Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York ‘pursues cases relentlessly’, frequently represents companies, boards of directors and special committees in individual, class and derivative actions arising from contemplated or hostile transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and other business deals. Gary Bornstein and Kevin Orsini are among the standout partners, along with veteran litigator Robert Baron. Key partners Justin Clarke and Antony Ryan are also highly regarded by peers. They are working with Bornstein on behalf of Deutsche Telekom, the controlling stockholder of T-Mobile, in class action and derivative litigation alleging that defendants breached their fiduciary duties in connection with T‑Mobile’s $26bn merger with Sprint by not arguing for more favourable terms. With Orsini, he won a summary judgment for Blackstone as the pre-IPO private equity sponsor and a principal stockholder of online dating application Bumble concerning its dual-class voting structure. Rory Leraris left the firm in January 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Key clients
- Bacardi Limited
- Blackstone Inc.
- Bombardier Inc.
- Deutsche Telekom AG
- Forward Air Corporation
- Goosehead Insurance, Inc.
- Micro Focus International plc
- Tesla, Inc. CEO Elon Musk
- SPI Group
- Unilever PLC
- The Walt Disney Company
- The Williams Companies, Inc.
Work highlights
- Successfully represented affiliates of Bacardi in actions brought by an entity controlled by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter concerning ownership of D’Ussé, a popular cognac brand.
- Secured a favorable settlement for members of the special transaction committee of Viacom’s Board of Directors in consolidated putative class action litigation concerning Viacom’s $30 billion merger with CBS Corporation.
- Represented The Williams Companies as lead trial and appellate counsel, securing a judgment totalling more than $600 million—following wins at trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery and on appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court—in M&A litigation against Energy Transfer related to a planned $37.7 billion merger.
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