Trailblazers is a special supplement spotlighting professionals who are agents of change in their respective practice areas.
featuring
Practice Areas
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honorees by
Featured in
Legal Technology
Insurance Law
Employment
Healthcare
Energy / Environmental
Real Estate / Construction Law
Plaintiffs
Sports & Entertainment
Crisis Leadership
Litigation
Political Activism / 1st Amendment Rights
Get to know the honorees by practice area and read their intriguing stories
The National Law Journal is proud to be recognizing its third list of Employment Law Trailblazers. While a handful of our honorees have had a hand in redefining the workplace during a pandemic, many others have been fighting for fairness through gender/race discrimination suits, wrongful termination, and more.
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Partner
David deRubertis
PIONEER SPIRIT Despite being raised in a family without lawyers, by the third grade David deRubertis knew he wanted to be a trial lawyer. At the age of 15, he walked up and down Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles handing out his resume to law firms. He obtained a job at a medical malpractice plaintiff’s law firm. “I was fascinated by medical issues, but at the same time the firm was handling sexual harassment cases, too.” In the mid-1990s, while still attending UCLA as an under and during the era of Paula Jones and Anita Hill, deRubertis was handed a sexual harassment case by his boss that required intense research and writing. “The case ended up in my lap to handle, and it was my first entree, which led to obsessively reading about employment law and even publishing of some articles about it before I started law school. The more I’ve worked in this area, the more I have enjoyed it. Employment law itself is always changing and evolving, and the cases really boil down to interpersonal relationships and dynamics at work. Everyone can understand those dynamics.” TRAILS BLAZED DeRubertis founded his California-based boutique trial law firm more than 20 years ago. The majority of his practice is handling employment disputes representing employees but he also handles catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases, contingency business litigation, consumer class actions, insurance bad faith matters and more. He has advanced the rights of California workers through numerous precedent-setting opinions from both the California Supreme Court and intermediate appellate courts. “Early in my career, I got asked to handle a lot of employment cases before the California Supreme Court – personally arguing four cases to the Court in a seven year span.” DeRubertis also regularly tries employment cases, achieving record-setting jury verdicts. One example is Zulfer v. Playboy Enterprises, Inc., where he represented Catherine Zulfer in a financial whistleblower case. Ms. Zulfer was the corporate controller for the global media and lifestyle company. The case became the first case within the Ninth Circuit in which a court held that
raising concerns regarding attempted violations of internal accounting controls is protected under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. “Cathy was asked to record executive bonuses on the books and she didn’t feel it was appropriate from an accounting perspective. So she refused and was retaliatorily laid off months later. At the time, it was the largest Sarbanes-Oxley retaliation verdict in U.S. history. DeRubertis passionately believes that individual employment cases, not only class actions, can be used to address and expose systemic mistreatment of employees. One example is his work on behalf of many AT&T call center employees who for years have alleged systematic retaliation or discrimination based on disabilities and/or taking of medical leave. In one such case, Angela Hernandez v. Pacific Bell/AT&T, deRubertis’ client opted out of a class action recovery of approximately $30,000. Instead, deRubertis achieved a jury verdict of over $2 million dollars plus another $2.7 million dollars in statutory fees and costs. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS DeRubertis foresees that employment law will continue to advance along with societal progress to end discrimination of all kinds. For example, in recent years deRubertis has spent more time working on matters for the LBGTQ community. One example is Loyola v. Woodbridge, et al., where he achieved a historic judgment of over $12 million dollars in what is believed to be the largest judgment ever rendered in a transgender harassment or discrimination case. Currently, deRubertis is handling matters alleging systemic discrimination against African-American workers, including his ongoing representation of Oscar-winning actress and famed comedian Mo’Nique in her race discrimination case against Netflix. Finally, deRubertis is most eager to return back to the courtroom to resume trying cases to juries. “The big thing right now is getting back into the courtroom. There really haven’t been any post-COVID-19 employment cases that have gone to trial yet in California.” Regardless of what may come, deRubertis is eager to return to the courtroom. “The new environment will be interesting, and I can’t wait to look jurors in the eye again.”
Read Profile
The National Law Journal is recognizing its inaugural list of Criminal Law Trailblazers. We cover both white collar/ government investigations and public defenders in this section. We hope you enjoy reading through our list of honorees.
Criminal
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
The National Law Journal is excited to present our third annual list of Healthcare Law Trailblazers. Our list includes some high profile honorees who are truly changing the landscape of healthcare law. It will be no surprise that a lot of the following honorees have made sweeping efforts to create remarkable impact over the last year. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
healthcare / life sciences
The National Law Journal is recognizing its fifth annual list of Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazers. In the pages that follow, you’ll read profiles on the individuals who continue to make their mark in various aspects of legal work on the plaintiffs’ side. Our list includes a wide array of plaintiffs’ lawyers, all of which prove to be born leaders. We are proud to spotlight a handful of individuals from each practice area that are truly agents of change.
