Whitaker Rayner deepens the bench in intellectual property, specializing in copyright and trademark litigation and prosecution. Counsel Virginia Weichert Gundlach is a key point of contact for the team. In 2025, the New Orleans office welcomed Christopher Hannan and Katie Lasky; Jay O’Brien joined the Baton Rouge office and Matthew Maranges joined the Miami office.

Major enterprises rely on Morrison Foerster for its cross-office firepower in privacy and technology disputes, intellectual property litigation, and crisis-sensitive investigations. The trio at the helm of the litigation group are San Diego’s Julie Park, whose practice centers on regulatory enforcement and investigations, particularly in the consumer product safety space; New York’s Katie Viggiani, an authority in commercial disputes, class actions, and arbitrations; and Erin Bosman, who operates between San Diego and San Francisco, and is a leading adviser on commercial and product liability litigation, particularly involving emerging AI and technology matters. New York office managing partner Jamie Levitt also co-heads the securities litigation group, where she oversees securities fraud actions, shareholder derivative suits, and regulatory investigations. In San Francisco, Tiffany Cheung is noted for her work on consumer class actions, including copyright, privacy, and marketing claims, while Arturo González is renowned for his bet-the-company trial practice, with strengths in false advertising, patent and IP disputes.

Proskauer Rose LLP‘s mid-market litigious practice has a strong track record in antitrust, class actions, and trial work in federal and state courts. Bart Williams, chair of the litigation department in Los Angeles, focuses on headline commercial litigation, including major antitrust and mass tort matters. Michael Mervis, vice-chair in New York, focuses on bet-the-company commercial disputes, often involving financial services and governance issues. Also in New York, Grant Esposito is a skilled advocate in class actions and coordinated mass proceedings, with particular exposure to tort and environmental disputes, while David Fioccola advises on high-stakes contract litigation and competition-related business conflicts. In LA, Susan Gutierrez concentrates on commercial litigation and employment-related matters, while Boston-based Colin Cabral is highly effective in IP-driven disputes and contract and antitrust litigation. The team expanded in 2025 with New York’s Nicole Bergstrom, who navigates defamation, breach of contract, and copyright challenges; Washington DC’s Jaclyn Phillips, who steers complex antitrust litigation; and Richard Westling, based in LA and DC, who targets healthcare litigation and enforcement matters.

Commended for its ‘stand out practitioners’, Seward & Kissel LLP handles high-stakes commercial disputes, covering financial services and investment litigation, antitrust and class actions, data privacy and cyber matters, and trade secrets and tech disputes. The New York-based department is headlined by Russell Johnston, who is widely recognized for commercial litigation for financial institutions and asset managers – particularly credit disputes, contract and covenant claims, and enforcement matters – and Michael Watling, who concentrates on sophisticated disputes for investment management and financial services clients, including shareholder and partnership breakups and fund-related litigation. Jack Yoskowitz, Bruce Paulsen and Brian Maloney are also critical members of the litigation team. The practice was strengthened in 2025 by the arrivals of Randall Adams, who is well versed in shareholder activism and corporate control disputes, and Mark Garibyan, noted for activist investor and securities disclosure litigation. Michael Considine and Anne C Patin departed in the same year.

Sheppard is in demand among public and private companies, financial institutions, government entities, and senior executives for its trial-ready counsel. At the forefront of the practice are Los Angeles-based Sascha Henry, a go-to advocate for high-stakes consumer class actions and product disputes, including antitrust and false advertising claims; San Diego’s John Brooks, active in business trials, regulatory-adjacent disputes and arbitration; and New York’s Robert Friedman, immersed in corporate litigation and internal investigations, including matters concerning trade secrets, software theft, and securities. The practice’s trial prowess was bolstered in 2025 with the arrivals of Joshua Hess in San Francisco, who works primarily on securities and antitrust litigation, including civil and criminal price-fixing cases; Constantine Z. Pamphilis in Houston, with deep experience in defamation, civil rights, insurance recovery litigation, and appeals; and Josh Rosenberg in Century City, who brings a successful track record in breach of contract, copyright and trademark infringement, and employment disputes.

