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.
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Key clients
- Altice
- WebMD
- Dassault Systèmes
- CVS Health Corporation
- LyondellBasell Industries
- Morgan Stanley
- Hoya Corporation
- General Electric
- bibliotheca
- Capital Square Partners
- Advanced Disposal Services
- Bojangles
- EnCap Flatrock Midstream Fund II, L.P.
- Raytheon Co.
- Bank of America Merrill Lynch
- Orbital ATK Inc.
- Pattern Energy Group, Inc.
Work highlights
- Successfully obtained a dismissal of claims against Jefferies LLC arising from the merger of Golden Nugget Online Gaming (which instructed Jefferies as its financial advisor on the transaction) with DraftKings Inc.
- Represented the directors and officers of Baker Hughes in litigation in the wake of the merger of Baker Hughes Inc. and General Electric’s oil and gas business (GE Oil & Gas).
- Representation of Pattern Energy Group, Inc. and its officers and directors in a putative securities class action case in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Pattern is a U.S.-based renewable energy company that operates wind and solar power facilities in the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Adam Hakki, Alan Goudiss, Paula Anderson, Mallory Brennan