Sharan Nirmul
Christopher Seeger
read profile
Michael J. Wernke
PIONEER SPIRIT Sharan Nirmul credits serendipity for becoming a plaintiffs’ attorney. He started his career on the defense side at a New York law firm working on energy and commercial litigation, but he soon found himself operating on creditors’ side bankruptcy dealings involving claims against Enron. After his physician wife obtained a fellowship in Philadelphia, Nirmul joined a small plaintiffs’ firm in Delaware, where he was immediately thrust into some of the significant securities fraud cases at the time, including matters involving Global Crossing, Qwest and WorldCom. After 5 years there, he brought his skills to Kessler Topaz. “I moved to Kessler Topaz nearly 12 years ago to help grow this practice into one of the top plaintiffs’ practices in the field. It was an immense opportunity to work with a group of extraordinarily talented lawyers and am thankful to have had their support.” TRAILS BLAZED Nirmul concentrates his practice in shareholder related class action and complex commercial litigation and helped his firm develop new practice areas focusing on the needs of institutional investors. “Our clients are often large institutional investors who are also clients of major custodial banks, and they came to us after the credit crisis realizing they were being harmed by conduct incidental to their ownership of securities. We developed and litigated the very first securities lending cases against the BNY Mellon and JPMorgan.” These led to a $280 million recovery against BNY Mellon and a $150 million recovery against JPMorgan. “Fiduciary banks who offered securities lending as a product to pension funds as a hyper-conservative way to earn slightly more yield instead secretly turned it into a risky yield chasing product. When these products collapsed, our clients had to cough up the lost money, and they came to us.” He was also co-lead counsel against BNY Mellon in a case involving excess foreign exchange spreads charged to custodial customers for automated foreign exchange services. The case was litigated for more than four years, including almost 100 depositions, millions of pages of discovery and unprecedented collaboration with the
U.S. Department of Justice and New York’s attorney general, leading to a $504 million recovery for the bank’s clients. “It was an extraordinary litigation which returned a third of the bank’s profits from these practices to the class. It is enormously satisfying when you can return assets to your clients and also effect beneficial industry changes.” Nirmul’s work relating to American depositary receipts has also led to significant industry changes. “From the insight we obtained on how banks processed FX standing instructions, we saw that depository banks were exploiting the lack of transparency in FX transactions for ADRs to pocket FX spreads that contractually belonged to ADR holders. I am very proud of the work we did in that regard to shed light on this practice and curtail it.” Nirmul has also litigated claims against Endo Pharmaceuticals in a case involving its disclosures regarding the efficacy of opioid drug Opana ER, resulting in a recovery of $80 million for Endo’s shareholders. “Endo was at the center of the opioid crisis and was touting its opioid drug as abuse-deterrent when it had data that proved otherwise, we alleged. The toll on opioid users has been catastrophic, and there has been a toll on investors as well. We helped shareholders recover some of those losses.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Nirmul has noted the expansion in the equity markets in recent years fueled in part by increased interest from retail investors. “This interest extends beyond IRAs and 401(k)s, with increasing investments by casual investors putting their extra money into stocks, options and futures. “There will always be the garden variety securities fraud committed by corporate insiders and we will continue to litigate those cases zealously for our clients,” but he cautions that there are insidious ways that smaller retail investors are defrauded in the market. “I would like to see more scrutiny on market manipulation impacting retail investors in the equity and derivative markets. While my firm’s mission is to service the litigation needs of our large institutional clients, our goal of making the markets fair and honest extends to all investors.”
PIONEER SPIRIT Christopher Seeger started his career at a big defense firm but found it difficult to connect with his work. “I was getting ready to quit law before working my first personal injury case. I fell in love with the white knight aspect and helping people who were raked over the coals by the system. And 27 years later, I still love my job.” TRAILS BLAZED Seeger served as co-lead class counsel in multidistrict litigation involving concussion injuries against the National Football League. “We have obtained more than $800 million, and I’m proud of the fact that we are on track to pay out $1.5 or $2 billion.” His efforts have focused on players with the most need, including the testing of retired players, with his efforts bringing more attention to the risks of high-impact sports beyond the professional level. Seeger also served as co-lead counsel for nearly 27,000 cases against Merck & Co. over its arthritis painkiller Vioxx, which resulted in a $4.85 billion recovery. “Pharmaceutical companies would run all kinds of trials, but the negative ones never made it to the public. We were able to change that, with pharmaceuticals now having to post all their results.” Seeger also served as lead counsel in obtaining successful verdicts in several bellwether liability and damages trials against defective Chinese-manufactured drywall products and was also one of the four negotiators representing individuals in the Volkswagen “clean diesel” emission controversy and its more than $21 billion settlement. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Seeger currently represents military veterans facing hearing loss and damage from defective earplugs and clients involved in opioid litigation. He also expects to see increasing environmental litigation. “The planet was hurting during the Trump administration, and I am working with the U.S. government and states to clean up the planet and hold polluters accountable.”
Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S. “When I deposed the whistleblower, she told the story of how she was accosted on the street and threatened at gunpoint to keep quiet.” The victory allowed many institutional investors who had opted out of the class to come back in to take part in the settlement. “And as part of this case, we made good law in the Second Circuit, making it easier to get a class certified.” Gilmore also represented plaintiffs in class-action litigation against Yahoo! Inc., resulting in an $80 million settlement. Involving one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history, more than three billion Yahoo accounts were compromised. “I actually had a Yahoo account that had been hacked. Because the CEO had failed to disclose a large attack, it was able to be approached as a securities fraud issue. Yahoo represented that they had the right protections when they knew they had been hacked. Ours was the first successful case that was approached in this way.” Gilmore is also prosecuting securities fraud claims against multinational oil and gas company BP in a case involving charges resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She is helping to develop unique strategies to protect investments by investors by those who purchased foreign-traded shares of a foreign company to pursue securities fraud claims in a U.S. court. She was also recently selected to serve on the New York City Bar Association’s Securities Litigation Committee, where she will have the opportunity to help shape future law and public policy. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS As the number of data breaches continues to rise, Gilmore sees an increase in the number of fraud cases involving cybersecurity issues. “The law has been evolving for years, but fraudsters have found new ways to defraud investors. I don’t see cybersecurity issues going away. They are here to stay as fraudsters come up with different ways to hack into accounts.”