BakerHostetler boasts a sizeable commercial litigation team, geared to counsel Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions and trade associations, with especially pronounced representation of clients in energy, healthcare, and oil and gas. The practice is directed by Jonathan Pressment in New York, who routinely leads contract and business tort disputes, including fraud, misrepresentation, and fiduciary duty claims. Also in New York, John Siegal steers trade secrets, employment disputes, and insurance coverage litigation through trial and appeal, while Bradley Pensyl, who joined in April 2025, tries cases featuring fraud allegations, M&A, and bankruptcy-related issues. In Washington DC, Gilbert Keteltes has a successful track record in tort and government enforcement disputes, while San Francisco’s Victoria Weatherford skillfully manages technology and consumer products litigation. In January 2025, Jeremy Anderson joined the Wilmington office, adding corporate and commercial trial firepower, including IP and false advertising litigation.

Corporations, financial institutions, and high-profile individuals turn to Clifford Chance for commercial, financial, regulatory, and cross-border disputes. The US practice is led by Robert Houck, whose specialisms include sophisticated commercial litigation and multijurisdictional financial and sovereign-related disputes. Anthony Candido is particularly noted for M&A litigation, antitrust matters, and cross-border arbitration strategy, while Jeff Butler brings significant experience in complex commercial litigation in the federal and state courts, with a particular focus on insolvency-related disputes. Peter Isajiw, who joined the practice in February 2025, is known for financial institutions litigation and civil fraud, including RICO-style claims. All the above-named attorneys are New York-based.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP garners praise for understanding its clients’ ‘commercial objectives very well’. Stationed in Richmond, Virginia, Alexandra Cunningham steers the litigation bench as a firebrand in toxic tort, asbestos, and food contamination fights. Alongside her, Cassandra Collins runs the administrative team engine and orchestrates multi-state energy, construction, and environmental disputes. Florida managing partner Sam Danon brings sharp instincts to consumer class actions and advertising claims, while Torsten Kracht, splitting his time between Washington DC and New York, handles commercial litigation and arbitration showdowns. Back in Richmond, Wendy McGraw provides ‘practical, efficient, no-frills advice’ in IP, employment, and product liability disputes; meanwhile in Boston, Christopher Cunio takes on consumer protection, contract, and unfair practice claims. Rounding out the bench, DC-based Aubrianna Mierow is an antitrust litigation pro. In 2025, the team welcomed Ryan Clinton (Texas), Eric Crusius (DC), Shawn Hogue (Florida), and Erika Maley (DC), bolstering the firm’s commercial disputes capabilities.

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.‘s commercial litigation group is jointly led by Scott Ford in Boston and Seth Goldman in New York. Ford leads business disputes for corporate clients, including class action defense in federal and state courts, while Goldman leads significant bet-the-company and employment litigation. Also in New York, firm managing partner Robert Bodian remains active in complex commercial disputes, advising private equity, financial services, real estate, and banking clients, while Therese Doherty handles civil and securities-related disputes, with a strong emphasis on financial services. In Boston, Elissa Flynn-Poppey chairs the government law practice, tackling government investigations and enforcement matters, while John Dougherty is reputed for defending product liability and consumer class action claims. Alec Zadek, also Boston-based, advises on insurance coverage disputes and broader commercial litigation.

Defined by its ‘diverse skillset’, Sullivan & Worcester LLP advises a mix of public companies, investment managers, energy and industrial clients, and high-profile individuals on major disputes and investigations. The practice is led by New York’s Gerry Silver and Boston’s Patrick Dinardo. Both focus on business conflicts – particularly contract and ownership battles – with Silver also noted for his strength in employment and defamation litigation, and Dinardo bringing deep expertise in governance and fiduciary duty matters. Further Boston-based colleagues include Laura Steinberg and Ryan Rosenblatt, who have a particular interest in financial services and investment management disputes, and Daniel Rosenfeld, who is equipped to handle product class actions, professional liability, and IP-related disputes and arbitrations. Nicholas O’Donnell, also in Boston, is a key name for complex civil litigation including securities-related matters. In New York, Michael Sullivan  strengthens the bench with experience spanning banking and trade finance disputes, as well as insurance litigation.

Wiley Rein LLP acts in high-stakes commercial disputes, often centered around contract and business tort claims, brand and IP litigation, and consumer protection class actions. The Washington DC-based practice is led by Ralph Caccia, who defends consumer protection and regulatory enforcement matters, including investigations and parallel civil proceedings, and Stephen Obermeier, who handles antitrust and competition disputes, APA litigation, and telecom/media-related contentious work. They are supported by Attison Barnes, who is active across commercial, government contracting, and IP litigation and arbitration, and Enbar Toledano, who concentrates on regulatory and public law disputes, including administrative challenges. Another key contact is Frank Scaduto, who handles bet-the-company disputes. Joshua Simmons departed the firm in March 2025. All practitioners are based in DC.