Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP leverages its ‘extreme knowledge in the securities litigation field’ to represent a client base consisting of public pension funds and other shareholders in disputes arising out of alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. Heading the firm’s corporate and shareholder governance team out of New York is ‘first-rate litigator’ Jeroen van Kwawegen, who secured a $162.5m settlement for minority shareholders of Santander Consumer USA Holdings, where shareholders were underpaid in the buyout of its auto loan division. Greg Varallo, described as ‘one of the best litigators and trial lawyers in Delaware’ also appeared in the Santander case and heads the firm’s Wilmington office, offering decades of experience of litigating cases before the Delaware Court of Chancery in addition to state and federal courts. May 2024 saw the firm strengthen its ranks with the return in New York of Christopher Orrico from Grant & Eisenhofer P.A., augmenting its ability to bring cases tied to the violation of shareholder rights and breach of fiduciary duties. Also in New York, Thomas James is noted for his expertise in prosecuting cases arising out of poor corporate governance.

Pension funds and a variety of other stockholders rely on Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP for representation in litigation concerning allegations of securities fraud and conflicts of interest in mergers. In addition, the firm is often tasked with bringing suit on behalf of public bodies, including municipalities, state agencies and attorneys general. Lee Rudy specializes in cases arising out of both corporate and derivatives transactions; in October 2024 he secured a $162.5m settlement for minority shareholders in Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc., who lost out following its sale by the parent bank. Eric Zagar, whose specialty lies in pursuing cases against directors and officers, was retained by Activision shareholders in relation to both misconduct by its CEO and the merger with Microsoft. Daniel Albert brings additional expertise holding public companies accountable to shareholders for poor governance. Grant Goodhart splits his focus between M&A and governance disputes; both he and Albert represented, alongside Rudy and Zagar, Discovery shareholders in a class action alleging other shareholders acted against its best interests in the merger with WarnerMedia, securing a $125m settlement. All lawyers mentioned here are based in Pennsylvania.

Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. represents both public and private investors in claiming damages for breaches of fiduciary duty at boardroom level and for issues arising out of failures of governance. The firm is noted for its expertise in assisting SPAC shareholders launch claims against directors who acted against the shareholders’ best interests. In New York, founder Jay Eisenhofer counts a number of major public pension funds among his clients and brings considerable experience to bear in litigating precedent-setting cases. In Delaware, Michael Barry represents institutional investors in matter ranging from securities fraud to shareholder proposals, and has recently secured settlements for investors in SPACs, in addition to securing a $22m for former Golden Nugget Online Gaming Inc. shareholders, who challenged its acquisition by DraftKings Inc. Also based in Wilmington is Christine Mackintosh, who frequently appears before the Court of Chancery, including in a recent case where she secured a $12m settlement for investors in a SPAC administered by Cantor Fitzgerald, where breaches of fiduciary duties were made in relation to the purchase of View Inc.

Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP has a strong record before both the Delaware Court of Chancery and Delaware Supreme Court, assisting pension funds in recovering damages incurred as a result of failures of corporate governance, securities fraud and other merger-related issues. Practice head Ned Weinberger represents individual and classes of shareholders across both transaction and governance-related disputes, and achieved a high profile success for The Ontario Provincial Council of Carpenters’ Pension Trust Fund in securing both a $123m settlement and a promise from Walmart to reform its governance practices following failures in its management of its prescription opioid business. Mark Richardson and Brendan Sullivan both offer considerable experience in handling class actions arising out of mergers and ineffective governance structures; both worked on the Walmart matter alongside Weinberger and also appeared alongside him for the Bricklayers Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania, for which they achieved a $125m settlement arising from the actions of a fellow Discover shareholder in relation to the Discovery – WarnerMedia merger. All lawyers mentioned are based in Wilmington.

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP has a strong track record in representing shareholders bringing claims in relation to alleged securities fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty, in addition to assisting them in challenging proposed mergers. San Diego-based Randall Baron's focus lies in disputes centered on takeovers, securities and breach of fiduciary duties. Baron frequently works alongside Christopher Lyons, who splits his time between Nashville and Wilmington, is sought after for his experience in representing classes of investors in both merger and securities fraud-related litigation.

Brown Rudnick LLP‘s plaintiff-side practice represents corporates, private equity houses and individual executives and stockholders in matters ranging from post-M&A disputes to issues arising out of earnouts, RWI policy claims and fraud claims, among others. Heading the practice are Dylan Kletter, who works out of the firm’s New York and Hartford offices, and Mark Baldwin, based in Hartford, who act for corporate and private equity buyers looking to bring claims tied to failed mergers or issues over purchase prices. Kletter has recently been retained by T. Gray Utility for a suit against AIMS Companies, alleging that the buyer committed fraud in preventing the payout of a post-acquisition earnout. Anthony Boccamazzo, who also works out of New York and Hartford, offers additional expertise in representing clients in securities and post-merger disputes.

Selendy Gay PLLC is often selected by plaintiffs looking to challenge inadequate corporate governance or bringing post-M&A suits, with considerable experience in litigating cases before the Delaware Court of Chancery. The team is spearheaded by founding partners Philippe Selendy and Jennifer Selendy, both of whom bring decades of expertise in handling breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and earnout disputes. They achieved a notable success for Fortis Advisors LLC in 2024, securing a $1.1bn award for it as a former shareholder in Auris Health, Inc. following its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson, which they alleged had committed breaches of contract and fraud in order to prevent earnout payments tied to the development of medical robots.