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2004, Michael Wernke started his career in a big defense firm. “I stumbled onto securities class actions. I started working high-profile First Amendment cases, which I liked, but there was not that much work.” He decided to take on a variety of complex commercial litigations, including a securities fraud class action. When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the landmark securities case Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Broudo, holding that inflated stock prices alone do not demonstrate “loss causation” and that the plaintiff needs to show that the inflation was due to the fraud, Wernke’s interest in taking on more securities class actions took off. “But as I became a more seasoned attorney, I found myself agreeing more with the formulation of the law from the investor side, so I came to Pomerantz where I could champion the rights of the small investor.” TRAILS BLAZED Wernke obtained a $110 million settlement as the co-lead counsel in Pirnik v. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. et al., a high-profile securities class action relating to Fiat Chrysler vehicles’ noncompliance with diesel emissions regulations. “We alleged that the company was not in compliance, with some diesel vehicles having defeat-device software installed.” The emissions-compliant software operated when the vehicle was in an Environmental Protection Agency testing scenario. But the software was turned off during normal driving conditions, allowing for increased power and miles per gallon for the vehicle. “At first, the court granted the defense’s motion to dismiss, stating that we had not shown that the statements were false and misleading and the company knew.” In response, Wernke amended the complaint, adding emails from the EPA to Fiat Chrysler’s head of regulatory affairs that Wernke had received pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request to the EPA. He argued that the emails, which showed the EPA’s concerns about the possibility of violations were enough to plead that the defendants’ statements of compliance were actionable. “We added the EPA’s concerns shown in the emails, and the court sustained based on that determination.” In previous cases, formal documentation from a regulator was
necessary, but Wernke successfully argued for allowing the case to proceed based on an exploratory email. “This allows investors to bring claims they wouldn’t have been able to bring otherwise.” In December 2018, Wernke helped obtain a $31 million partial settlement in In re Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation involving the Libor rigging scandal. And in October 2018, he obtained a $15 million settlement in a securities class action involving data capture and delivery equipment manufacturer Symbol Technologies misleading investors on its ability to forecast revenues. Since moving from the defense side to the plaintiffs’ bar, more than 85% of complaints drafted by Wernke have survived motions to dismiss. He currently leads a securities fraud class action against Quorum Health Corporation, alleging the operator of general acute care hospitals and outpatient services misled investors on the financial health of hospitals that the parent company had spun off into a stand-alone business. He successfully defeated the defendants’ motions to dismiss the complaint by arguing that the company from which Quorum Health was spun off made false statements. With this victory for the plaintiffs, Wernke continues to manage the complex fact-finding and discovery in the matter. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Wernke believes there will be an increase in the number of cases resulting from the coronavirus declining the markets. “Anytime something this drastic happens, it’s fertile ground for fraudsters. Opportunistic fraudsters will be looking to mislead, but a lot of fraud also happens when people are not necessarily setting out to commit fraud, but because they crossed the line out of fear or are attempting to cover up mismanagement. I see a broad scope of cases related to these areas.” He also believes there will be an increase in cases hinging on reputational damage. “For example, there will be more #MeToo-related cases rather than just financial ones. Consumers and shareholders are more concerned than ever about who is running the company and that person’s standing in the community.”
The National Law Journal is proud to release our list of Real Estate and Construction Law Trailblazers. We received a very competitive list of nominations cast in favor of this year’s honorees and an array of other leading minds who will surely be recognized in years to come. We took the time to vet each submission and interviewed each honoree to find out what has driven them to reach success. In the pages that follow, I think you will enjoy reading these short findings.
real estate / construction law
The National Law Journal is proud to be recognizing its fifth list of Energy/Environmental Trailblazers.This is the first time we've held this section since 2018. We hope you enjoy reading the profiles of these innovative individuals.
energy / Environmental
Check back on July 1 to see our list of 2021 Energy and Environmental Trailblazers!
As the fight to legalize marijuana for medical and/or recreational use continues from state to state, it is no secret that attorneys are often in the middle of that fight. In the states that have already legalized it, there are new issues arising daily from how to run the business financially to how to license a company’s new products. We hope you find these honorees to be as intriguing and informative as we did.
