Mr Adam Hakki > Shearman & Sterling LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

A&O Shearman is recognized for its securities litigation and regulatory investigations work, defending clients before the SEC, the FDIC, as well as European regulatory authorities. The firm represents a range of financial institutions including Citibank and Bank of America. Senior partner Adam Hakki, based in New York, is best known for his work in securities and internal investigations. He is regularly involved in multijurisdictional matters and has extensive trial experience. Hakki co-heads the New York practice with Richard Schwed. New York-based Grace Lee is another notable name in the group and is involved in regulatory investigations, commercial litigation, and cross-border disputes. The practice also benefits from the expertise of Katherine Stoller, based in New York, who specializes in cross-border financial crime. Mark Lanpher, based in Washington DC, is experienced working on matters before the CFTC, DOJ, and IRS. Former partner Patrick Robbins departed in July 2023 to work for the DOJ.

A&O Shearman has a strong bench of litigators in New York who handle the full range of securities and M&A matters, including contested mergers, proxy contests, appraisal cases, derivative actions and more. Senior partner and head of litigation Adam Hakki is widely regarded as a highly skilled litigator, and he leads the practice along with Paula Anderson, Alan Goudiss and emerging partner talent Mallory Brennan. Samuel Cooper in Houston and Dan Gold in Dallas also play key roles in high-profile matters. Hakki and Gold recently secured the dismissal of claims against Jefferies, which acted as financial adviser to Golden Nugget Online Gaming in its $1.56bn merger with digital sports entertainment and gaming company DraftKings Inc. Anderson, who is increasingly visible in deal-related litigation for major corporates, worked with Goudiss to successfully defend General Electric in a Delaware case concerning the merger of its oil and gas business with Baker Hughes, in which plaintiffs alleged that the company used misleading unaudited financial statements that concealed billions in goodwill impairments to inflate its value.

The litigation and appellate experts at A&O Shearman act on behalf of corporations, partnerships and joint ventures in a broad variety of disputes, with emphasis on those concerning breach of contract, fraud, professional malpractice, and business torts. The team has a strong reputation for its expertise in the insurance space, and it also works with clients in the manufacturing, chemicals, healthcare, and TMT sectors. In New York, Adam Hakki is a securities litigation expert who represents Wall Street clients in a broad range of disputes, while Richard Schwed routinely appears before federal and state trial and appellate courts and arbitral tribunals as well as in criminal and civil investigations by governmental and regulatory authorities. New York litigator Stephen Fishbein has a strong trial record in competition, trade secrets and contract disputes. In the Washington DC office, Todd Stenerson‘s practice encompasses complex dealer termination and RICO cases, as well as business torts, breach of contract and ERISA cases. Former co-practice head Patrick Robbins left the firm in July 2023 to take up a role at the US Department of Justice.

A&O Shearman‘s securities litigation practice has a strong record in acting for the world’s largest underwriting banks, and has further broadened its client base to include big-name public companies, notably in the technology sector. The work of San Francisco-based partner Daniel LaGuardia for Uber Technologies in a securities class action arising from its 2019 IPO is a prime example. The practice is led from New York but standout litigator Adam Hakki and global litigation practice group Richard Schwed . Hakki is widely acknowledged as a leading practitioner in this area, and his victory for Paramount Global in a securities class action litigation arising from the historic collapse of Archegos Capital Management is a standout case from the past year. Also in New York, Daniel Lewis and up-and-coming partner Agnès Dunogué are highly visible in the market, as is regulatory enforcement and securities litigation specialist Lyle Roberts  in Washington DC. Houston-based Mallory Brennan and Samuel Cooper, and former federal prosecutor Patrick Hein in San Francisco also plays a key role in securities fraud cases. Patrick Robbins left the firm in 2023 to join the DOJ.

A&O Shearman offers a standout antitrust capability in the financial services sector, leveraging its transatlantic capabilities to advise domestic and international banks and financial institutions on high-stakes class actions concerning securities and financial trading markets, price-fixing allegations, and monopolization claims. David Higbee, in Washington DC, co-heads the firm’s global antitrust offering and leverages his agency experience from the Antitrust Division to represent clients in agency-facing civil litigation matters, including defending clients before the FTC and the DOJ. Senior partner Adam Hakki represents leading banks in trading market class actions from the firm’s New York office; the duo jointly oversees the practice. Litigator Todd Stenerson represents both plaintiffs and defendants from the automotive, retail, and healthcare sectors in multidistrict litigations; Stenerson also handles investigations and arbitrations. In Dallas, Rachel Mossman Zieminski takes point on merger challenges in the aviation sector. Following the 2024 combination of Shearman and Allen & Overy LLP, the team now also includes Elaine Johnston, based in New York, who has a broad practice covering the full range of contentious and non-contentious antitrust issues across a range of industries; notably, Johnston recently represented Merz Pharmaceuticals in a class action concerning generic patent settlements. She works alongside the Washington DC-based Noah Brumfield, who takes point on antitrust matters in the chemicals, life sciences, and tech industries; the latter is a recent area of increased activity for the team. Another key member of the team is Todd Fishman, in New York, an experienced litigator with significant expertise in cross-border matters; Fishman is the key contact for clients in the financial services industry.

A&O Shearman‘s international litigation practice has vast trial experience, with in-depth knowledge of securities litigation, white-collar, regulatory, and investigations work. Information requestions and enforcement actions are regularly advised on by the team, with expertise in associated business, reputational, and regulatory risks. The team has a well-established China securities litigation department, and represents a range of leading clients, including Danske Bank, Citigroup, BNP Paribas, Bank of America, and Softbank. Based in the New York office, Adam Hakki is a well-commended litigator for securities and trading market cases, alongside the DOJ, SEC, and FINRA. Hakki is joined by Richard Schwed in the same office. Katherine Stoller bolsters the team with her expertise conducting corporate internal investigations, including whistleblower and workplace investigations. Also of note are New York-based John Nathanson and in the Washington DC office, Mark Lanpher.

With a strong international presence, A&O Shearman is well placed to advise corporates on cross-border investigations. The team has experience navigating multiple jurisdictions, including Australia, Europe, Asia, and the UAE.  The team also regularly represents individuals facing allegations of market manipulation, insider trading, and tax offences, among other misconduct. Leading the practice from New York, David Esseks is a seasoned litigator who frequently represents banks as well as domestic and international companies. Eugene Ingoglia and Julian Moore are also based in New York. Ingoglia is particularly adept at handling insider trading matters, while Moore is skilled at designing and implementing compliance programs. Located in Washington DC, Claire Rajan specializes in corruption matters. Following the merger with Shearman & Sterling LLP in 2024, the New York team has expanded to include Adam Hakki, Richard Schwed, and Stephen Fishbein. Hakki specializes in securities laws, while Schwed advises on a range of investigations in the financial services sector. Fishbein is also an expert at handling matters relating to financial crimes such as insider trading. Katherine Stoller and Christopher LaVigne are further stand out members of the New York team. LaVigne focusses on cases concerning securities fraud, while Stoller represents major corporations across the globe that are facing investigations into corruption, money laundering, and violations of economic sanctions.