Securities Class Action Defense Practice

The attorneys of Lewis Brisbois' Securities Class Action Defense Practice are experienced in defending a broad range of high stakes and complex securities actions brought against publicly traded and private corporations, financial institutions, professional organizations, funds, and private equity companies.

Working in close coordination with our SEC Enforcement & Litigation Practice, and our nationally recognized U.S. News “Tier 1” Class Action & Mass Tort attorneys, we have the experience, knowhow, and manpower required to mount robust and effective defenses to shareholder derivative suits, fraud claims, and other types of actions alleging violations of federal and state securities laws. With our size and numerous offices across the country, including the major cities that act as magnets for class actions, we are well positioned to defend both national securities class actions and multidistrict litigation (MDL), and smaller regional or local actions brought against business entities and their officers and directors.

Our strategies frequently involve utilizing the favorable provisions of the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) to remove litigation from state courts to federal courts. When confronted with multiple actions in diverse jurisdictions, our attorneys are able to make litigation more manageable and economical by filing motions with the federal Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation to coordinate and consolidate large numbers of suits in one federal court, and before one judge, for all pretrial proceedings. Our strategies involve early investigation and analysis, working closely with our clients, attacking suits at the pleading stage (with an impressive record of knocking out putative class actions on early motions to dismiss), and, when litigation proceeds past the pleading stage, aggressively opposing class certification.

While most suits resolve short of trial, our practice includes experienced and nationally recognized trial attorneys who are more than capable of taking cases through trial. When appropriate, we are also experienced in structuring and managing favorable settlements through the court approval process. We recognize that securities class actions create a high stakes situation for the client’s business enterprise, and appreciate that the defense must be handled efficiently and effectively. Our clients benefit from our ability to control defense expense.

Jointly led by a former SEC Enforcement Division trial counsel and a seasoned Tier 1 class action defense attorney, and ably assisted by a team of former federal prosecutors and experienced civil trial attorneys, our Securities Class Action Practice has the knowledge to effectively and aggressively represent publicly traded corporations, financial institutions, investment advisers and wealth managers, accounting firms, funds, venture capital and private equity entities, and other business organizations in a broad spectrum of complex class action and MDL defense. We will employ all of the tools in our prosecutorial and defensive toolboxes to creatively and aggressively defend ongoing actions and to avoid costly litigation prior to the filing of complaints.

Chairs

  • Paul Kisslinger (Partner) - Paul.Kisslinger@lewisbrisbois.com , 202.558.0665
  • Jon Kardassakis (Partner) - Jon.Kardassakis@lewisbrisbois.com, 213.680.5040
  • Eric Kizirian (Partner) - Eric.Kizirian@lewisbrisbois.com, 213.580.3981

Vice Chairs

  • Todd Seelman (Managing Partner) - Todd.Seelman@lewisbrisbois.com, 720.292.2002