cannabis
Murielle Steven Walsh
Emma Gilmore
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating cum laude from the New York Law School, Murielle Steven Walsh originally planned on doing criminal prosecution work and interned with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. “But while interning, I found that this type of work was not the right fit for me.” She later worked in the mergers and acquisition group of Sullivan & Cromwell. “So when I first interviewed with Pomerantz I hadn’t considered plaintiff-side securities work. But it all fell into place. I like that I am still able to prosecute wrongdoing, but in the white-collar context.” TRAILS BLAZED In EBC I v. Goldman Sachs, Walsh represented clients involving claims against a lead underwriter of an IPO. “We alleged that the underwriter had underpriced the offering, because it had conflicts of interest which made it lucrative for the underwriter to underprice.” She brought what was then a novel claim, questioning whether a lead underwriter has a fiduciary duty. “We convinced the courts all the way up to the New York Court of Appeals, which confirmed that they do. It has since helped shape the law for all market participants.” In the securities class action In re Livent Noteholders Securities Litigation, Walsh was one of the lead attorneys helping to obtain a $36 million judgment against the company’s executives in a ruling later upheld by the Second Circuit on appeal. She also led the firm’s litigation involving the popular Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game played on smartphones where players have to virtually capture Pokemon characters in real-world locations in order to advance in the game. Using GPS-enabled technology, the company placed virtual game items onto private properties without the owners’ permission, which resulted in trespass and nuisance by Pokemon Go players. Walsh obtained a highly favorable injunctive relief-style settlement for the homeowner class that required Niantic to modify its policies to better protect against trespass. As a passionate advocate for human rights, Walsh leads cases involving
#MeToo issues, and serves on boards advocating for the rights of children, women and those seeking political asylum. She is currently leading a class-action case against Wynn Resorts involving allegations of concealing a pattern of sexual misconduct by company founder Stephen Wynn. “The case alleges that the company misled investors into believing that it was committed to a Code of Conduct that required employees to act legally and ethically, when in fact, Wynn’s senior management was aware of and failed to investigate numerous claims of sexual misconduct by Steven Wynn against the company’s female employees. We are making the relatively untested argument that codes of conduct like these should be actionable under the securities laws. Given the #MeToo movement and the negative stock price impact of revelations of misconduct by senior management, statements about a company’s code of conduct have taken on heightened importance for investors Walsh currently serves as a member on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for neglected and abused children. She has served on the Honorary Steering Committee for Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), another U.S.-based nonprofit that helps advance legal rights and opportunities for girls, women and those of all gender identities. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Walsh believes allegations of personal misconduct by senior executives will continue to be taken more seriously by investors. “Years ago, corporate America could just sweep this kind of thing under the rug, but not now. I see the #MeToo movement getting stronger, and companies will have to take stronger steps to prevent the types of misconduct we have seen in the Wynn case.”
PIONEER SPIRIT Emma Gilmore was born in Romania and moved to Arizona at the age of 17 shortly before the Romanian Revolution began in 1989. She learned English as a high school student and graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University. Inspired by her grandfather, a judge in Romania, to attend law school, Gilmore graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School and served as a law clerk for former U.S. chief judge for the Eastern District of New York Thomas C. Platt. She started her career at a big firm as a defense attorney, working on the multi-billion dollar WorldCom litigation before deciding to change to the other side. “When it was recommended that I pursue plaintiffs’ work, it felt like the right side for me. And it has been a lot more rewarding.” TRAILS BLAZED Gilmore represented plaintiffs in a class-action case in the Southern District of New York against Brazil’s largest oil company, Petrobras, involving a multibillion-dollar kickback and bribery scheme. She helped secure a $3 billion settlement for the investors—the largest global securities fraud class-action settlement against a foreign issuer. “At the time, Petrobras was the fifth-largest oil company in the world. I traveled to Brazil to gather evidence and uncover more about the fraud, and I met with members of the Brazilian Federal Police and the press before returning to the U.S. to draft the complaint.” The case was one of the most extensive instances of corruption in the history of Brazil and involved former Petrobras executives, the former president of Brazil and members of the Brazilian legislature. “The case involved a lot of corrupt politicians, with 51% of the company owned by the Brazilian government and one-third of the Brazilian legislature involved in the corruption.” During the investigations, Gilmore deposed and defended expert witnesses, including the former CEO of Petrobras, the whistleblower and the chief accountant. “There was a cartel to inflate prices and then kickback money to lawmakers. Everyone was winning except the investors. It was difficult because in Brazil Petrobras was portrayed as the victim—an argument that was actually successful with Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S.
The National Law Journal released our second annual list of Sport and Entertainment Trailblazers in October 2020. Our Sports and Entertainment honorees cover everything from counseling A-list celebrities to sports betting legislation. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
sports & entertainment
Introducing our inaugural list of Insurance Law Trailblazers. In such a trying time, we feel that now, more than ever, it is time to shine a light on those who have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes. It will be no surprise that a lot of the following honorees have made sweeping efforts to create remarkable impact over the last year. We are proud to spotlight a handful of individuals that are truly agents of change.
insurance law
Introducing The National Law Journal's second annual Crisis Leadership Trailblazers. This is a special supplement brought to you by the publication's business team. We are proud to honor this list of individuals who have launched new initiatives through times of crisis to help their communities, clients and colleagues.
Introducing The National Law Journal's 2020 Crisis Leadership Trailblazers, a special supplement brought to you by the Publication's business team. Our inaugural list of Crisis Leadership Trailblazers honors individuals who launched new initiatives through times of crisis to help their communities, colleagues or clients.
The National Law Journal is recognizing its seventh annual Litigation Trailblazers. Our litigation section continues to be one of the most popular in terms of the number of nominations received. It is very difficult to pick just a handful of honorees but we are very proud of the list we have procured. We hope you enjoy reading this diverse list of honorees.
litigation
The National Law Journal is recognizing its first Political Activism/1st Amendment Rights Trailblazers. The individuals featured in this section have persevered in the fight for first amendment rights and beyond. We are thrilled to announce this diverse list of inspiring individuals.
The National Law Journal is recognizing its annual Legal Technology Trailblazers (formerly Emerging Legal Technologies). Unlike our other Trailblazer sections, the following profiles focus on the company/product rather than the individual. Our goal was to capture a collection of companies that are using innovation to help ease the daily tasks taken on by law firms and legal departments. Congratulations to this year's honorees!
legal technology
Read Profile >
Pomerantz LLP is the oldest and one of the most respected law firms in the world dedicated to championing investor rights. A global leader in securities class actions, Pomerantz monitors assets of over $5.6 trillion on behalf of institutional investors worldwide. From achieving record-breaking recoveries for defrauded investors, including $3 billion in litigation against Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, to securing decisions that have shaped the law to the benefit of shareholders, Pomerantz raises the bar.
plaintiffs
Anaqua is a premium provider of integrated, end-to- end innovation and IP management solutions. Its solutions suite, AQX, merges best practice workflows with big data analytics and tech-enabled services to create one intelligent environment designed to inform IP strategy, enable IP decision-making, and streamline IP operations. For additional information, visit anaqua.com
THE BASICS AQX Law Firm is a SaaS-based intellectual property management solution that allows law firms to manage processes, data, documents, assets, services and staff. It provides law firms with increased operational control over their processes and offers actionable insight via reporting and visualization tools. CHANGE AGENT In addition to processing dockets and offering reports, AQX Law Firm helps reduce costs associated with operations by simplifying workflow. It also keeps IP safe for clients and offers actionable insight for IP teams. “It elevates the quality of proactive management and provides innovative ways for IP firms to manage and grow their businesses.” UNIQUE APPROACH AQX Law Firm is highly configurable and allows users to interact through optimized interfaces tailored to their workflows, and it also provides increased transparency into law firm practices and within teams. AQX Law Firm’s intake capabilities help drive efficiencies, and it increases prosecution efficiency with automated docketing, office action responses and IDS generation. Additionally, the AQX Law Firm platform includes web-based analytics. “The AQX platform takes care of a lot of the tasks that attorneys need to be concerned with so they can focus on strategy, legal advice and business development rather than the administrative tasks.” AQX Law Firm leverages Anaqua’s analytics to benchmark firm performance and prospect new clients. “The platform is aimed toward the law firm that is looking to increase growth in innovative ways and finding new and exciting methods to provide service. For example, Anaqua Connect will automate the process firms use to engage with corporate clients by reducing the double docketing and other overhead and risk associated with mundane administrative tasks.”
anaqua.com
West
Midwest
Northeast
Get to know the honorees by region and read their intriguing stories
South
Mark R. Grossmann
Lance A. Zinman
The American Lawyer is proud to present its inaugural Midwest Trailblazers. Our goal was to recognize professionals in the Midwest who have moved the needle in the legal industry. For our purposes, we defined the Midwest as the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. We are proud to spotlight a handful of individuals from each practice area that are truly agents of change.
midwest
Partner and Global Chair, Corporate Department
What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer? Early in my legal career, I learned the unarguable value and importance of good, solid professional relationships. My mentors stressed this as an essential tool to building a successful legal career. You must develop reassuring relationships with clients, convincing them that you will leave no stone unturned in helping them reach their business goals. As a global practice leader, I have found that when your team is built around solid professional relationships, people have a deeper sense of responsibility. They are prepared to do more for the good of the team. What sort of change has resulted from the concept? As I grew as an attorney, much of my business came as a result of existing clients and others recommending me. These are people who know from experience that I know it is incumbent upon me to make their legal experience as positive as possible. I am not inclined to immediately say, “No. That won’t work,” simply because things have never been done that way. I want to fully explore all options. I believe this is one reason clients choose me as their legal advisor. It is not dissimilar to routinely returning to a restaurant where not only the food was great but the whole experience was. What bearing will this have on the future? I really love what I do. It is genuine, something you can teach only by example, if at all. In looking for good legal counsel, clients increasingly seek evidence that their attorneys are driven to provide only the most pragmatic, top-of-class counsel. This certainly is my repeated message to young attorneys. BIO: For more than 20 years, Mark Grossmann has guided clients through critical transactions, helping their businesses grow. His legal approach is based on market knowledge, sharp analysis and a keen sense of priorities. He believes lawyers must assemble the resources needed to cut through
complexities and address the diverse issues that arise in every transaction, but not only that. Mark also knows that he and the 100+ attorneys he leads in the US, UK and Shanghai must guide clients to establish well considered, clearly-defined, strategically chosen goals. Mark has extensive experience in industries including finance, technology, retail, parking, and health care, to name some. Keeping client goals in mind, he weighs competing points of view and sets strategies to meet immediate needs and long-term goals. Mark has a commerce-oriented approach to practicing law. His clients praise his ability to focus on what is most important for them to achieve their business objectives. At the same time, Mark keeps his large team cohesive even during the toughest times. At the outset of the global pandemic, as cities worldwide lowered their gates and businesses that could required employees to work from home, Mark was ready. After Katten moved to an all-remote work environment, he immediately kicked off his daily Corporate team Zoom virtual meetings, complete with encouraging quotes of the day and guest speakers from a range of industries. In this way, he helped his colleagues face down some of the enormous challenges of working amid a hard new reality. Collaboration is a hallmark of Mark’s leadership. His ability to build Katten teams tailored to effectively close big deals has helped lead his clients to major business success. Mark leads by example with community service. He is chairman of the board at Gardeneers, the Chicago-based group that trains students to build nearby gardens to improve their health; and a board member with Comer Education Campus, recognized as one of the nation’s top youth-serving organizations, focused on encouraging achievement among students in challenged communities of Chicago. Mark is a recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award, recognizing his commitment to philanthropy..
Partner and Global Chair, Financial Markets and Funds Department
What was the genesis of the idea/ path that has made you a trailblazer? After starting my legal career at Katten, I was tapped to bring my transactional experience to establish our quant and prop trading group in the practice I now lead, Financial Markets and Funds. In short order, I began advising quantitative and proprietary trading firms that then were start-ups trying to gain a foothold in the financial services industry. This put me on the ground floor, at the forefront of these industries as a trusted legal advisor. I remain chief legal advisor for many companies deploying these investment strategies, some of which are among the largest, most successful such firms in the world. What sort of change has resulted from the concept? Katten is viewed globally as the go-to firm for one-stop legal services for companies deploying quantitative and algorithmic trading strategies. We advise on all of the ever-changing legal and business issues in this arena, providing pragmatic advice to numerous asset managers, the largest quant funds, most of the industry’s major proprietary trading firms, and other market participants. We were an early choice for legal guidance largely because we quickly established an interdisciplinary team focused on all aspects of development in these industries. Our experienced counsel is sought early and often, particularly during the global pandemic. What bearing will this have on the future? I believe we can expect continued proliferation of alternative investment strategies as these have been a driving force in global trading. The growth of artificial intelligence will likely generate even more sophisticated strategies. Katten’s innovation team continues to explore the use of AI and machine learning to identify more ways to add value for our clients and increase the efficiency of our work. BIO: “Top of the class – nobody is better or more knowledgeable to work with...,” is how Chambers USA described the financial services acumen of Katten Financial Markets and Funds Global
Chairman Lance Zinman. He and his multiple award-winning team of attorneys in the US and London are world-leading in providing pragmatic, commercial advice to scores of asset managers, the largest quant funds, most of the industry’s major proprietary trading firms, including pioneers of low-latency and algorithmic trading strategies. Lance understands the full panoply of factors impacting the success of these strategies, including competition for technology and talent, the importance of intellectual property protection and data security, and the effects of trading errors and system malfunctions. With deep understanding of corporate, regulatory and tax law and broad knowledge of the securities and derivatives markets, he is among the few attorneys who can advise on the entire life cycle of an asset manager or prop trading firm, from formation to operation to liquidity events, whether through M&A or private equity investment or otherwise. Having counselled the proprietary trading industry since its inception, Lance exhibits extraordinary skill, representing quantitative asset managers and proprietary trading firms that deploy volatility, algorithmic, low-latency and other quantitative trading strategies. He also counsels clients in other sectors of the financial markets, including hedge fund managers, private equity fund managers and other asset managers as well as domestic and foreign exchanges and brokerage firms, to name some. Lance advises clients seeking to establish a presence internationally or trade directly on foreign exchanges, including advising on the often-complex corporate structuring associated with such projects and other matters. Originally a corporate attorney, Lance later joined the firm's Financial Markets and Funds group, creating an integrated transactional, funds and regulatory practice. With Lance’s guidance, Katten was one of few law firms that early-on launched an interdisciplinary team dedicated to tracking all phases of development in the quant and prop trading industries.
Lance and his team are the reason Katten is known internationally as a one-stop shop for comprehensive legal services to financial markets participants seeking one place to assist with all aspects of their business.
Zev Gewurz
The American Lawyer is proud to present its inaugural Northeast Trailblazers. Our goal was to recognize professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry. For our purposes, we defined the Northeast as the following states: Maine, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
Director
What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer? As a college student, I had a summer job inspecting condominium units with buyers before they moved in. I learned two life-changing lessons: the world runs best on trust, and it helps to be part of a great team. Over the past 25 years, I’ve worked with the best people, in the best places, to gain the skills and experience needed to advise a wide variety of clients on complex, sophisticated real estate transactions. What sort of change has resulted from the concept? We build client teams around trust and rich and diverse experience and skills to help clients navigate multibillion-dollar deals with many moving parts. We know where the opportunities and hazards are, and we shepherd clients through what are often first-of-their-kind projects. Recently, we negotiated a $700 million public-private partnership to build the first air-rights development over the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston in 40 years. The project brought together a state authority, a European hotel brand, foreign capital, an anchor tenant, a construction lender, and plenty of architects and engineers. It took seven years to negotiate this extremely complicated project, but we were able to complete five independent deals and closings simultaneously – for the air rights, construction loan, anchor tenant lease, hotel development, and building of the deck – in the middle of the pandemic. We helped another client to secure over $1.5 billion in construction financing, so far, to develop one of the Boston area’s single largest development projects with 5.2 million square feet of commercial and multifamily space, infrastructure, and public amenities across 18 parcels and 43 acres. We have been working on this project since 2015 when we helped our client purchase this massive site. Creative strategies drive everything we do. Over several years, we have helped a Canadian client invest over $22 billion in U.S. real estate. Throughout our 18 year relationship, we have helped them navigate challenging corporate, tax, and other cross-border structuring issues. Currently, we are helping them become a leader in the build-to-rent (BTR), single-family housing (SFR) market, using innovative structures and financing transactions for this fast-emerging asset class.
What bearing will this have on the future? I really love what I do. It is genuine, something you can teach only by example, if at all. In looking for good legal counsel, clients increasingly seek evidence that their attorneys are driven to provide only the most pragmatic, top-of-class counsel. This certainly is my repeated message to young attorneys. BIO: For more than 20 years, Mark Grossmann has guided clients through critical transactions, helping their businesses grow. His legal approach is based on market knowledge, sharp analysis and a keen sense of priorities. He believes lawyers must assemble the resources needed to cut through
What was the genesis of the path that has made you a trailblazer? As a college student, I had a summer job inspecting condominium units with buyers before they moved in. I learned two life-changing lessons: the world runs best on trust, and it helps to be part of a great team. Over the past 25 years, I’ve worked with the best people, in the best places, to gain the skills and experience needed to advise a wide variety of clients on complex, sophisticated real estate transactions. What sort of change has resulted from the concept? We build client teams around trust and rich and diverse experience and skills to help clients navigate multibillion-dollar deals with many moving parts. We know where the opportunities and hazards are, and we shepherd clients through what are often first-of-their-kind projects. Recently, we negotiated a $700 million public-private partnership to build the first air-rights development over the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston in 40 years. The project brought together a state authority, a European hotel brand, foreign capital, an anchor tenant, a construction lender, and plenty of architects and engineers. It took seven years to negotiate this extremely complicated project, but we were able to complete five independent deals and closings simultaneously – for the air rights, construction loan, anchor tenant lease, hotel development, and building of the deck – in the middle of the pandemic. We helped another client to secure over $1.5 billion in construction financing, so far, to develop one of the Boston area’s single largest development projects with 5.2 million square feet of commercial and multifamily space, infrastructure, and public amenities across 18 parcels and 43 acres. We have been working on this project since 2015 when we helped our client purchase this massive site. Creative strategies drive everything we do. Over several years, we have helped a Canadian client invest over $22 billion in U.S. real estate. Throughout our 18 year relationship, we have helped them
navigate challenging corporate, tax, and other cross-border structuring issues. Currently, we are helping them become a leader in the build-to-rent (BTR), single-family housing (SFR) market, using innovative structures and financing transactions for this fast-emerging asset class. What bearing will this have on the future? The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated trends rooted in technology, demographics, and lifestyles. Whether a client is working on an air-rights deal, a mixed-use development, or a single-family rental portfolio, there is tremendous opportunity to develop innovative projects that will help build our future. How did you end up as a real estate lawyer? I grew up in Montreal, Canada and used to visit construction sites on the weekends with my dad who is a real estate developer. I came to the U.S. to attend law school at New York University School of Law after earning an M.Sc. in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. I knew I wanted to be a real estate lawyer before I started law school. Real estate attracts creative people, with great vision, who are open to taking significant risks. This works best when coupled with a trusted advisor who can help execute on these visions in a creative, collaborative, and prudent manner. In law school, I interviewed for a job with a Big Law real estate partner who bragged to me during the interview, “I crush people every day; when I finish, there is a winner and a loser.” This conversation made such a strong impression on me. From that day forward, I vowed I would never be that type of real estate lawyer. What do you enjoy most about your job? As the co-chair of Goulston & Storrs’ Real Estate Group and our International Investors Group, I juggle my own practice, representing real estate developers and US and foreign institutional and private equity investors, while working to support our group of over 100 attorneys, in several markets, who together represent major clients in diverse and complex real estate
matters. We are living in such a dynamic and exciting time. I love creating teams where everyone’s talents can be utilized to achieve the best results for our clients and our firm. I have been a real estate lawyer for nearly 25 years – 20 of those years at this firm – and not one day goes by that I don’t appreciate the impressive team we have, the levels of trust, and the collaborative and creative way we solve problems for our clients.
Check back on May 1 to see our list of honorees!
The American Lawyer is proud to present its inaugural West Trailblazers. The Trailblazer series is a special supplement developed by the business arm of The American Lawyer. We are proud to spotlight a handful of individuals from each practice area that are truly agents of change. For our purposes, we defined the West as the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
west
What was the genesis of the idea/ path that has made you a trailblazer? After starting my legal career at Katten, I was tapped to bring my transactional experience to establish our quant and prop trading group in the practice I now lead, Financial Markets and Funds. In short order, I began advising quantitative and proprietary trading firms that then were start-ups trying to gain a foothold in the financial services industry. This put me on the ground floor, at the forefront of these industries as a trusted legal advisor. I remain chief legal advisor for many companies deploying these investment strategies, some of which are among the largest, most successful such firms in the world. What sort of change has resulted from the concept? Katten is viewed globally as the go-to firm for one-stop legal services for companies deploying quantitative and algorithmic trading strategies. We advise on all of the ever-changing legal and business issues in this arena, providing pragmatic advice to numerous asset managers, the largest quant funds, most of the industry’s major proprietary trading firms, and other market participants. We were an early choice for legal guidance largely because we quickly established an interdisciplinary team focused on all aspects of development in these industries. Our experienced counsel is sought early and often, particularly during the global pandemic. What bearing will this have on the future? I believe we can expect continued proliferation of alternative investment strategies as these have been a driving force in global trading. The growth of artificial intelligence will likely generate even more sophisticated strategies. Katten’s innovation team continues to explore the use of AI and machine learning to identify more ways to add value for our clients and increase the efficiency of our work. BIO: “Top of the class – nobody is better or more knowledgeable to work with...,” is how Chambers USA described
the financial services acumen of Katten Financial Markets and Funds Global Chairman Lance Zinman. He and his multiple award-winning team of attorneys in the US and London are world-leading in providing pragmatic, commercial advice to scores of asset managers, the largest quant funds, most of the industry’s major proprietary trading firms, including pioneers of low-latency and algorithmic trading strategies. Lance understands the full panoply of factors impacting the success of these strategies, including competition for technology and talent, the importance of intellectual property protection and data security, and the effects of trading errors and system malfunctions. With deep understanding of corporate, regulatory and tax law and broad knowledge of the securities and derivatives markets, he is among the few attorneys who can advise on the entire life cycle of an asset manager or prop trading firm, from formation to operation to liquidity events, whether through M&A or private equity investment or otherwise. Having counselled the proprietary trading industry since its inception, Lance exhibits extraordinary skill, representing quantitative asset managers and proprietary trading firms that deploy volatility, algorithmic, low-latency and other quantitative trading strategies. He also counsels clients in other sectors of the financial markets, including hedge fund managers, private equity fund managers and other asset managers as well as domestic and foreign exchanges and brokerage firms, to name some. Lance advises clients seeking to establish a presence internationally or trade directly on foreign exchanges, including advising on the often-complex corporate structuring associated with such projects and other matters. Originally a corporate attorney, Lance later joined the firm's Financial Markets and Funds group, creating an integrated transactional, funds and regulatory practice. With Lance’s guidance, Katten was one of few law firms that early-on launched an interdisciplinary team
dedicated to tracking all phases of development in the quant and prop trading industries. Lance and his team are the reason Katten is known internationally as a one-stop shop for comprehensive legal services to financial markets participants seeking one place to assist with all aspects of their business.
Check back on July 1 to see our list of honorees!
Kevin Sharp
The American Lawyer is is proud to present its inaugural South Trailblazers. The Trailblazer series is a special supplement developed by the business arm of The American Lawyer. We are proud to spotlight a handful of individuals from each practice area that are truly agents of change. For our purposes, we defined the South as the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.Congratulations to this year’s honorees!
south
Nashville Managing Partner
What was the genesis of the idea/ path that has made you a trailblazer? As a federal judge I was concerned with mandatory minimum sentencing, but the turning point came when I was forced to sentence a 23-year-old man to life in prison on a non-violent drug offense. I knew the sentencing hearing would be tough and that justice would not be served. What I was unprepared for was the life-changing impact the Defendant’s allocution would have on me. Rather than remain on the bench I chose to step down and work toward criminal justice reform, and ultimately, clemency for this young man. What sort of change has resulted from the concept? In September 2018 I was invited to the White House to discuss clemency reform and to advocate for the passage of the First Step Act. Signed into law a few months later, the FSA shortened certain mandatory minimum sentences, reduced the discrepancy between crack and powder cocaine convictions, and required the use of recidivism abatement programs. I was able to speak directly to the President on these issues and advocate on behalf of the man I sentenced to Life. He was finally granted clemency and released from prison in January 2021. What bearing will this have on the future? Mass incarceration, which disproportionately impacts people of color, must become a relic of the past. To that end, the elimination of sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine are likely to end soon, and hopefully apply retroactively. “Second Look” laws, which would allow a sentencing court to review a prior sentence to determine if the length of incarceration is still warranted, will someday be the norm. But more globally, the mainstream is recognizing that our current system is unsustainable, and the ripple effect on families and communities creates a cycle of negative outcomes that are financially costly and erode our humanity.
Check back on October1 to see our list of honorees!
Katten is a full-service law firm with nearly 700 attorneys in locations across the US and in London and Shanghai, representing public and private organizations and individuals in numerous industries, government, and nonprofit organizations. Katten’s core areas of practice: commercial finance, corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, and trusts and estates.
At Goulston & Storrs, collaboration is not just a pillar of strategy; it is the key to competitive advantage and approach to clients, community, and each other. As you get to know the firm, you will find that Goulston & Storrs is a modern, vibrant firm where the practice of law is pursued with deep expertise and diligence. It is a place where serious business is conducted with genuine camaraderie. It is a place where mutual respect drives open discussion, fresh ideas, and optimal solutions for clients.
northeast
Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is one of the world’s foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our lawyers regularly take on the foremost defense attorneys—and win—in class actions, shareholder derivative suits, antitrust litigation and other complex litigation around the globe. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients. Clients—including sophisticated institutional investors, consumers, employees, whistleblowers, governments, pension funds and
sovereign wealth funds—choose Kessler Topaz for our fierce dedication, successful track record and innovative approach to litigation. We have been a proven leader in implementing high-impact corporate governance reforms to protect shareholder rights, improve value and prevent corporate mismanagement, as well as leading pioneers in areas including international shareholder litigation, fiduciary breaches and the development of our online portfolio tracking tools.
Christopher A. Seeger
One of the nation’s preeminent plaintiffs’ law firms, Seeger Weiss is best known for multidistrict mass torts and class actions in both state and federal court. From offices in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, the firm has represented over 10,000 individuals, companies, and governments across the U.S. who have been injured or defrauded on a massive scale.
employment
Sanford Heisler Sharp is committed to giving a voice to disadvantaged groups and individuals, assisting whistleblowers relate and litigate their claims, representing plaintiffs seeking relief from employers’ retirement fund mismanagement and abuses, and advocating for employees and executives in a wide range of employment disputes, including severance negotiations, wrongful termination, retaliation, wage and hour violations, sexual harassment, and gender, sexual orientation, race, national origin, and disability discrimination.
